But it's not about religion ...

The Disco ‘Tute has announced the opening of a new site, Faith+Religion, which purports to discuss the relationship between evolution and religion. A brief survey of the site shows that it has two objectives. First, of course, is the traditional ID goal of denigrating evolutionary theory. Right up on the home page we see a review of Collins’ The Language of God by Moonie Jonathan Wells that says

Collins’s defense of Darwinian theory turns out to be largely an argument from ignorance that must retreat as we learn more about the genome–in effect, a Darwin of the gaps.

Sure thing, Jonnie. Wells knows more about the scientific implications of new genetic knowledge than the former head of the Human Genome project. Yup.

Faith+Evolution also purports to present resources on various topics But just four sites are linked as specifically resources on evolution. First is Evolution News and Views, the Disco ‘Tute’s propaganda outlet. A resource on evolution? They have to be kidding! Right? Bueller?

Then there is About Darwin, which has not been updated since February 2008 as I write this. There is The Evolving Times, which currently features an article by Cornelius Hunter, Disco ‘Tute fellow and anti-evolutionist, about “Darwin’s predictions.” The last “evolution” resource listed is merely a direct link to that same Hunter article.

As far as Faith+Evolution’s “evolution resources” are concerned, Berkeley’s Understanding Evolution site doesn’t exist, nor do any of the other excellent resources on evolution on the web exist. It’s apparent that the core strategy in that section is to keep readers even more ignorant of evolution than are the Disco ‘Tute luminaries.

The press release for the new site quotes John West as saying

FaithandEvolution.Org is for anyone who wants to dig deeper into the scientific, social, and spiritual issues raised by Darwin’s theory, but who is tired of the limited options they are currently being offered by the media.

With the four sites offered as “resources” about evolution West doesn’t have to worry about anyone learning anything about the actual science. Which, of course, is his goal.

Paging around the site, it seems to have two main targets: standard materialistic (evil atheistic) science, and (more saliently) several varieties of theological compatibilists – theistic evolution and evolutionary creationism. As Dembski famously wrote

Design theorists are no friends of theistic evolution.

The Disco ‘Tute’s new site sure makes that clear. Since Collins is an evangelical Christian, as are prominent evolutionary creationists like Denis Lamoreaux and Steve Matheson, it looks to me like the Disco ‘Tute is pulling itself further and further into a fundamentalist Christian corner, joining the ICR and AIG. John West handles most of the theological questions about theistic evolution and evolutionary creationism, and really really doesn’t like them. That all by itself could almost turn me into one, had I any inclination to believe in Thor .. erm … Zeus … um … Vishnu … er … the FSM.

Cheryl Shepherd-Adams has a nice take-down of Faith+Evolution:

Despite their best efforts, though, the overwhelming evidence at the DI’s new site shows that this whole issue isn’t a matter of science v. religion; it’s all about how “best” to interpret Scripture.

I commend it to your attention. Cheryl also notes the paucity of “science resources” on the site.

The IDist agenda is at base theological, not scientific. Why else would it be supported by Christian Reconstructionist Howard Ahmanson? The pseudoscience they blather about is a cover for an essentially theological dispute. Faith+Science makes that crystal clear. And in contrast to science, there is no generally accepted methodology for resolving theological disputes except schism and (in the extreme case) religious warfare. As I’ve said before in other venues, if the ID creationists win the culture war, the very next day blood will flow in the aisles and under the pews.