Creationism: Coming to a Science Classroom Near You? In 1987,
the United States Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law
prohibiting the teaching of evolution unless it was accompanied
by the teaching of creationism. The Court stated in its opinion
in Edwards v. Aguillard that the intent of the law was to
promote the teachings of a religious denomination in a public
school science classroom, a clear violation of the principle of
the separation of church and state. This decision is
straightforward—creationism cannot be taught in a public school
science classroom. Time and again, lower courts have applied
this ruling and invalidated various attempts to out rightly or
indirectly teach creationism in public schools, yet legislators
and creationism advocates alike persist in these attempts. In
January 2012 alone, no less than six bills attempting to teach
creationism in science classrooms have been introduced around
the country. New Hampshire and Missouri have two bills apiece
and Indiana and Oklahoma are each co