Yesterday I blogged about how the National Park Service is selling a young-Earth creationist book about the Grand Canyon in its stores. Today the Washington Post wrote an article on the subject. It contains a response from the National Park Service, which I find pretty unbelievable. They claim that they are in fact reviewing the matter. The review was supposed to be done in February, but it’s been delayed while lawyers at the Interior and Justice Departments “tackle the issue.” No deadline is set for the decision, and the book will continue to be sold until one is made.
Tackle the issue? Do these folks really need an extra eight months (and counting) to recognize that the Grand Canyon is millions of years old, and was not formed in Noah’s Flood?
The book has been moved from the science section to the inspirational section. But from what I know about it, it’s not claiming to offer inspiration but facts. The intellectual cowardice continues.
Originally published October 15, 2004. Copyright 2004 Carl Zimmer.