Behe's Views on Evidence

Or: Intelligent Cruelty?

In an interview with World Magazine (Weekly News / Christian Views) Michael Behe reveals his views on the importance of evidence in the construction of scientific theory:

WORLD: Many Christians will object to your defense of common descent, but you state, "When two lineages share what appears to be an arbitrary genetic accident, the case for common descent becomes compelling." Why do you think the existence of similar broken genes in the genomes of humans and chimps proves their common descent?

BEHE: I should first emphasize that on the question of common descent, I wear just my scientist's hat. So if a person has strong theological reasons to question descent, then he may weigh the evidence differently than I do.

This is astounding! Behe has been up front that he can't deny the evidence for common descent (including a 4.5 billion year old Earth). But in order not to alienate his Christian audience he simply tells them, "if you don't like the evidence, just ignore it!" It must be this same form of logical gymnastics that allows Behe, just one question later, to confidently assert that the 1 million people who suffer and die every year as the result of malaria (200,000 of which are infants) do so because its God's will.

Far from demonstrating "intelligent design," this malign ignorance purporting to be science is an offense to both morality and reason.