To read Scott Nelson (Other Voices, June 13), it is clear that he thinks every living species, including every now-extinct species, lived within walking distance of Noah's house. Then again, maybe part of him recognizes the absurdity of that story, which motivates him to slur evolution in order to lower it to the established invalidity of a literal creation folk tale.

But if we see a boulder at the bottom of a hill and various observable and measurable bumps and divots leading down to it instead of a single solid trench, we can still figure out how it got there.

Yet Mr. Nelson and his ilk strive to characterize the scientific method and atheism as a religion in a ploy to dissuade school districts and science teachers from teaching not only observed facts but also the beauty and majesty evident in those facts. And he appeals to fear by positing some causal relationship between "atheistic evolution" (which phrase does not even make sense) and historical atrocities. Well, I dare say no atrocity ever resulted from too much critical thinking. And atheism is a religion like not collecting stamps is a hobby.

So, while the scientific method cannot be taken as some proxy for morality, our society's educational system must not be held hostage by willful ignorance or kept from celebrating the scientific method in, of all places, science classes. Science may make Mr. Nelson uncomfortable, but that does not justify his attempt to subvert it.

Mark Kneisel, Ann Arbor