Rick Santorum's social conservatism isn't limited to his views on sex and reproduction: He was also, during his time in the Senate, a leading creationist, on the front line of the wars between science and religion.

His argument: "The theory of evolution... is used to promote to a worldview that is anti-theist, that is atheist."

Santorum didn't just talk. He also sought to legislate his suspicion of evolution, and he boasts today of a proposed amendment to the “No Child Left Behind” law, which would have required that intelligent design be taught along with evolution.

He summed up his views in a 2008 interview with The Center for Religion and Public Life:

One of the issues that I always got hammered for was the issue of evolution. I was the guy who actually put words in the No Child Left Behind Act, which was our big education bill that passed back in 2001 or 2002 that reformed the education system. Well, I had an amendment, it’s a great story, I had this language, because what’s taught in our school system as a result of liberal academia, is evolution is an incontrovertible fact. There is no suspicion of it. It is decided science that cannot be questioned. There cannot be any doubts about it. If you have any questions or doubts, it’s trying to inject religion into the science classroom. So it is above reproach.



I obviously don’t feel that way. I think there are a lot of problems with the theory of evolution, and do believe that it is used to promote to a worldview that is anti-theist, that is atheist.