The advance of religion in the schools is a silent march, much like a termite invasion that slowly and secretly munches through the walls and floors until the whole building collapses in a heap to everyone's surprise and dismay.

The Kansas Board of Education which voted to include creationism in school curriculum is a fine example of this phenomenon. Five out of the ten members elected to the Board are conservative Christians elected in the fall of 1998. They were elected right under the nose of moderate Republicans preoccupied with the high-profile Republican gubernatorial primary which pitted a former Kansas Christian Coalition head against moderate Bill Graves. By moving the debate away from the abortion clinic doors (or rather, being banished from them by the FACE act) they have colored themselves as innocuous citizens merely concerned for the welfare of our school system.

But their goals are suspect--they tout abstinence programs over sex education, champion school prayer and urge the adoption of vouchers to send kids to parochial schools.

While high-profile moderate Republicans like George W. Bush Jr. may garner the majority of public attention, it is hard-line right-wingers who are setting the agenda, locally and nationally. We see evidence of their influence on the moderates in the recent presidential debates. Bush, who has spent more money as governor on abstinence programs than required by law, has said he would almost triple funding for such programs if elected President. These programs, often run by Christian Coalition devotees, teach that abortion is "killing a baby," promote the rhythm method of contraception, and provide little to no advice on how to avoid pregnancy if you choose to have sex. Such programs leave high school students--of whom 70 percent will have had sex by the time they reach 18--ignorant and unprepared to deal with the realities of sexual intercourse.

But then again, ignorance seems to be the goal of this silent storm sweeping the nation. First they want us to think that religion is under attack using the fallacious example of Cassie Bernall, then they want us to think that creationism is a legitimate alternative to evolution in science classrooms, and finally they want us to teach our kids that the only way to prevent pregnancy is not to have sex. This leaves American youth in Kansas ill-prepared to deal with a university education, in Texas ill-prepared to deal with sex, and everywhere convinced that their elders are complete morons. After all, on the Internet superhighway of information (of which, incidentally, Harris and Klebold were expert navigators) kids can find out all the information that these hijacked school boards are trying to keep from them.

There are many lessons to be learned from Littleton. We cannot let the deception of the Christian right cloud the most important of them all.

Meredith B. Osborn '02, a Crimson editor, is a social studies concentrator in Leverett House.