HELENA - A woman who wants the book "Horse" removed from her 8-year-old's school because it promotes evolution had only one supporter and dozens of opponents at a hearing by a school district committee.
Roxanne Cleasby wants the Helena School District to remove the book, or at least pages 8 and 9, from Smith Elementary because it does not address creationism as an alternative theory to evolution.
"It took about 55 million years for the present family of horses, asses and zebras to evolve from their earliest horse-like ancestor," reads Page 8 of the children's book by Juliet Clutton-Brock.
Cleasby said there is no evidence that the horse, as a species, actually evolved. She devoted most of her allotted three minutes at Friday's hearing to disputing the theory of evolution.
"There remain too many questions with evolutionary theory to present it as a fact," she said. "Children and adults need the freedom to question, ponder and seek this very fundamental question of how they came to be."
John Fenlason of the Hannaford Street Bible Church in Helena also said the book should not present evolution as a fact.
"Evolution is just as much a theory and a religious view as creationism is," Fenlason said. "I don't think creationism gets equal opportunity to be discussed. Let's give both sides that opportunity."
When the moderator turned over the discussion to supporters of the book, the line stretched to the back of the room. Some called Cleasby's complaint an "attack by extremists" on public schools and nothing more than "religious dogma."
"The primary assumption of creation science is a supernatural event," said Carroll College biology professor Grant Hokit. "It's impossible to test creationism using scientific theory because the mechanisms of the supernatural events are not measurable."
Hokit said science does not dismiss the existence of a creator, nor does it prove the existence of one.
"For the success of future generations, it is critical that we allow access to books that contain the prevailing views of science," he said.
Zia Kazimi, a Clancy resident born in Afghanistan, said Cleasby's arguments reminded him of the Taliban, the Muslim fundamentalists who ruled his native country.
"I've had the opportunity, firsthand, to see what extremists can do," Kazimi said. "Perhaps those in our community don't wear turbans or grow long beards, but the simple truth is that they are afraid of any competing views or beliefs."
Darby schools are embroiled in a similar dispute over teaching alternative theories to evolution in the classroom. The school board last month adopted an "objective origins" policy for the district's science classes.
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