Where is the intelligence behind new creationism?

LAST Thursday, the BBC announced the latest in a series of battles for the hearts and minds of Britain. A poll commissioned by the BBC's Horizon reported that less than half of the population believed that evolution best explained the diversity of life we see today. Almost more shocking was the belief expressed by more than 40 per cent of those questioned that "creationism" and "intelligent design" should be taught in school science lessons.

Creationism is a strangely persistent conviction; it's the belief that Genesis can be read literally, so that God created the Earth just 6,000 years ago. Despite centuries of evidence to the contrary, it just won't go away. In many ways, it all sound...