An Arizona Republican is trying to force Creationism back into science classes

State Sen. David Farnsworth's latest bill attacks evolution, the scientific method, and decades of settled law

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In an attempt to drag politics back about 20 years and drag science back a full century, a Republican lawmaker in Arizona has filed a bill to force Creationism back into public school classrooms.

Arizona State Sen. David Farnsworth (screenshot via YouTube)

Late last week, State Sen. David Farnsworth filed SB 1025, which is extremely short and gets right to the point:

Notwithstanding any other law, a public school may provide instruction in evolution by natural selection only if the school provides concurrent instruction in intelligent design.

In other words, schools can’t teach kids about evolution unless they also teach them about Intelligent Design (which is nothing more than Creationism by another name). It’s a poison pill that says you can’t educate students about science unless you also infect their minds with Christian bullshit.

Farnsworth’s defense of the bill reveals how little he knows about any of these topics:

“If we’re going to teach that man came from monkeys, I think we ought to give a choice,’‘ the Republican said.

…

And Farnsworth made no bones about the fact that while he is using the phrase “intelligent design,’‘ he knows what this is about.

“If it were up to me, I would just call it creationism,” he said, meaning that all aspects of the universe originated with a supernatural act.

Man did not come “from monkeys.” They have a common ancestor. People who use that Creationist talking point are basically admitting they have no clue what evolution is, yet they all think they’re smart enough to micromanage the curriculum for science classes.

When reporter Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services asked Farnsworth what evidence there was for Intelligent Design, the response was exactly what you’d expect from an anti-science religious zealot:

“I don’t need to prove that to you,’‘ Farnsworth said. “To me, it’s what I know in my heart is true, besides all the biblical references.’‘

And those who don’t see it that way?

“I honestly think that people that don’t think that we were created by God are not very intelligent individuals themselves,’‘ he said. “I believe the best evidence is if we pray and ask God what the truth is, along with our diligent study.’‘

He freely notes this isn’t about evidence. It’s about what’s in your heart… which, to state the obvious, isn’t how science works. And at least one Democrat called him out on it:

The idea, however, drew derision from Sen. Mitzi Epstein.

“I think that understanding the scientific method is something that maybe we should request lawmakers to learn before they write bills,’‘ the Tempe Democrat said.

The good news here is that his bill is going to be dead on arrival. While Republicans have narrow majorities in both legislative chambers, the governor is Democrat Katie Hobbs and there’s no way in hell she’s on board with this. And legally speaking, this just violates all the laws. Creationism has been a non-starter in science classes since the Supreme Court said as much in 1987, Intelligent Design was knocked down by a court in 2005, and all the euphemisms (teach the “holes” in evolution, teach the “strengths and weaknesses” of evolution, etc) have gone absolutely nowhere for the same reasons. You can’t shove Christian mythology into a science class no matter how much people like Ken Ham pretend it’s secular truth.

Farnsworth didn’t care about any of that either:

“I’m not an attorney, and I’m not even going to try,’‘ he said.

Anyway, Farnsworth said, such court rulings are based on the flawed premise that there’s supposed to be a separation between church and state.

But it’s still disturbing that a Republican is wasting his time promoting this nonsense—and says a lot about how little respect his party has for public schools, students’ education, teachers, and the expertise of people who write the curriculum. Farnsworth would rather destroy kids’ minds than help them achieve a solid foundation for their future academic life. He didn’t even bother to educate himself on the topic of this very bill, saying instead that he filed it merely because it was “an idea proposed by one of his constituents. And he promised to introduce the proposal for discussion in the 2026 legislative session.”

For now, the bill has merely been introduced. No committee hearings about it have been scheduled yet. Farnsworth, a Mormon whose biography boasts of his “32 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren,” has also co-sponsored a bill this term to rename a section of road the “Charlie Kirk Highway.”

Even if this bill goes nowhere, it’s a blunt reminder that Creationism—no matter how it’s packaged—is never about evidence. It’s always been a way to sneak religious beliefs into a subject where they don’t belong. Evolution doesn’t have a viable alternative, and Intelligent Design is nothing more than theology. Just because Republicans want to sabotage public schools doesn’t mean anyone should take their claims of giving kids a scientific “choice” seriously.

Farnsworth doesn’t give a damn about kids (no matter how many he has) and he’s proving that right here by politicizing education and discrediting expertise. Evolution is foundational to biology, medicine, genetics, and environmental science. Undercutting it like he wants to do weakens students’ ability to understand the world. It’s deeply irresponsible. The people of Arizona deserve so much better than a religious zealot who doesn’t understand the very topic he wrote a bill about .

The silver lining here is that this effort will fail. It’ll fail because science advocates have successfully challenged this nonsense every time it’s come up. Even if this bill were to pass, it would continue to be challenged every step of the way. The fact that such legislation can still be proposed, though, is troubling, only because it says a lot about the lawmaker’s priorities. In this case, Farnsworth wants people to know he doesn’t believe children should have a solid, accurate education. He’d rather indoctrinate them with his religious beliefs.

Voters should remember that in the future.

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