Creationism

It's not just a wacky fringe theological idea any more. In the U. S. (and many other culturally conservative countries), its main purpose is political rather than theological, and it's attacking not just evolution, but science in general.

That is because politics and religion are increasingly inseparable in many places, since powerful economic and political forces have discovered (once again) how useful religion is to misdirect people's attention and to attract votes. Creationism (or its more sophisticated city cousin, "intelligent design") is being used as a wedge issue to mislead and manipulate people into supporting candidates and policies whose real but concealed agendas are contrary to most people's actual economic interest.

Here's a good overview of what's going on now:

Creationism special: A battle for science's soul

This time the creationists' proposals are "far more radical and much more dangerous", says Keith Miller of Kansas State University, a leading pro-evolution campaigner. "They redefine science itself to include non-natural or supernatural explanations for natural phenomena." The Kansas standards now state that science finds "natural" explanations for things. But conservatives on the board want that changed to "adequate". They also want to define evolution as being based on an atheistic religious viewpoint. "Then they can argue that intelligent design must be included as 'balance'," Miller says.