J.E. Hill

[ Author Bio ]

Should Both Sides of the Debate on Evolution be Included in Textbooks? (2008) (with Seth Cooper)

In January 2004 the Spring Hill Review: A Journal of Northwest Culture published a written exchange between J.E. Hill and Seth Cooper (of the Discovery Institute) over whether creationism should be taught in public schools. In his opening statement Seth Cooper not only deviated from the topic at hand by presenting a laundry list of "problems with various aspects of Darwin's theory," but managed to avoid presenting even a single argument for why creationism should be included in science textbooks. Moreover, he never addressed how teaching creationism would provide "balance" to scientific accounts, or whether creationism itself is even a scientific theory. Though there is no debate among biologists about whether evolution best explains the progression of life on Earth, a small group of religious conservatives want their religious worldview promoted in public schools, and thus have taken their views to the arena of public and political opinion rather than peer-reviewed scientific journals.

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J.E. Hill's Kiosk Articles

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J. E. Hill is a member of the Inland Empire Freethought Society (Spokane, WA), the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the Association of Ancient Historians. Hill has had articles published in Free Inquiry, Freethought Today, and Swift, as well as on The Secular Web and numerous other Internet sites. Hill has also made presentations for the Humanist Focus Group (Spokane) and the Atheist Alliance conference. Hill retired as an elected member of his local school board where he served for over thirteen years, ten of those as Board Chair. He is an expert in celestial navigation, plays semipro pocket billiards, and is an accomplished magician.

As a Navy veteran with Vietnam service, he contracted tuberculosis in Southeast Asia, and was released from the service and confined to hospitals for over a year. Subsequently, he returned to society, entering college where he took up history and philosophy. Hill has worked as an air traffic controller and as a shipboard navigator for National Ocean Survey, N.O.A.A. Hill now resides in Northeast Washington state, working for a nonprofit community foundation as a program director. He is married and has two daughters, Hill enjoys reading and writing on the history and philosophy of religion, primarily Christianity, as well as freelance writing on contemporary issues, but can never seem to find the time to become as active as he wishes.