At the Forum on Science and Religion held in May 2015 as part of a workshop at York University, Toronto, Professor Ron L. Numbers of the University of Wisconsin gave a keynote lecture titled, “Conflict Denied: How Once-Suspect Evidence of Evolution Came to Support the Biblical Narrative.” In the lecture Professor Numbers, the author of many works on the history of creationism in the US, told the story of how dinosaurs became the darlings of creationists, confounding the expectations of evolutionists and anti-evolutionists alike.

The Forum on Science and Religion involved members of the Science and Religion: Exploring the Spectrum team as well as early career and more established scholars from Canada and the United States, who are researching public perceptions of the relationship between science and religion.  The workshop gave voice to scholars of many different disciplines represented in this developing field of research, and illustrated the diversity of viewpoints regarding the relationship between science and religion, of scholars and the public alike. Professor Numbers’ illustration of the many disagreements between anti-evolutionist groups reminds us that in our ongoing research in this area we must always remember that there is no one, single essential way of knowing the world around us.

Below is a full audio recording of Professor Number’s lecture:

The above recording features music from the track Anima Instrumental, by Timberman (timberman / CC BY-NC 3.0)