2007 GOP debate at St. Anselm College, sponsored by CNN & WMUR: on Education

John McCain: Teaching creationism should be decided by school districts

No, I believe that’s up to the school districts. But I think that every American should be exposed to all theories. There’s no doubt in my mind that the hand of God was in what we are today. And I do believe that we are unique, and I believe that God loves us. But I also believe that all of our children in school can be taught different views on different issues. I leave the curricula up to the school boards.

Mike Huckabee: I’m running for president, not writing science curriculum

A: It’s interesting that that question would even be asked of somebody running for president. I’m not planning on writing the curriculum for an eighth-grade science book. I’m asking for the opportunity to be president. But you’ve raised the question, so let me answer it. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth.” To me it’s pretty simple, a person either believes that God created this process or believes that it was an accident and that it just happened all on its own.

Q: Do you believe literally it was done in six days and it occurred 6,000 years ago?

A: I believe there is a God who was active in the creation process. Now, how did he do it, and when did he do it, and how long did he take? I don’t honestly know, and I don’t think knowing that would make me a better or a worse president.

Sam Brownback: Evolution debate puts faith & science at odds unnecessarily

HUCKABEE: Whether God did it in 6 days or whether he did it in 6 days that represented periods of time, he did it, and that’s what’s important. If anybody wants to believe that they are the descendants of a primate, they are certainly welcome to do it. But I believe that all of us are the unique creations of God.

BROWNBACK: It’s interesting that we’re doing this here, at Saint Anselm’s--that saint had a philosophy of faith seeking reason. I believe we are created in the image of God for a particular purpose. And I am fully convinced there’s a God of the universe that loves us very much and was involved in the process. How he did it, I don’t know. One of the problems we have with our society today is that we put faith and science at odds with each other. They aren’t at odds with each other. If they are, check your faith or check your science. And we should engage faith and reason, like Saint Anselm did.