Since (it appears, based on the low level of scientific discussion on the Talk pages) almost none of the articles on Wikipedia regarding origins issues are written by people with even a BA in any natural science, and since none or virtually none of them are written by people with a PhD in any natural science, and since virtually none of the are written by people trained in science journalism or even journalism generally, Wikipedia is not a good source for determining what “the scientific community” thinks about anything.
Further, the evidence Wikipedia presented for what “the scientific community” thinks about Behe and/or ID is based on the directly expressed opinion of probably about 1% of 1% of 1% of scientists worldwide, hardly a representative sample. Wikipedia presents not a single properly conducted poll of scientific opinion on the works of Behe or on ID generally.
Third, (and here Tim is deliberately misrepresenting by leaving out explicit statements) the student who was referred to as “an arrogant twit” was given that label *explicitly because of her manners", not because of any claim that anything was wrong with her “efforts” on the scientific side. And it is appropriate to call an arrogant young woman arrogant, even if her science were of Nobel Prize-winning in quality. If the scientific community does not police arrogance among its young members before giving them tenure, that’s an indictment of the scientific community, not a fault of anyone outside the scientific community who calls a spade a spade. It also makes the scientific community unpopular among non-scientists, further contributing to public distrust in science When scientists were thought of as humble, absent-minded seekers after truth, they were often beloved or at least admired by non-scientists; the new distrust of science and disinclination to follow the advice of scientists has gone hand-in-hand with the rise in the number of scientists who have stepped outside of the ivory tower and involved themselves in loud and aggressive ways in public discussions. Just as lay people find clergymen who behave in ungodly ways unworthy of respect, so they find the modern secular clergy, i.e., the scientists, unworthy of respect precisely insofar as they behave like the aforementioned arrogant young twit.
Happy New Year to all!