Aspects of the theory of "scientific creationism" are defined and compared to accepted evolutionary theory. Implications of the accommodation of creationism in public school science curricula are then discussed. A history of state legislation mandating the inclusion of creationism as an alternative to the theory of evolution is reviewed, and the status (as of April 1981) of legislative action in 13 states is summarized, as provided by the Institute for Creation Research in El Cojon, California. (CS)