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5 Sneaky Ways Fundamentalists Are Trying To Slip Christian Creationism Into America’s Public Schools

POSTED BY: NIKI2
UPDATED: Thursday, July 11, 2013 19:09
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Tuesday, July 9, 2013 5:13 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Quote:

Evolution is the linchpin of modern biology. Young people who don’t understand it are missing out on an entire range of educational and career opportunities. Certain professional fields can be closed off to them.

Despite this, some public schools in America do all they can to avoid teaching evolution. Thanks to constant pressure from the Religious Right, many public schools are battlegrounds in a culture war that does great damage to our nation’s scientific credibility as creationists work overtime to slip their ideas into the curriculum.

Federal courts have been clear: Creationism is theology grounded in a literal reading of the Bible, not science. It has no place in public school science classes, and inserting it into the schools is unconstitutional.

But despite a string of courtroom defeats, the creationists will not be stopped. They keep repackaging their ideas and trying again. Ironically, their strategies seem to evolve.

Here is a roundup of the latest ploys creationists are using to replace sound science with biblical fundamentalism.

1. Pretending to teach kids “critical thinking” skills: A spate of bills appeared in states this year that purported to help guide public school teachers in helping students apply “critical thinking” to select “controversies.” Not surprisingly, the controversies singled out always included evolution.

Legislation in Colorado would have directed teachers to “create an environment that encourages students to intelligently and respectfully explore scientific questions and learn about scientific evidence related to biological and chemical evolution, global warming, and human cloning.”

An Indiana bill would have compelled teachers to “help students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the strengths and weaknesses of conclusions and theories being presented in a course being taught by the teacher.”

In Montana, a bill mandated that schools to encourage “critical thinking regarding controversial scientific theories” such as “biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, random mutation, natural selection, DNA, and fossil discoveries.”

Oklahoma legislation would have required Sooner State teachers to “help students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories pertinent to the course being taught.” Covered topics included “biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning.”

The similar language of these bills (which all failed, thankfully) is strong evidence that they come from a central source. The National Center for Science Education, a California-based group that supports good science instruction in public schools, has traced them to the Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based group that promotes “intelligent design.”

Critical thinking is great. We’re all for it. But that’s not what these bills are about. They are about warping the concept of critical thinking and using it as vehicle to introduce religious concepts into the classroom.

2. Lumping it in with other controversies: Arizona lawmakers this year deliberated a bill that identified a series of “controversial” subjects and signaled them out for special classroom treatment. These included “biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning.”

Louisiana already has a law on the books permitting public school teachers to use “supplemental” material when discussing certain controversial issues, evolution among them. No one knows for sure what these supplemental materials are, but given that state’s constant efforts to undermine evolution, it’s safe bet On the Origin of Species is not on the list.

A school board in Springboro, Ohio, is considering a similar ruse, only its list is even longer. Once again, the idea here is to attempt to seize some type of moral high ground as proponents claim they are only trying to teach “both sides.”

Unfortunately for the board, that only works when there are two sides of equal validity.

The “teach the controversy” movement gives the far right an additional bonus: They can use it as a vehicle to undermine climate change, which they also reject.

3. Calling it academic freedom: Academic freedom is an important concept at colleges and universities. It has not been extended to public secondary schools because those institutions teach impressionable youngsters. Thus, school officials and democratically elected boards have the power to rein in teachers who start acting like preachers or who stray too far from the accepted curriculum.

A common creationist ruse is to assert that teachers have the right, under academic freedom, to introduce material that undercuts evolution. They do not. Over the years, several public school teachers have made this argument in court. All have failed.

Imagine if this argument were taken to its logical extent. What’s to stop a teacher from espousing 9/11 conspiracy theories, Holocaust denial, claims that we never landed on the moon, etc.?

4. Urging teachers to “go rogue”: Even though there is no academic freedom right to teach creationism, some public school teachers behave as if there is. They simply don’t teach evolution or teach it in such a way as to instill doubts in students’ minds.

A recent survey of public school high school science teachers in Pennsylvania found 19 percent backing some variant of creationism. One biology teacher in Altoona said he believes Earth is 10,000 years old and that the methods used to date it at 5 billion years are faulty.

“Sometimes students honestly look me in the eye and ask what do I think?” wrote this teacher in response to a newspaper survey. “I tell them that I personally hold the Bible as the source of truth. I tell them that I don’t think [radiocarbon dating] is as valid as the textbook says it is, noting other scientific problems with the dating method. Kids ask all kinds of personal questions and that’s one I don't shy away from. It doesn’t in any way disrupt the educational process. I’m entitled to my beliefs as much as the evolutionist is.”

An anonymous teacher in Indiana County, Pa., reported, “Most parents and officials do not want evolution ‘crammed’ into their children. They have serious philosophical/religious issues with public schools dictating to their students how to interpret the origin of life.”

Courts can strike down creationism repeatedly. That won’t matter if teachers refuse to offer proper instruction about evolution or are afraid to do so due to pressure from their superiors or the community.

5. Calling creationism something else. Back in the 1980s, “creation science” was all the rage among fundamentalists. They seemed to believe that all you had to do was tack the word “science” onto something and presto, it was science. (“Flat Earth Science,” anyone?)

That stunt failed when the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law mandating “balanced treatment” between evolution and creation science in 1987. The term “creationism” became more popular, even though it was the same old thing. When courts failed to fall for it, some advocates began using the term “the theory of abrupt appearance.”

Still others glommed on to “evidence against evolution.” Again, these name changes failed to fool anyone. It was the same old creationism in a new dress.

Most recently, “intelligent design” has become all the rage. Sometimes known by the acronym ID, intelligent design tries to cover up some of the more outlandish claims of standard creationism (6,000-year-old Earth, dinosaurs and humans living at the same time, Noah’s Ark was real, etc.) and instead posits that humans and other life forms are so complex that they must have been designed by some intelligent force. If this force just happens to be the Christian god, then so be it.

But at the end of the day, ID proponents are left to fall back on religious explanations. Just exactly who is this designer? Other than space aliens – and they aren’t really serious about that – ID backers have no candidates other than the god of their choice.

***

Evolution is no longer considered controversial by the scientific community. To biologists, it is as well established as the theory of gravity or the germ theory of disease. When Religious Right activists succeed in removing it from the classroom or watering down the instruction to the point of uselessness, they don’t just violate the separation of church and state, they undermine our nation’s leadership in science. http://www.alternet.org/belief/public-schools



Pretty sad statement about our country and our educational system, IMHO. And goes to why I focus on the supposed "Christians" who wield power in this country.

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Tuesday, July 9, 2013 6:46 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Non issues like this only distract us from the grease fire that is the D.C . culture.

*P.S. - And my criticism isn't w/ Niki here, but the idiots who are trying to sneak in their religious agenda under the guise of questioning stuff.

Now, I'm fine and dandy w/ pushing critical thinking, and asking folks to question what they're told. Take evolution for example. The more one learns about paleontology, and the findings we already DO have, the veil of time gets pulled back, and the array of life on this planet can begin to sink in. It truly is staggering.

Also, the issue of I.D. I've been of the opinion for a long time that I.D. was nohting more than 'creation science' dressed up in a new package. And, over time, I have to admit, some of their arguments have a curious tone to them, if nothing else. I'm not buying into I.D., but do have a sort of " what if " attitude. Might be something there, or not. I guess I may have scooted a bit over towards the agnostic side on the matter.





Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

Resident USA Freedom Fundie

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

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Tuesday, July 9, 2013 11:48 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Brenda, that was actually worth saying twice, hee, hee, hee! I agree 100% obviously.


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Tuesday, July 9, 2013 1:15 PM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Rap, I didn't ignore your post, wasn't sure how to respond. Pretty sure anything I write will get a negative response, so figured "why bother?" But I'll say this much:
Quote:

I've been of the opinion for a long time that I.D. was nohting more than 'creation science' dressed up in a new package. And, over time, I have to admit, some of their arguments have a curious tone to them, if nothing else. I'm not buying into I.D., but do have a sort of " what if " attitude. Might be something there, or not. I guess I may have scooted a bit over towards the agnostic side on the matter.


I've never had any problem with the possibility that SOMETHING started all this, I just don't accept some "God" like the religious types believe, with all the trappings attendant. I, too, see I.D. as "'creation science' dressed up in a new package", but I've never ruled out the possibility there might be SOMEthing...


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Tuesday, July 9, 2013 1:22 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!



My big hang up of there being an intelligent designer is, of course ... Who designed the designer ?

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

Resident USA Freedom Fundie

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

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Tuesday, July 9, 2013 4:44 PM

MAL4PREZ


quote: They seemed to believe that all you had to do was tack the word “science” onto something and presto, it was science. (“Flat Earth Science,” anyone?)

This goes straight up with what I posted in the Republican "science" thread. They really do not GET the important and necessity of evidence. That's what science is all about.

What kills me is when you try to discuss these things with these people (as I did long ago on these boards) and their "evidence" is to quote the Bible. They really do not understand what reality is. As in the real, observable world.

If there was some sentient God out there, it would be able to tell its tale in the natural world, not in some little bitty book that applies only to one small area of one small era of one small group of humans. Imho, the Bible itself is the biggest evidence against the existence of God. It's just so small-minded and limited. A real deity would do better.

I'm sure I'm going to make the religiousity heads explode by saying this, but the Bible does not worship a natural, independent deity. It worships human male authority.

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Tuesday, July 9, 2013 8:06 PM

OONJERAH


Quote MAL4Prez: "Imho, the Bible itself is the biggest evidence against the existence of God."


*face-palm!* That's just as dumb as what the Bible thumpers say!

I hope you mean Jehovah/Yaweh, not God.

Clue: The Christian Bible has nothing to do with God.

And in my mind, God (if he/she/it exists) has nothing to do with it!

Bible not= God. Religion not= God.

Going on the theory that there gotta be something in-around-above
our universe that's smarter than us (not a hard stretch at all),
why O why do so many people let the Judeo-Christian culture (or
any other religion) define that Something?

All the Bible proves is that those who follow it can't conceive of
a true higher being.


Quote MAL4Prez: "It's just so small-minded and limited. A real deity would do better."

Oonj: I think a real deity did do better.


======================

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Tuesday, July 9, 2013 11:47 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!



Who here used the Bible as 'evidence' when discussing science ?

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

Resident USA Freedom Fundie

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

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Wednesday, July 10, 2013 2:35 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


"Amen" again Mal4, and Oonj.

Nobody here uses the Bible as "evidence". But a lot of people out there, obviously. That's part of the very point of the discussion.

And yes; I neglected to rant about it being human MALES who wrote the Bible, for obvious reasons, but thank you for doing it for me, Mal4.


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Wednesday, July 10, 2013 4:12 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by Niki2:

And yes; I neglected to rant about it being human MALES who wrote the Bible, for obvious reasons, but thank you for doing it for me, Mal4.





Women knew their place back then.



Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

Resident USA Freedom Fundie

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

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Thursday, July 11, 2013 7:47 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


I know, we all hit double posts. I just found it funny 'cuz, in my opinion, it IS worth saying twice...


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