Taxes Paying for Teaching Creationism

[FreeThinker]

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal will have fun in his 2016 bid for the Republican Presidential nomination trying to appear moderate to normal Americans while keeping his right-wing base happy when he is forced to explain why vouchers are being given to Louisiana parents to send their children to schools that teach the earth is 6,000 years old.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/28/bobby-jindal-louisiana-creationism-case

[Camy]

Frightening. Especially the school where they treat the bible as fact - they don't say which version - teach creationism, and the school's library policy says: 'Books that normalize homosexuality, adultery, sex outside of marriage, witchcraft, or any other unbiblical lifestyle will not be allowed.'

[Cole Parker]

Frightening. Especially the school where they treat the bible as fact - they don't say which version - teach creationism, and the school's library policy says: 'Books that normalize homosexuality, adultery, sex outside of marriage, witchcraft, or any other unbiblical lifestyle will not be allowed.'

Wow! Since most any fiction written since the 1950s deals with sex outside of marriage as a normal human function, this library probaby doesn't require a whole lot of shelving. Mabye they can use the extra floor space for exorcisms; or forced castrations of anyone they consider a pervert, which is probaly half the population; or bible study, compulsory for all school kids, I'm sure.

C

[Chris James]

I am still waiting for one of the national college asssociations to step forward and say that students who are taught only creationism will find their science credits unacceptable for transfer to college.

How do institutions of higher learning deal with the ignorance? If those taught creationism were only allowed to attend religious colleges where such a thing is acceptable then we might know. Science is an important part of any education and to narrow the scope of knowledge because of religious teaching does the student a disservice, it leaves a hole in their knowledge.

It reminds me of the latest statistics on the spread of HIV among our young people. Refusing to teach a basic understanding of sexually transmitted diseases is all a part of this abstinence based education kids are getting in far too many schools.

Refusing to give people real knowledge in place of faith based fiction is one of our greatest problems....and I blame religion.

[Cole Parker]

Good points, Chris:

And this begs the question: Are these 'educators' who demand their charges only be taught creationism themselves college graduates? Or are they all dropouts? Is this the blind leading the blind, and proud of it?

If they themselves graduated from accredited universities, how in good conscience could they then be denying their charges an evenhanded education like they got? How can they be so ill-preparing the kids for the world they will inhabit?

C

[Merkin]

"Higher education" is available for these graduates:

http://www.liberty.edu/academics/arts-sciences/creation/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/09/liberty-university-studen_n_491297.html

[Cole Parker]

"Higher education" is available for these graduates:

http://www.liberty.e...ences/creation/

http://www.huffingto...n_n_491297.html

Don't you love this:

Demonstrate a consistent, biblical worldview regarding origins

• Explain key scientific evidences and arguments used to support the theory of evolution as well as difficulties with the theory
  
• Provide scientific and biblical arguments in support of creation.
  

They seem to find difficulties with the theory of evolution, but none with biblical arguments. Who'd of thunk it?

C

[colinian]

Creationism? What bullbleep.

Colin

[EleCivil]

Good points, Chris:

And this begs the question: Are these 'educators' who demand their charges only be taught creationism themselves college graduates? Or are they all dropouts? Is this the blind leading the blind, and proud of it?

Unlike public schools, private schools (like the religious schools mentioned) do not have the federal hiring regulations.

Public schools require teachers to be rated "Highly Qualified Teachers" (HQT) - minimum requirement is a BA in education, a year of student teaching, four years of residency (yes, like a doctor), and certification earned through testing in pedagogical theory, educational psychology, child development, and the subject area we want to be certified in. My certification tests alone took a combined total of 9 hours. And if I want to KEEP my teaching license past five years, I've got to get a Master's degree (currently working on that one).

Private schools have none of those regulations, and can hire someone with the qualifications of "Deacon Smith sure does know how to read that Bible."

That's not to say that all teachers at private religious schools are morons, mind you. One of the best Math teachers I've ever worked with (actually, one of the best teachers, period) is currently working at a Catholic school. 'Course, Catholic schools tend to teach evolution. Haha.

[Camy]

If I want to KEEP my teaching license past five years, I've got to get a Master's degree.

Hmm ... Master's degree. Do you get a say in who your slave is?

[EleCivil]

Hmm ... Master's degree. Do you get a say in who your slave is?

Why, are you applying for the positon?

[The Pecman]

Hey, read what evangelist Pat Robertson recently said:

"You go back in time, you've got radiocarbon dating. You got all these things, and you've got the carcasses of dinosaurs frozen in time out in the Dakotas. They're out there. So, there was a time when these giant reptiles were on the Earth, and it was before the time of the Bible. So, don't try and cover it up and make like everything was 6,000 years. That's not the Bible. ... If you fight science, you are going to lose your children, and I believe in telling them the way it was."

So they're not all stone-cold insane. Me, I don't see why it isn't possible to accept science and believe in some form of religion. Who's to say that God didn't create dinosaurs? I don't think it's possible that the Earth is only 6000 years old, but there are some interesting theories that allow for several different kinds of evolution -- some occurring naturally, maybe some not (either by what could be regarded as miracles or by cosmic interference).

Full details here: http://religion.blog...es-creationism/

[Cole Parker]

These guys want the Bible to be taken literally. They have no room for metaphor or allegory in their simple minds. They want to believe every word -- even the ones that contradict themselves.

C

[The Pecman]

These guys want the Bible to be taken literally. They have no room for metaphor or allegory in their simple minds.

Just like Will Rogers, I never meta phor I didn't like!

[Chris James]

As I always maintain, the scholars who sat down to write the Old Testament had no world view. They came from a society where everyone thought the world was flat and had no concept of the wider universe, just that small area surrounding them. As a collective history of society at the time it was a good book, just indicative of the time...and times have changed.

The New Testament was not exactly Volume Two, just a compendium of short stories about a man perceived as fulfilling the prophecy stated in Volume One. No one is really sure if that was true and the story has been overly edited in the centuries following the big event. We all know what happens to the work when you edit too many times.

To actually state that God created the Earth 6000 years before relies heavily on the ignorance of that first group of scholars. In today's world, with the knowledge we have gathered, it seems absurd to stick to that early apprasial of creation. Human intelligence has evolved to give us a body of knowledge that grows steadily every year...hell, every day.

Nothing like the Old Testament could be written today and find a publisher, it wouldn't get past the first reading. We don't cling to old medical texts in support of our modern medical science, and be thankful for that. The Bible is an old text filled with wonderful glimpses of an ancient past, a history of society at the time. I would encourage anyone who takes the words literally to pack up, put on a robe, and go live in the deserts of the Middle East. After all, isn't that what Jesus would do?

[Merkin]

Well said, Chris.

[Cole Parker]

I like the part about not rely on ancient healing manuals as a basis for todays medical knowledge.

C

[The Pecman]

I like the part about not rely on ancient healing manuals as a basis for todays medical knowledge.

As a great man once said: "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid!"

What is interesting is if you compare the basic tenets of many of the world's religions and realize how much they have in common. And at least 50% of the philosophy is not bad: treat people kindly, appreciate what you have, don't steal, don't be an a-hole (I wrote that one myself), don't be gluttonous... a lot of it's common sense. I was floored -- as one example -- to read a couple of books on Buddhism a few years ago, and thought, "wow -- I've kind of thought along these same lines for years!"

But extremism, especially denying science in the face of patently-obvious information, is beyond silly and stupid. And I'm heartened that even somebody as whacked out as Pat Robertson is now grudgingly admitting, "eh... maybe the earth is actually older than 6000 years." Anybody who takes the Bible literally is out of their ever-livin' minds. But as a metaphor, as something that presents little fables with ideas to live by... it's not all bad, taken in moderation.