But with a twist. A Republican sponsored bill required the teaching of Christian Religion ni the science class, but a Democratic Senator has added wording that will require science teachers to teach the origin stories of ALL of the religions.
Legislators on Monday broadened a proposal aimed at allowing Indiana’s public schools to teach creationism in science classes to require that such courses include origin of life theories from multiple religions.
The Senate approved the change to legislation critics had argued was unconstitutional because federal courts repeatedly have found teaching creationism violates church-state separation because of its reliance on the Bible’s book of Genesis.
The change proposed by Democratic Sen. Vi Simpson of Bloomington says any course offered by public schools teaching creationism must include origin theories from multiple religions, among them Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Scientology.
This of course is still stupid, but it makes a point that is worth making. Specifically, “It does make it clear that a school board can’t just say we’re only going to teach Christian creation theory but we also have to cover other multiple religions,” Senator Simpson notes.
So, science teachers in Indiana, I have a question for you: Which three weeks of science do you want to cut out of your syllabus to make room for a discussion of worlds built on turtles and goat herders walking down the Milky Way at the beginning of time? Oh, and don’t forget to include the origin story I found in the Congo in which the beginning of humanity is associated with a particularly ribald sex act. That would be cool.
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I say let them do it. All it will do (directly) to me is make me more competitive.
The only problem really is that whole “society” thing. But really, who cares so much about that? Pfft.
When I started grad school in the mid 1980s, I was the lecture TA in general biology at Texas Tech University. One day one of the students complained to the professor that he should give equal time to creationism. The professor agreed and indicated that he will do so in the next lecture. Well, the next time, the professor started the lecture with a list of over 60 creation myths and proceeded to talk about the Mayan myth. The student indicated that that was an insult to Christian religion, the only real one. The professor said that he would eventually, if time allowed, get to that one.
I learned a big lesson that day: Don’t mess with Texas Professors.
Great story.
On more than one occasions I’ve had students tell me that their pastor would like equal time in my class. Just a half hour in front of my Human Evolution intro class. I always agreed, but of course, first I get a half hour on the pulpit during Sunday services.
Strangely, there was never any follow up.
Be careful what you ask a Minnesota Professor. You might get what you wished for.
Actually, I don’t think it REQUIRES all of them to be taught. The amendment says teachers “may include” creation stories from Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Scientology, but it doesn’t require all of them to be taught, which I suppose means teachers will be allowed to pick and choose.
The actual text of the amendment is here: http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2012/PDF/SAMP/MO008902.001.pdf
I will sue them if they do not teach my creation myth.
When my youngest was in elementary school the school board okayed an after-school program run by a for-profit group. I went to the presentation, although I had no intention of having my daughter participate. I never should have gone, since my presence as a local high school teacher gave the some cover. It was not a bad idea, but it was expensive for parents: childcare from the close of school until about 6:30 PM.
I wrote to the superintendent of schools (my former principal). I had some questions.
1. If this is such a good idea, why don’t we do it ourselves?
2. This pilot program is in the elementary school where the affluent people send their kids. Am I being cynical thinking you can try this out where psople might be able to come up with the cash?
3. Since you are opening this up to outside groups, I want to propose “JoeMac’s Afterschool Fly-Tying and Devil Worship”. Cheap.
I never got a reply for that one, maybe a letter in my file saying “what an ass”.
Well, Hinduism posits a universe trillions of years old that goes through various stages but, in brief, using the image of a coiling and uncoiling snake, is endlessly expanding and contracting. Sort of puts Genesis in perspective.
Do tell.
The evolution theory is an irrational falsehood, embraced by atheists, that is a phony conclusion of the 600+ million year fossil record. There is no valid â??supporting dataâ? for evolution. In a court of law, or in a public forum, the same evidence that evolutionists would use to try to â??proveâ? that false theory, I would utilize to reveal the truth of Genesis. In order to believe in evolution, you have to purposely ignore certain facts of reality. For example, when you see illustrations of primates being pictured as evolving into humans, it can be shown in a court of law that such a premise is impossible, because certain human and primate traits are different, and could not have ever been shared. The only â??common ancestorâ? that humans and primates share is God Himself.
Creationism canâ??t be taught in science class, ONLY BECAUSE there is no one in any school system that is qualified to teach Biblical Creation. The doctrines of current Creationism are both false (old earth), and foolish (young Earth). Both creationist views misrepresent the Genesis text, and should not be part of any curriculum. The point Iâ??m making is that part of the subject matter in biology science class is the advent and extinction of past life forms on Earth, which Creationism does not address. But without offering an opposing view, schools are brainwashing students with the tenets of Atheism, which is both unconstitutional to be state sponsored, and evil.
Current Creationism is ignorant of the Genesis text, and either teaches foolishness (young Earth), or false doctrines (non-literal reading of the text). Creationists foolishly try to prove â??Creationismâ?, rather than seeking and teaching the truth of Genesis. How can an untruth, ever prove another lie, to be in error? You canâ??t do it. That is why Creationism fails. It essentially is also a lie, and should be discarded.
The correct opposing view to evolution is the â??Observations of Mosesâ?. It properly conveys what God was showing Moses, and explains the text of Genesis chapter one.
Herman Cummings
Ephraim7@aol.com
Oh, look! Crazy uncle Hermie is here!
Driveby: Someday I will, but this is a family blog so it will have to be on Livejournal or some place!
Greg, not only a description, but twenty seven eight-by-ten color glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one.
I’m a “visual learner”. 🙂
Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies. ~ Nietzsche
In order to believe in evolution, you have to purposely ignore certain facts of reality. For example, when you see illustrations of primates being pictured as evolving into humans, it can be shown in a court of law that such a premise is impossible, because certain human and primate traits are different, and could not have ever been shared.
LOLWhut…!?
Dude…lay off the Henry Morris crap. On the other hand, you would have been a real hoot to have in my Paleontology, and Igneous/Metamorphic/Sedimentary petrology classes!
So, Homo Sapiens Sapiens are a mistake, because the Flying Spaghetti Monster go drunk on his own volcano.
And Somalians are the only ones fighting global warming, because they have the greatest number of pirates?
The Indiana Department of Education has announced it will not develop a curriculum for this idiocy, and schools won’t be required to include creationism in classes. The bill passed the state senate 28-22, indicating (I hope) that at least 22 state senators are not morons.
But we haven’t heard yet whether they’re going to propose, again, that pi be rounded up to 3.2 …