They are at it again .... Texas Christians to teach evolution doubts in Public School

From the Wall Street Journal

By STEPHANIE SIMON
The Texas Board of Education approved a science curriculum that opens the door for teachers and textbooks to raise doubts about evolution.

Critics of evolution said they were thrilled with Friday's move. "Texas has sent a clear message that evolution should be taught as a scientific theory open to critical scrutiny, not as a sacred dogma that can't be questioned," said Dr. John West, a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, a Seattle think tank that argues an intelligent designer created life.

Kathy Miller, president of the pro-evolution Texas Freedom Network, said, "The board crafted a road map that creationists will use to pressure publishers into putting phony arguments attacking established science into textbooks."

Science standards in Texas resonate across the U.S., since it approves one set of books for the entire state. That makes Texas the nation's single largest market for high-school textbooks.

In the past, publishers often have written texts to its curriculum and marketed them nationally rather than spend time and money reworking them for different states and districts.

That influence has diminished, said Jay Diskey, executive director of the Association of American Publishers' school division, as districts and statewide boards of education have become more likely to scrutinize texts approved in other states. Desktop publishing also has made it easier for companies to amend textbooks to suit different markets.

"It's not necessarily the case" that the Texas curriculum will pop up in other states, Mr. Diskey said. But within Texas, what the board says, goes. Several years ago, the board expressed concern that a description of the Ice Age occurring "millions of years ago" conflicted with biblical timelines. The publisher changed it to "in the distant past." Another publisher sought to satisfy the board by inserting a heading about "strengths and weaknesses of evolution" in a biology text, drawing condemnation from science organizations.

Full Story Here: http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB123819751472561761-lMyQjAxMDI5MzI4NzEyOTc3Wj.html

I look upon them like one looks upon infants - you can look at them and grin, but can't have an adult conversation with them.

But I thought he was so convincing with that argument that evolution was impossible because of...oh hell...it involved a jar of peanut butter...

:rofl:

The Peanut Butter argument was some other old evangelist.

But the coup-de-grace, the ONE FRUIT TO RULE THEM ALL, was the Atheist's Nightmare: the banana. Brought to you by Ray Comfort, with Kirk Cameron nodding along, awestruck by the brilliance of the argument.


Btw, did you ever see the E! True Hollywood Story for "Growing Pains"? It basically went like this: "Kirk was a really cool kid and then a pretty cool guy; liked girls, partying and drugs... but then one day he 'found Jesus' and became a total asshole." He had one of his co-stars fired because she had posed for Playboy--such a kind, compassionate guy, that one.

A fruit that is nothing like its wild counterpart due to selective breeding by humans.

Cameron was in the video with him, but he was acting like interviewer to the guest "expert."

"evolution should be taught as a scientific theory open to critical scrutiny, not as a sacred dogma that can't be questioned"

Geez...

including physics, chemistry, and the germ theory of disease. Somehow, though, they're only talking about evolutionary theory, and nothing else in science. Gee, I wonder why that could be. Is it possible that these nice words are covering an agenda that maybe isn't so nice and innocent? Naw, couldn't be. :eyes:

Science is always open to question and refinement, retesting of theories and new understandings. To say that evolution is dogma displays an ignorance of scientific thought and a dogmatic mind frame.

Religionists cannot conceive of any kind of thinking that isn't rigid and dualistic. But of course, with a staggering amount of hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance to reconcile the obvious contradictions in their beliefs and practices.

Are to religious minds as Technicolor is to a Basset hound.

Think about all the benefits:

1. A massive chunk of Republican electoral votes gone.

2. George W. Bush would no longer an American citizen.

3. Phil Gramm would no longer an American citizen.

4. Federal benefits going to Texas would go elsewhere.

5. Republicans could agitate for a wall around Texas.

6. No more Chuck Norris on Glenn Beck. He'd be too busy running the place.

7. There would be a Mecca for all the fundamentalist and right-wing loonies to run to. We could just dump a significant portion of the country's refuse there.

8. The Dallas Cowboys could never call themselves "America's Team" again.

Any more advantages anyone else can think of?

:eyes:

:evilgrin:

TWiley

It have been many Ice ages in the history of Earth.. The last one lasted to ca 100.000 year ago... And before that, many other ice ages have been known.. Not to Man, but to nature.. Biggest of them all was from 850-635 million year ago (late proterozoikum" And it is a theory that the ice was making all the way to equator, and in the end the Cambrian explosion of life started under Cambrian.. This is a new theory then..

The last ICE AGE started for 450-420 MILLION year ago, and it was a large ice age... And for 30 million year ago it was also a large Ice age in the northern hemisphere. And even after that, the earth have had more than 30 other ice ages of less extent.. In 40.000 and 100.000 styluses..

Diclotican

Just because there was one ice age attributed to natural causes does not mean that ALL Ice ages will always be attibuted to natural causes only. The data in the global warming case made with co2 measurmens and predictions is irrefutable. A very strong predictive model has been created, and it has been proben incrementally true.

Furthermore, the ice age is a symptom of the global warming process, it is not equal to the global warming process. You are arguing that because someone is wet then it must absolutely mean that they fell into the river just because you can historically find someone with wet clothes who did.

Allowing the teacher to raise doubts over evolution does nothing more than screw over the teacher because they're damned if they do, and they're damned if they don't. Teachers didn't pursue the profession of politics, religion, or philosophy and yet Texas is forcing them to be the scapegoat for all three.

Go ahead and question evolution; but you'd sure as hell better have a better explanation if you're gonna tear it down. Not fairy tales.

A scientific theory is the best explanation for the collection of facts and evidence, in this case evolution. There has been no credible challenge to evolution for 150 years for a reason; any so-called 'gaps' or 'weaknesses' cannot be explained by creationism and/or intelligent design because these are BELIEFS. Period. We might as well teach that human race is an experiment by aliens, which is just as valid as creationism and intelligent design in the context of this new law.

My kids attend public school here in Texas and evolution is barely touched upon. The high school biology book gives it no credence whatsoever. As a parent, it is my job to teach my kids on my own cause they certainly aren't learning what they should in school. That's just the way it is when stupid idiots run the state government.

Conservatives lose another battle over evolution

Sorry, but I don't believe this (Murdoch owned) WSJ article.
And you Texas bashers can stick it where the sun don't shine.

This was actually considered a victory for evolution. The article from the WSJ got it wrong.

And another "FUCK YOU" to all the Texas bashers. Apparently, rudeness is all asshole Texas bashers can understand.

Quote "Five Democrats and three Republicans joined to narrowly outvote the seven Republicans on the board aligned with social conservative groups." End Quote

Doesn't this sentance give you any pause? I really don't think this is a Texas bashing issue. To me, this is about christian dominionists which populate powerful positions and institute their agenda based squarely upon religious superstition. That is the problem. I is not geographic.

Maybe the social conservatives would like to institute human sacrifice again. We have enough holidays which celebrate the practice, and if they take over the right beaurocracy ......

It has to do with religion dictating science agenda to protect their precious superstitions. Now, I would not be a bit suprised if Murdock did stage a fals flag attack .... sort of like the "war on christmans" that never was.

I teach science in Texas and there is NO WAY I will allow magic to creep into my science content. I sure do appreciate you posting this article because this is exactly the way I read the final compromise vote on Friday. McLeroy, the bull-goose loony, lost big-time! Furthermore, the decision states that strengths and weaknesses of all theories must be addressed (which points to a basic lack of understanding of what scientific theory is), and that only theories that adhere to standards of empirical science can be debated in science classrooms.

The fundies are trying to spin this as a win, but it is not. Even McLeroy was apparently crowing after the vote that "science has regained its luster." Yes it has, bonehead.

Keep up the good work. I wish that everyone would leave the "magical incantation" studies in sunday school where it belongs.

Science and math can produce very strong predictive models. The last I checked, there have been no Jesus sightings recently. I would not consider a failed 2000 year old predictive model to be very strong, but hey ..... thats just me.

Quote: Friday's votes came a day after social conservatives lost one of their key objectives in the debate over evolution – to require that science teachers and textbooks cover the "weaknesses" of Charles Darwin's theory as well as its strengths.

That proposal failed on a 7-7 vote. End Quote

Looks like science is safe for another 15 minutes .....

The Talibornagain keeps getting the block, and moderate Mepublicans are beginning to get tired of the egotism. Recent polling shows a shift away from evangelicalism in the U.S.

Have you joined Texas Freedom Network? Americans United for Separation of Church and State? These are two fantastic groups.

... as a quick trip to HEB(*) might convince you.


(*)For Yankees, "HEB" is the Safeway of Texas (and Norte Mexico). "HEB" are the initials of the founder, Harold E. Butt. Local legend is that he named his daughters "Ima" and "Ura" but I do not know if this is actually true. Given what passes for humor here in the Lone Star, it could well be.

HEB does contribute about 5% of pre-tax revenue to social and charitable causes, however, HEB has also been found guilty and fined for predatory pricing.

Nothing is straight-forward in Texas. Not even the clear fact of evolution.

Take the human race, for example...

How fucking embarrassing these morans are.

Dear world, please don't think the majority of us are this deeply stupid!!!