posted on April 18, 2001 01:58:18 AM new
Well, they're trying to again.
Rhetoric flies:
"Do you believe you were descended from a monkey?'' Rep. Denny Altes shot back. If we teach kids that they were descended from monkeys, don't you think they'll act like monkeys?"
Altes has been nominated for an ignoramus award three times in the past.
"We have been elected to make sure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and only for truth, Rep.Jim Holt, a freshman Republican and self-described Christian conservative, told the committee."
So he's new.
This is my favorite:
It would bar the topic of evolution or related radio-carbon dating of animal and plant fossils from state-funded textbooks used in schools, museums, libraries and zoos.
Even the monkeys in the zoo are not to be taught that they descended from monkeys?
Fundamentalist Christian activists have had little success in repeated attempts at the state level to block the teaching of biological evolution, which holds that humans developed from animals, or promote divine ``creationism'' as a competing theory.
The most recent failure was in Kansas, where a newly elected state board of education last month overturned a 1999 decision by the previous board to drop evolution from state education requirements.
Last month, when the Kansas State Board of Education decision was overturned there were widespread reports of a feeling of relief amongst the populace of that state that they would no longer be a national laughingstock. Arkansas seems to have no such problem and has leapt forward to assume the vacancy.
You'd think that the fact of having experienced the forthright demonstration of evolution theory at work, the chance development of one of the greatest presidents in this country's history from the mire of the state's population, would have struck at least some of the legislature with awe--enough so at least to give pause before inciting to such legislation.
Twelve states fail so thoroughly to teach evolution as to render their standards totally useless. These are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Nine of these states -- Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wyoming -- attempt to teach a little something about evolution but miss the mark completely (see p. 22). Five sedulously avoid or (in one case) carefully conceal the E-word, at least in the context of biology. These states are Alabama, Florida, North Dakota, Ohio, and Oklahoma. Most employ the misleading euphemism "change over time"; Oklahoma prefers "biological adaptation." Ironically, a few of these states use the word "evolution" freely in the context of geology or cosmology.
Curiously, Ohio, which carefully avoids the use of the E-word even in non-biological contexts, touches on human evolution by inference, though few readers are likely to be in a position to catch it.29
Alabama is a special case among the states with failing grades. About four years ago, the State Board of Education mandated that a sticker bearing a disclaimer be pasted in the front of every science textbook that deals with evolution. Remarkably, the disclaimer cites many of the most common and most thoroughly discredited arguments used by creationists in objecting to evolution. For that reason only, it is worth perusing. (See box on page 23.)
In 1999, the Oklahoma board followed Alabama's lead, directing that the identical disclaimer be printed in the front matter of every textbook. Most publishers reluctantly expressed their willingness to go along with this rule; a few preferred that their books not be used. However, the attorney general issued an opinion to the effect that the board had exceeded its legal authority, and no action has been taken. Similar proposals in other states have stalled at various stages of the legislative or administrative process.
Three states -- Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia -- have adopted the view that, if you completely ignore evolution the creationist politicians will leave you alone, and that if you completely ignore evolution you can teach science anyway. Mississippi and Tennessee allow a smidgen of evolution to creep into geology; West Virginia into cosmology. None of these states, of course, countenances the use of the E-word. One example will suffice; the text box on page 22 shows everything the Tennessee standards have to say about anything approximating evolution.
F-minus. Disgraceful
Kansas is a special case, unique in the extremity of its exclusion of evolution from statewide science standards. As already noted, many states either avoid or skirt discussion of biological evolution, or avoid the use of the E-word in the biological context. Kansas, however, avoids all discussion of the age of the earth or the universe, or any other topics touching on the history of the earth or universe. In addition, young-earth creationist jargon has been injected into the standards.
posted on April 18, 2001 07:11:41 AM new
What I don't get is, if they teach creationism, there's no way they can sidestep the issue of incest. The children of Adam and Eve must have had incest in order to perpetuate the species. Was Adam sleeping with his daughters? Were brothers bedding their sisters?
How do the Creationists get around that problem? I would guess that if they don't want to be discussing evolution in the schools, they sure as heck don't want to be talking about incest.
posted on April 18, 2001 07:42:48 AM new
I think those folks against evolution should grab some popcorn and watch this movie:
Spaz, you are so right! I believe, (correct me if I'm wrong), that incest was common up to and throughout the middle ages, used by royalty to keep the blood lines "pure". Not being a theologian (or even the least bit schooled in Christianity), I can't say what the bible says about incest. But it must have been going on in order for man to procreate, and again after the great flood.
UBB = UGG!
[ edited by sugar2912 on Apr 18, 2001 07:43 AM ]
posted on April 18, 2001 08:18:39 AM new
Gotcha beat. Catholic elementary school, all-boys Catholic high school, Catholic college. But we were never taught creationism.
posted on April 18, 2001 09:42:47 AM new
In regards to the comment on Adam & Eve, is only one of the many Achilles heels in the Creation Theory. If you come to the conclusion Adam & Eve were incestuous, then when did incest become a sin. Consider that if Adam & Eve didn't commit incest, then there must have been other humans on the earth, if that be the case, why are they treated historical and biblically as insignificant.
posted on April 18, 2001 02:12:12 PM newSugar2912:"that incest was common up to and throughout the middle ages, used by royalty to keep the blood lines "pure""
Actually, the Roman Catholic Church was very well aware of what happens when incest occurs and dedicated centuries of control of which royal person could be married to whom. It was the RCC that was responsible for marriages between all the great houses of Europe. As time progressed, the RCC was looking further and further abroad for new royal blood to add to the european stock. Incest, as officially sanctioned between brother and sister died in Europe with the Roman Empire, where only Royalty was allowed to do so (same in Egypt and many other countries).
spazmodeus: To answer your question, you have to realize the very first mistake that these Creationists make and that no where in Genesis does it state that Adam was the first man on earth. In Genesis 1:27, God created both Man and Woman on the Sixth Day. Later, in Genesis 2:7 on the Seventh Day, he created Adam and made a place for him called Eden to the East. After genesis 3:x wherer Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, you can read in many parts of Genesis that they went and dwelt among the other peoples that were already out there.
*edited for spelling*
[ edited by Borillar on Apr 18, 2001 02:13 PM ]
posted on April 18, 2001 02:20:42 PM new
The problem, KRS, as I've already stated before in another thread here recently, is IGNORANCE! Evolution, as far as Humankind goes, states that both Humans and Apes have a common ancestor -- an ancestor that was neither Ape nor Human. So, we are NOT "decended from Apes and Monkeys". That is just the IGNORANT and UNEDUCATED lies perpetrated by those who want to cause trouble and to hurt others to those who are too damn lazy to go find out the facts for themselves! The Mean leading the Lazy.
Personally, I'll allow the teaching of Creation Science in the public schoolrooms, so long as Scientific Evolution gets equal time in Sunday School in all the churches and synagogs and mosques in America! That's right: when the kids are being taugh about the Bible, they'll have to take EQUAL TIME and put forth EQUAL EFFORT in taching the kids the Scientific Theory of Evolution as it relates to Humankind.
