US states mull laws allowing religion in science class

[trotsky]

https://phys.org/news/2017-03-states-mull-laws-religion-science.html

Angela Garlington feels alone in the way she teaches science at a high school in Odessa, a Texas city populated by oil field workers.

When she teaches evolution, the science of how Earth's creatures evolved over billions of years, Garlington approaches it as a theory on par with creationism, the belief that life on Earth was created by God as described in the Bible.

"I simply tell my students (that) as educated young adults they have a right... to choose what they believe," said the teacher in her late 40s.

...Texas state legislators are now considering a bill introduced in February that would offer teachers like Garlington some legal protection, by giving them latitude to present science "that may cause controversy" as a debatable theory.

[MontanaMama]

1. Oh hell no.

the tennis ball machine is relentless. Can't dodge this garbage fast enough.

[democratisphere]

2. Science is taught in Science Class at school.

Religion is taught down the street at a church and the like. Why is this country trying so hard to be a third world nation?
MAGA MYASS!

[Zoonart]

5. MASA

Making America Stupid Again

[LonePirate]

3. I long for the day when people like Garlington are prevented from teaching in our classrooms.

[PsychoBabble]

4. You ALSO have a responsibility as an adult and citizen ...

To develop judgement and discernment, the ability to separate fact from fiction.

This narrow "belief is everything" is a deadly cancer on Religion.

[Tikki]

6. One is a belief. One is a provable fact. Why teach Science if you won't...

work toward the Scientific Method.

An amusement park with a big boat doesn't prove creationism is real.


Tikki

[Freethinker65]

7. Religions must eventually adapt to science or they will go extinct

Moving away from a literal interpretation of scripture is a start. Religion and science coexisting by theorizing that God made science appeases many.

[procon]

8. Its a lethal combination of ignorance, superstition and laziness.

As uneducated and poorly trained as this incompetent teacher is, her students will be even less prepared to understand the world they live in or utilized vital critical thinking skills in making decisions that will impact their lives and communities. With teachers like her, we are in a new era where each succeeding generation is less educated, less knowledgeable, and skilled in the crucial STEM disciplines necessary to survive in the rapidly advancing technological world.

[Heddi]

9. See, this is why the "let's all understand each other" blather from religion bothers me

NOt just bothers me but bothers the SHIT out of me

Yes, let's "coexist" and "everyone's beliefs deserve respect and understanding" but they can't keep their shit in church. WHY must it be moved to public schools? hospitals? Keep that shit at home, and in church. My hypothetical child should learn religion from where I want them to learn about religion, not through school

And, unlike the "well, just go to another hospital," where are public school children supposed to go? Is every parent expected ot pick up and move, change jobs, sell the house, and move if religion creeps into the public school sphere?

Religion is its own worst enemy. Y'all religionists want all this understanding and "not all Christians" and then we read this shit, and shit like the plethora of articles I've been posting that show the rather rapid erosion of Civil, Secular liberties regarding education, non-reproductive healthcare, reproductive health-care, adoption rights, codified discrimination against LGBT people....

Church isn't good enough. Home isn't good enough. Why must we live in a theocracy and WHY are so many religious people OBLIVIOUS to this intrusion into our public and private lives, and why are they so quick to give glib "not all religions" or "just go to another hospital" or whatever bullshit comments they make?

So infuriating.

[guillaumeb]

10. Not all believers agree with this unConstitutional nonsense.

Religion only belongs in a class on religion, or possibly a class on the history of religion.

[Igel]

13. No, not all do.

The problem is that if you put a fence around classes so that the students' home cultures aren't allowed, all you get is a gap.

Now, systems tend to be hard to budge from the outside. But they can interface at boundaries.

Viewing evolution--which is aberrantly the real thing many advocates care about--as sacrosanct is silly. They view it as a belief; I don't. It's changed over time because it is a hypothesis that's been subject to numerous tests.

I run into this with geology. Astronomy. Planetary science. The theories are more obviously theories and are less of an issue because they don't go directly to one's view of humans and their relationship to God.

Problem is you can't falsify religious beliefs. But you also can't disprove geological facts. So I compartmantalize them. There are two incompatible non-falsifiable views. Use both, know both. Leave their choice until it's out of my classroom.

[trotsky]

15. Thanks for negating a claim that no one made. n/t

[hrmjustin]

11. Jesus help us from your followers.

[Lordquinton]

12. Sure, just bring evolution into sunday school

Last edited Thu Mar 16, 2017, 04:35 PM - Edit history (1)

They should welcome that with open arms, right? Also give the alternative that there is no god at sunday mass, let people choose to believe or not. Right?

[Bretton Garcia]

16. Good answer in your first edit.

Seriously, that's what I often think I'd like to push: insist on real, critical science being taught in all churches. Not Creationism.

Then let the people decide what they want to follow inside church.

While science largely rules outside the church in any case.

[Lordquinton]

17. Seems only fair

They want to "teach the controversy" then let's give it equal time in all places it's taught. Otherwise they're being hypocrites.

The edit was simply a spelling mistake

[littlemissmartypants]

14. The stupid, it burns. ♧ eom