Missouri bill to create ‘parental warning’ requirement to teach evolution debated

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Raw Story

Missouri bill to create ‘parental warning’ requirement to teach evolution debated
By George Chidi
Saturday, February 15, 2014 22:04 EST

Education in science will be opt-out in Missouri, if a bill requiring schools to notify parents if “the theory of evolution by natural selection” is being taught at their child’s school passes.

The bill proposed by Republican State Rep. Rick Brattin had its first public hearing Thursday. Brattin has described teaching only evolution in school as “indoctrination” to local TV.

The language of the bill makes little provision separating discussion of the specifics of evolutionary biology from any other element of biology upon which evolutionary theory rests, like anthropology, examination of dinosaur fossils, genetic sciences, disease or modern medicine.

“My fear is that every mention of a fossil, every conversation about the development of organs and vital structures, every single mention about the genetic similarity that we share with other organisms could potentially be systematically whittled out of these student’s education,” wrote Maxton Thoman, a student columnist for the University of Alabama’s Crimson White. “In the end, a lack of an education in this field will put students behind the rest of their class, and the rest of the world for that matter, in a way that they will not be able to recover from – much like leaving out multiplication would severely hinder any further advancement in mathematics.”

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/15/missouri-bill-to-create-parental-warning-requirement-to-teach-evolution-debated/

[pangaia]

1. Jesus!

[Wounded Bear]

4. Actually, I think he voted against this..

[blkmusclmachine]

2. Evolution has the God botherers scared. Wonder why?!?!

[stg81]

9. because they get off on the ability to rape your mind with bullshit

[Walk away]

3. Ah yes! The Red States, soon to be known as the really stupid States! nt

[CSStrowbridge]

5. Here's how you know you believe in evolution.

Here's how you know you believe in evolution.

If you get sick, do you go to the doctor? If you do, then you believe in evolution.

[lastlib]

6. If this twit was created in God's image......

...that would make God a paste-eating, mouth-breathing dumb-fuck..........

[SoapBox]

7. Opting out of "science"?

America is so fucking screwed...AND getting stupider.

[trusty elf]

13. ....

[IMG][/IMG]

[ctsnowman]

15. Excellent!

[Jerry442]

8. Did these people even think for a minute how this could possibly work?

Last edited Sun Feb 16, 2014, 03:06 AM - Edit history (1)

Would there be a state-approved "minder" in every biology class, every chemistry class, every physics class, every history class, every astronomy class ready to jump in at any mention of anything that would undermine the concept of a 6,000-year-old universe?

Added on edit:

It just occurred to me that that the minders would have to be so comprehensively schooled on all the conflicts between science and Creationism that they'd be in constant danger of going over to the "dark side".

[Igel]

19. Almost all of the debate is narrowly focused.

Which is something I find interesting and fairly inexplicable.

They focus on biological evolution. Heck, in NC (SC?) the objection was to "natural selection"--you could teach biological evolution as the innovation of new traits and shift in the dominance of pre-existing traits, but you couldn't use the phrase "natural selection" because that evoked Darwinism.

The whole theory is fine, minus one mechanism embedded in it? Huh?

Same for here. You want to teach Big Bang and look at cosmic background microwave radation, go for it. You want to discuss possible causes for the condensation of the nebula that led to the planetary nebula that gave rise to the Solar System and mechanisms for Sol's ejection from that stellar nursery, hey. Want to mention Theia? Sure. Tethys Sea and the Wilson Cycle? Why not?

Just don't talk evolution.

It all looks so inconsistent, so arbitrary, so muddle-headed to me while those making the proposals are so insistent that they are clear and focused I can't help but wonder if I'm missing their point. Or perhaps I'm conflating several groups. Perhaps some are old-Earthers and some are young-Earthers. Or it's some group's last hurrah before going under. Hard to know.

[Jerry442]

24. Good luck with making sense of it all.

There doesn't seem to be any coherent center to Creationism. The only point they all seem to agree on is "don't mess with our kids' faith by teaching them stuff".

[exboyfil]

10. Well at least one teacher in Brattin's

district is fighting the good fight (John Dyck). Evolution is listed first in his Honors Biology II syllabus as well as links offered to PBS's Evolution website. I don't know if he would want to answer questions, but someone should ask him about this piece of legislation.

Brattin represents a small community south of Kansas City

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/index.html
http://harrisonvilleschools.org/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=17803&

[exboyfil]

11. Check out the quote

Brandon Eastwood, of Harrisonville, echoed that support, and went a step further.

"Evolution is not taught in the Bible so it shouldn't be taught in the class," he said. "Even if I had to spend some time in jail I wouldn't subject my kids to that nonsense."


http://www.kctv5.com/story/24664815/missouri-lawmaker-wants-to-make-evolution-teaching-optional

[awoke_in_2003]

17. Oh, christ on a stick...

Algebra isn't taught in the babble, either. Fucking looney toons.

[neeksgeek]

21. Driver's Ed isn't in the Bible either (nt)

[exboyfil]

12. The proposed law already duplicates an existing law in part

Inspection by the public of instructional material, research and experimentation programs or projects.
170.231. The school board of each school district shall provide that all public school instructional material intended for use in connection with any public school classroom instruction, or any public school research or experimentation program or project, shall be available for inspection by any person. For the purpose of this section, "classroom instruction" shall mean any public school instruction involving teachers and students or peers and students; "research or experimentation program or project" shall mean any public school research or experimentation program or project designed to explore or develop new and unproven teaching methods and techniques.

It is already in the Missouri Constitution that parents can opt out of any instruction that feel violates their religious freedoms.

https://votesmart.org/elections/ballot-measure/1646/religious-freedom-in-public-places#.UwByZvldWSo
"that no student shall be compelled to perform or participate in academic assignments or educational presentations that violate his or her religious beliefs"

[AlbertCat]

14. This is great!!!! I love it.

Now employers will know who not to hire.... applicants from Missouri!

[bleedinglib]

16. It's an election year!

The RW always manages too get lots of nonsense on the ballot so
their base will get mad and come out of their caves & vote.
In Missouri we have a Dem. governor & a Repubic Senate & Legislature.
At the present time they are trying too Impeach him for some silly ass reason?
He tried too apply the ACA & they over rode him.
Google the the J P Morgan vision for Europe.

[EC]

18. shouldn't this be the other way around?

I guess I'm assuming there are more normal people that would like to have a chance of opting out of their kids learning creationists crap.

[Deep13]

20. If evolution is outlawed, then only outlaws will evolve. nt

[LeftishBrit]

22. My jaw has just hit the floor.

What next; parents will have to give permission to have their children taught that 2 + 2 = 4?

[madrchsod]

23. it really boils down to this...

any student who opts out will never be able to go to a community college, state college, or university. of course they could go to a "bible college" and have a useless degree in the real world.