Creationists Once Again Threaten to Make a Mockery of Texas Science Education

[cbayer]

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/09/12/texas_creationists_textbook_reviewers_want_more_religion_in_their_science.html

By Phil Plait | Posted Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013, at 8:00 AM



There is no controversy.
Photo by Teach the Controversy t-shirts

Let me get this out of the way immediately: The Earth is well over four billion years old. Evolution is real, and the basis for all modern understanding of biology. Climate change is happening, and humans are causing it.

These fundamental scientific truths are agreed upon by the vast, overwhelming majority of scientists who study those particular fields, because of the vast, overwhelming evidence in those particular fields supporting them. It’s important that we teach this to young students, as well as how to understand what constitutes real evidence as opposed to ideological zealotry.

If you live in Texas, however, that necessity is under a real threat.

It has been for a long time; in 2007 Governor Rick Perry appointed Don McLeroy, a young-Earth creationist, to head the State School Board of Education (BoE), setting up a situation where education in Texas suffered mightily. In 2009 the state science standards were weakened, with clearly Biblically-based beliefs behind the effort. In 2010 the BoE approved revisionist history in the textbooks (including apologetics for Joseph McCarthy, in case you were wondering just how ridiculous this stuff gets). In 2011 Texas creationists tried to get religious supplemental materials inserted into classes, but lost. It goes on and on, and all the while they’ve been picking away at science and reality.


more at link

[Scuba]

1. Apoligies for McCarthy? Christ, they haven't even tried that here in Wisconsin (yet).

[cbayer]

3. They took the position that McCarthy saved the US from godless communism, that he

has been vindicated and may even be a hero.

[Scuba]

6. Nothing more heroic than smearing innocent People to enhance your status, eh?

[gopiscrap]

2. Creationists are a mockery of humanity

keep your crazy ideas out of main stream science books. If not, then school districts should refuse to buy from Texas.

[cbayer]

4. There is a pretty influential counter-movement going on right now, but Texas

remains a problem. The good news is that there national influence over textbooks appears to be waning.

[gopiscrap]

5. Good I hope so

[cbayer]

7. If you are interested, Common Core is the initiative that is pushing for good,

standardized textbooks across the country. They have growing support.

[trotsky]

8. "The Earth is well over four billion years old."

"Evolution is real, and the basis for all modern understanding of biology. Climate change is happening, and humans are causing it."

These are all scientific claims backed by observation and reason.

In other threads in this group, we have been told that there are "other ways of knowing" that trump scientific claims. Those who insist that the scientific evidence overrides religious belief have been attacked as "fundie militant atheists" or "anti-theists" and shunned.

Yet here you are posting a an article that does just that - attempting to tell people their religious beliefs are invalid and that science is correct.

Consistency is just too much to ask for, I guess.

[nykym]

9. One would think

that if enough states told the publishers that should they bend and include the ridiculous addition of creationism into textbooks that they will not buy them, the publishers would then be forced into deciding which market was more lucrative. The crazy clown posse BOE in Texas or the rest of the nation.

[cbayer]

11. That is, in fact, exactly what is happening.

The Common Core project is really building up some steam and Texas is losing it's sway.

[cleanhippie]

10. Are these the same creationists you said were "dumbasses"?

Or are these different ones?