Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bryon on April 14, 2011 at 1:13am

Oh wow... that's very blatant. I think the courts  have ruled on this subject and if not they soon will be.

Permalink Reply by Cody Gaisser on April 14, 2011 at 1:40am

Yeah, courts have ruled on this kind of think many times.  It's just frustrating that the game has to be played over and over and over again.  This will go in to effect, and someone will have to create a court case about it.  It will be a huge, drawn out process.

Permalink Reply by Bryon on April 14, 2011 at 8:49am

I'm sure its already in the works. It amazes me that so many people are so ignorant as to think ID is science. It is so "not" science, that even the current supreme court would not uphold the teaching of religion in public schools.

Permalink Reply by Lary9 on April 16, 2011 at 10:23am

~I wrote this letter to a member of the Tennessee legislature after he supported the bill in question. It dovetails nicely with your post. L9~
Don't you see what a slippery slope you're on? If you manage to actually implement your goals, then others may come along with a third view of creation based upon the suras of the Quran. Would you like that? What if the courts mandated that now we must teach Quran Science, including ideas about a disk-shaped earth, formed in 6 stages, along with 7 separate heavens and angels flying all through them and man being ceated from a clot of blood? Imagine all those devout Muslims in Tennessee demanding equal time? Maybe they'd all just have to share the time in 5th. period science class or, worse, teach the controversy! You'd blow a head gasket then! Quit while you're ahead. Keep stealth religion out of science class. Science for science class!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Permalink Reply by Loren Miller on April 16, 2011 at 11:17am

Has anyone in Tennessee brought up Fitzmiller v. Dover Area School District?  If the congresspeople ruling on this bill aren't aware of this particular precedent, they damned well should be!

Permalink Reply by Lary9 on April 16, 2011 at 11:41am

I'm sure it has been mentioned prominently. They don't care because Dover v. Kitzmiller decision is constrained to Pennsylvania---it only stands as state precedent. It must be contested in court again in Tennessee or anywhere else but Pennsy all over again. These I.D./Creationist types are seeking judicial martyrdom. They have fire in their bellies. But we will prevail because we have fire in our minds.

Permalink Reply by Joseph P on April 17, 2011 at 10:03am

Head and Shoulders, man.  Or Selsun Blue, if you prefer.

Permalink Reply by Lary9 on April 16, 2011 at 3:58pm

I understand your special situation in Kansas. It's been a hotbed of Creationist activism since the Scopes Trial in 1925.
However, I think the tug of war isn't really about Christians vs. atheists, although it's often couched in those terms. But that is a strawman argument. It's between a variety of Genesis-driven fundamentalist deniers of evolution as opposed to those who accept (not "believe"!) evolution as a universally valid organizing principle for all biological science---and this last group includes millions of people who are Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Jews et.al.----not only atheists. Perhaps the deck isn't stacked with that many marked cards against our POV after all.
I'm an atheist but I don't see evolution and atheism as reciprocating ideas. In fact I accepted evo as fact long before I took the leap of courage into openly declared atheism. 

Permalink Reply by Cody Gaisser on April 16, 2011 at 7:00pm

Yeah, there's at least one minister battling this law.  I'm trying to figure out what religious organizations might want to join in.  I already contacted a bunch of educators.

Permalink Reply by Chris Haughey on May 8, 2011 at 8:12am

I cannot tell you how disturbing this is for me. I'm currently stuck in the heart of the bible-belt and have been longing to go home where people seem to make more sense to me. Unfortunately home to me is Tennessee. Now what do I do? TN, while not perfect, is sooo much more progressive as compared to where I now live. Or at least I thought so till now. I really hope this is a situation where taking one step backwards enables us to take 2 steps forward.

Permalink Reply by Lary9 on May 8, 2011 at 1:48pm

Chris H~
I imagine it's the college towns and urban areas in TN, like Memphis and Nashville, that elevate the discussion. I'm from Louisiana myself, New Orleans, but live now in New Jersey. Jersey isn't as comfortable ideologically as say Oregon, Vermont, et. al; but I think I could be at home anywhere. Sometimes it's fun to be a light under a bushel basket and let it out on occasion---sorta like a "stealth atheist" among the Philistines.
PS: Amazingly, as a formerly devout Episcopalian, I find Bible metaphors running through my personal writing style...LOL. At least they're still good for something.

Permalink Reply by Chris Haughey on May 9, 2011 at 5:41pm

I think your right about the college town thing. This is the first time that I have ever lived in a city that doesn't have a major university in it. I've often wondered how much of an influence that has had on the general public in those areas. Which brings me to the situation I found myself in this past semester. I have recently gone back to school (at a very small community college) and I was shocked when I realized that my Chem. professor (who has a PhD now) was dropping I.D. analogies during class. He was very careful to avoid all "God or religion-speak" But he sure did just skirt along the edges quit a bit. I find this sort of thing depressing and disheartening.

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