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creationism making a comeback in texas
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| pkcRAISTLIN |
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The Texas Board of Education approved a science curriculum that opens the door for teachers and textbooks to raise doubts about evolution.
Critics of evolution said they were thrilled with Friday's move. "Texas has sent a clear message that evolution should be taught as a scientific theory open to critical scrutiny, not as a sacred dogma that can't be questioned," said Dr. John West, a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, a Seattle think tank that argues an intelligent designer created life.
Kathy Miller, president of the pro-evolution Texas Freedom Network, said, "The board crafted a road map that creationists will use to pressure publishers into putting phony arguments attacking established science into textbooks."
Science standards in Texas resonate across the U.S., since it approves one set of books for the entire state. That makes Texas the nation's single largest market for high-school textbooks.
In the past, publishers often have written texts to its curriculum and marketed them nationally rather than spend time and money reworking them for different states and districts.
That influence has diminished, said Jay Diskey, executive director of the Association of American Publishers' school division, as districts and statewide boards of education have become more likely to scrutinize texts approved in other states. Desktop publishing also has made it easier for companies to amend textbooks to suit different markets.
"It's not necessarily the case" that the Texas curriculum will pop up in other states, Mr. Diskey said. But within Texas, what the board says, goes. Several years ago, the board expressed concern that a description of the Ice Age occurring "millions of years ago" conflicted with biblical timelines. The publisher changed it to "in the distant past." Another publisher sought to satisfy the board by inserting a heading about "strengths and weaknesses of evolution" in a biology text, drawing condemnation from science organizations.
The board will use the new standards to choose new textbooks in 2011.
Friday's meeting started with a victory for backers of evolution. The board voted to remove a longstanding requirement that students analyze the "strengths and weaknesses" of the theory. Mainstream scientists resoundingly reject that language, saying there are no weak links in the theory of evolution, which has been corroborated by discoveries in fields ranging from genetics to geology.
Through the afternoon, board members offered up a series of amendments and counter-amendments designed to shape presentations in biology classes across the state. The board voted down curriculum standards questioning the evolutionary principle that all life on Earth is descended from common ancestry.
Yet the board approved standards that require students to analyze and evaluate the fossil record and the complexity of the cell. Social conservatives on the board, led by chairman Don McLeroy, have made clear they expect books to address those topics by raising questions about the validity of evolutionary theory.
For instance, they want textbooks to suggest the theory of evolution is undercut by fossils that show some organisms -- such as ferns -- haven't changed much over millions of years. They also want texts to discuss the explosion of life forms during the Cambrian Era as inconsistent with the incremental march of evolution.
Scientists respond that the fossil record clearly traces the roots of Cambrian Era creatures back as far as 100 million years.
It isn't just evolution at issue: The board also approved an earth-science curriculum that challenges the widely accepted Big Bang Theory. Students are expected to learn that there are "differing theories" on the "origin and history of the universe."
Board members also deleted a reference to the scientific consensus that the universe is nearly 14 billion years old. The board's chairman has said he believes God created the universe fewer than 10,000 years ago. |
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123819751472561761.html
i dont really have anything to say. i mean, what is there to say? :rolleyes: |
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| LazFX |
| quote: | | It isn't just evolution at issue: The board also approved an earth-science curriculum that challenges the widely accepted Big Bang Theory. Students are expected to learn that there are "differing theories" on the "origin and history of the universe." |
Wow..... like the theory that some God created the whole entire universe in 7 days? |
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| Capitalizt |
| quote: | | Board members also deleted a reference to the scientific consensus that the universe is nearly 14 billion years old. The board's chairman has said he believes God created the universe fewer than 10,000 years ago. |
*cry*
Oh well, at least Alex is happy about this. |
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| mndeg |
| they took errr jerrrbbs |
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| Alex |
| quote: | Originally posted by Capitalizt
*cry*
Oh well, at least Alex is happy about this. |
You're an idiot.
Since when have I ever defended creationism as an alternative to evolution?
I agree with the first few lines of the article, that's it. Every theory should be put under scrutiny and I don't see why evolution should be any different if we're to better understand it. |
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| Krypton |
| quote: | Originally posted by Alex
You're an idiot.
Since when have I ever defended creationism as an alternative to evolution?
I agree with the first few lines of the article, that's it. Every theory should be put under scrutiny and I don't see why evolution should be any different if we're to better understand it. |
Evolution is not under scrutiny here. It is being attacked as false from the basis of an unscientific ancient religious text, when clearly evolution is the truth in explaining what we see today. There is no "alternative theory". I'm not saying you believe in creationism, but I'm just saying why the creationists, and especially the Texas Board of Education is so flat out wrong. |
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| D-res |
| quote: | Originally posted by Krypton
Evolution is not under scrutiny here. It is being attacked as false from the basis of an unscientific ancient religious text, when clearly evolution is the truth in explaining what we see today. There is no "alternative theory". I'm not saying you believe in creationism, but I'm just saying why the creationists, and especially the Texas Board of Education is so flat out wrong. |
w0rd. When they say 'students need to know other theories are out there' the only opposing theory they're offering is 'god'
Its not like the science community have a small handful of various theories other than evolution. Stupid design is the only other alternative they're offering, and any refutation of the extremely probably theory of evolution comes from creationists. Some of those poor children are doomed. |
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| Alex |
| quote: | Originally posted by Krypton
Evolution is not under scrutiny here. It is being attacked as false from the basis of an unscientific ancient religious text, when clearly evolution is the truth in explaining what we see today. There is no "alternative theory". I'm not saying you believe in creationism, but I'm just saying why the creationists, and especially the Texas Board of Education is so flat out wrong. |
I agree that they are wrong.
I just wanted to point out that people shouldn't just accept evolution based on the fact they hate religion. Especially when the vast majority of people understand neither. |
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| Krypton |
| quote: | Originally posted by Alex
I just wanted to point out that people shouldn't just accept evolution based on the fact they hate religion. Especially when the vast majority of people understand neither. |
Of course not. They should accept it because of the vast innumerable pieces of evidence which support evolution by natural selection. I also want to point out that evolution says nothing about the origin of the universe or god. I really don't understand this false dichotomy of creationists who equate the truth of evolution as the refutation of god. If God really did create the universe, it's obvious that evolution is the mechanism by which he did it. |
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| Alex |
I don't see evolution as a threat to the existence of God either. It's just stupid that many theists and atheists think it to be, without understanding either side and deciding one's right based on evidence they've never analyzed themselves.
I mean , Darwin was a bloody Anglican :p |
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| Capitalizt |
| quote: | Originally posted by Alex
I don't see evolution as a threat to the existence of God either. It's just stupid that many theists and atheists think it to be, without understanding either side and deciding one's right based on evidence they've never analyzed themselves.
I mean , Darwin was a bloody Anglican :p |
To pretend they are on equal footing however is ridiculous. This is what most religious people want to do..pretend that there just happen to be different theories and that either of them could be correct. They want to pretend that the scales of probability are 50/50 when in fact there are MOUNTAINS of scientific evidence supporting evolution..and zero evidence supporting creationism. |
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