Texas: Publishers refuse to include creationism in science textbooks

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Michael Stone - Humanist Examiner


In a victory for science education and the children of Texas, publishers are refusing to include creationism in science textbooks despite fierce pressure from conservative Christians.

The Texas Freedom Network, a nonpartisan watchdog, released a statement Thursday, Oct. 17, declaring “All 14 publishers are refusing to water down or compromise instruction on evolution and climate change in their proposed new high school biology textbooks.”

The following is from a press release issued by the Texas Freedom Network announcing the news:


Materials submitted to the Texas Education Agency and examined by the Texas Freedom Network and university scientists show that publishers are resisting pressure to undermine instruction on evolution in their proposed new high school biology textbooks for public schools.

“This is a very welcome development for everyone who opposes teaching phony science about evolution in our kid’s public schools,” Texas Freedom Network President Kathy Miller said. “Texas parents can applaud these publishers for standing up to pressure from politicians and activists who want to put their personal beliefs ahead of giving Texas students a 21st-century science education.”

Conservative Christians on the Texas State Board of Education have been attempting to insert religious superstition into science textbooks for years by attempting to smuggle into the Texas science curriculum materials supportive of Biblical Creationism, also known as Intelligent Design.

Science advocates argue Creationism, or Intelligent Design, is not a legitimate scientific alternative to the theory of evolution. Indeed, critics would claim Biblical creationism is a religious superstition that does real harm to America - a symptom of a willful ignorance and an anti-intellectualism that thwarts scientific progress at home and humiliates America abroad.

Lawrence Krauss, theoretical physicist, cosmologist, best-selling author and Science and Public Policy Advocate argues teaching children creationism as a legitimate scientific alternative to the theory of evolution is a form of child abuse. Many rational people agree with Krauss.


Science is the key to our future, and if you don’t believe in science, then you’re holding everybody back. And it’s fine if you as an adult want to run around pretending or claiming that you don’t believe in evolution, but if we educate a generation of people who don’t believe in science, that’s a recipe for disaster. ... The main idea in all of biology is evolution. To not teach it to our young people is wrong. - Bill Nye

[Hal-9000]

I never went to a Christian school...we did however say The Lord's Prayer from grades 1 to about 6 if I recall correctly...

and there was not one book in our curriculum that mentioned God, the Bible or any reference to creationism...especially in our science classes.

Our books were outdated however so we had gems like - One day, man may set foot on the moon! ...and shit like that :lol:....never any religious references.

[FBD]

I dont understand how creationism and evolution are somehow incompatible. Isnt the whole gist behind creation that god set about the conditions, and conditions flowed forth? I mean, unless you're talking some crazy fundamentalist interpretation that agrees with Jules and says yeah, god came down from heaven and stopped those bullets.

[Muddy]

They could put it in as a potential theory in some cases with a disclaimer that it is not proven..?

[FBD]

The way I see it, the universe is so amazingly fine tuned from a physical and energetic forces perspective...calling it coincidence would be a stretch too far in my book - it was designed by an immense intelligence. But I also believe that the heavens do not interact directly with teh earthz.

[Hal-9000]

Big Bang needed building blocks of some sort..


matter just doesn't appear out of nothing...science has proven that :)

[Loser]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5dSyT50Cs8

[Hal-9000]

I won't argue creationism vs evolution here...

I do feel that creationism has no place in science textbooks.....you can't have dinosaurs and biblical time references in the same book ffs

[FBD]

I'm talking fundamental building blocks...finely turned parameters like the charge-colors of quarks, in thirds...electrons vs protons in their electrical charge...the balancing factor of neutrons...the various distance-decay properties of forces...DNA sequence...

Without highly coherent resonances shining through from the smallest blips - if you didnt have harmony in that, eventually the harmonic resonances break down just like high resonances disappear from the strange western tuning of music...

consciousness not really 'participating' in the 4d-brane of spacetime and only experiencing "now"...

just way too many highly coherent things present in the universe - chaos will only order itself when it has a highly ordered building block structure from which to flow forth.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Claiming god in science (whatever that may be to whomever religion we speak about) is like claiming an answer to an equation is infinity, infinity is not an answer its a lack of an answer, wich is what people liek to use god for, to explain what they dont understand. Why would you want that in a science book?

[Muddy]

Claiming god in science (whatever that may be to whomever religion we speak about) is like claiming an answer to an equation is infinity, infinity is not an answer its a lack of an answer, wich is what people liek to use god for, to explain what they dont understand. Why would you want that in a science book?

Just to play devils advocate here. All science starts as a hypothesis/theory. :d *hugglez*

I don't close mind mind to anything unless its door slammed shut proven.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Religion can stay in the religious books where it belongs.

[Muddy]

Religion can stay in the religious books where it belongs.

I agree there is a separation.. But at a point isn't even religion a part of science and it's history? Have you ever seen Cosmos?

[Hal-9000]

It's what I mentioned above...

The universe didn't start from scratch on it's own, science tells us that with the laws of matter.

Matter cannot be created or destroyed, it can only change forms.


So if there was a huge explosion 15 zillion years ago that formed all of the celestial bodies in space, what were the components/catalysts within and where did they come from?

[Hal-9000]

and why is the universe so fuckign big anyways if we're the only forms of life? :lol:

[Muddy]

No friggin telling man.. Its like the men in black movie where the little cat has a bunch of universes in his collar.. Im not sure as humans we will ever know..

[Hal-9000]

there's 4 main forces or laws in the universe according to us...

what if an advanced sentient being is the fifth? (God)


I believe that science and religion cross paths...science typically explains the religion at various points....

but what happens when we encounter a force that we can't unravel in a formula?

eg A man disappears then reappears 50 miles away instantaneously. First observer thinks it's a miracle...over time we learn that moving a man at the speed of light will achieve the result.

next a man walks through a wall...a miracle or has he learned to rearrange his molecules to fit 'through' the wall's molecules?


and finally a person creates a banana in the palm of his hand...true miracle or force of God....or just another portion of science we can't explain?

[PorkChopSandwiches]

So if there was a huge explosion 15 zillion years ago that formed all of the celestial bodies in space, what were the components/catalysts within and where did they come from?

This is my point, since you dont know, you say god. That's only because you dont know and that scares you. Everyday they are coming up with answers to things attributed to god

[Hal-9000]

This is my point, since you dont know, you say god. That's only because you dont know and that scares you. Everyday they are coming up with answers to things attributed to god

That's not true :lol:

I'm approaching the problem from a scientific standpoint. Before there was something, there was nothing. So how did the something come into being?

According to our current science, that chain of events absolutely can not happen.

and please don't say not knowing scares me....you're lumping me into a group of fundamental Christian fanatics :lol: There is no fear when postulating theories, only curiosity.

My religion is Christian Science btw.....I think you'd be surprised with some of the teachings.

[Hal-9000]

in the broadest sense Christians are more open minded than atheists...

atheists say - there is nothing else because I say so ( without proof )
Christians say - I believe there is more ( without proof ) *

*other than a book that's survived 3000 years and stories about a man who walked the Earth at a time when it was not cool to spread the word about any sort of change in the current beliefs or perpetrate one God ideals....that led to death.




I say this without sarcasm Porky because neither side can provide physical proof of their belief. I think the actual argument is - Did the Earth and planets form on their own millions of years ago or did they come into being with help? Same thing with organic life.

We've established here that The Bible was written by man and based on his perceptions...and the stories contained are more than 2000 years old. So imperfect would be a word to describe the events and how each person has perceived the events.

I believe in evolution, fractal evolution and microbiology that contains the building blocks for life....I always have. But that doesn't exclude the chance there could be another force we don't understand at work behind everything.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

and please don't say not knowing scares me....you're lumping me into a group of fundamental Christian fanatics :lol: There is no fear when postulating theories, only curiosity.


http://i.imgur.com/SodxUes.jpg

[Hal-9000]

:haha:

God removed your pic

[Hal-9000]

Porky?

God has spoken to me...and there is a plan

[DemonGeminiX]

The only point here is that religious people are trying to insert into public classrooms that which instead belongs in church. Saying a prayer in school is fine. Hijacking science education is not. They can learn creationism in church or in a church-sponsored after school program if they and their parents so wish, but religious dogma should not be taught as scientific fact in public school.

[Hal-9000]

Let's get Dee to settle this...

We know his ethnic background, also what he does for a living.

The two may cause a certain dichotomy within Dee's life...


So Dee....do you believe in God?

[DemonGeminiX]

What does it matter, Hal?

You know my religious (Catholic) and educational (Mathematician) background as well, and I still say that a religious idea does not belong in science textbooks.

[Hal-9000]

What does it matter, Hal?

You know my religious (Catholic) and educational (Mathematician) background as well, and I still say that a religious idea does not belong in science textbooks.

yeah we got your perspective...twice :thumbsup:

and if you read further back in the thread I agree and have mentioned the same thought...



curiosity now.....is that a bad thing to do? I'm sensing some sort of heretical censorship :lol:

[Hal-9000]

I won't argue creationism vs evolution here...

I do feel that creationism has no place in science textbooks.....you can't have dinosaurs and biblical time references in the same book ffs



but that's not the same as having no place in the world ....thus, the ensuing posts about forces of nature, laws of the universe etc ....

[Muddy]

Porky is a jew.. You could show him a video of Jeezus doing something legitimate and he would never accept it.. Thats how they are programmed.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

I'm a Jewish Scientist

[Muddy]

My great uncle is an MD and he believes.. I try not and talk about it much cause he wants to steamroll me if i free think..

[Griffin]

Evolution is still just a theory and is preached as devoutly as any religion. It just claims to be a science.

[Jezter]

What is religion if not just a theory? Shit has been even less proved than actual science. Bible could be just a bunch of bed time stories or other stories to entertain people and give them hope and to explain things that happened they did not understand. Thus God(s) must've done it. Plus the stories in the Bible..aren't they written by people who heard it from another person who heard it from another person who claimed too be there when certain things happened?