Comments on: Why We Need to Teach Evolution

By: cipher

cipher — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 23:35:59 +0000

And now onto why we need to teach Creationism…

People will go to hell without it!

Damn it – I come here to get away from this shit.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:58:31 +0000

@Bjorn W: The Louisiana governor recently signed into state law their "academic freedom" bill, which will allow the teaching of "alternative materials" alongside evolutionary theory. The law will probably be contested in court at some point, but for now, yeah, the wedge tactics are sort of working. On the bright side, they're several years behind schedule thanks to diligence on the part of freethinkers everytwhere.

By: eric perkins

eric perkins — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:39:17 +0000

Hell, I think it was Louisiana that actually banned evolution from the school system. I remember reading that they allow teachers to use “substitute materials” when talking about it. Freaking ridiculous. You said it best, “It’d be nice to have a school year without worrying about how the Christian Right plans to dumb down education in this country.”
I absolutely agree. This needs to stop.

By: Polly

Polly — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:21:52 +0000

I don’t think teaching evolution as part of a biology class even needs discussing – it’s obvious. And ID/creationism has absolutely no place whatsoever in a science class.

Now I’m going to veer off:

BUT, at the high school level, most of those examples mentioned in the article would have been covered by one of my science teachers as “micro”-evolution.

Yes, I know there’s no such distinction in real life. My point is that creationists allow for enough variation within species that would cover most practical applications in a science class without ever having to “resort” to evolution.

I know this is heresy in atheist circles, but I’m not sure it would make much difference, either way, at the HS level. Those interested in science (the few, the weggied) would learn the many-faceted connections on their own without teacher assist. The rest aren’t really paying attention.

None of this is to say that we shouldn’t fight, tooth and nail, for REAL education in our schools. I’m just pointing out that it probably isn’t the end of science in America if kids don’t get evolution in HS.

But it wil be if they get indoctrination in ID. ID is proactively ANTI-intellectual.

The mascot for ID should be a guy throwing up his hands. Or, maybe shrugging.

By: EKM

EKM — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:37:54 +0000

On August 13th, 2008 at 9:17 am, Mark Says:

It’s not surprising to me at all that this fight is still going on. Evolution is probably the biggest threat to a fundamentalist world view.

Let me correct that last sentence for you:

Reality is the biggest threat to a fundamentalist world view.

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:17:44 +0000

It’s not surprising to me at all that this fight is still going on. Evolution is probably the biggest threat to a fundamentalist world view. Of course they are going to take every opportunity to fight it.

We need to get over our surprise and find ways to make this go away once and for all from our classrooms.

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:09:37 +0000

I can’t think of an atheist or humanist that thinks that ID should taught at well; any rational person sees that this “teach both sides” or “teach the controversy” garbage is ridiculous religious nonsense.

Cale: “how did these people become teachers of science?”
Oh come on, Kent Hovind has been teaching high school science for 15 years with a “PhD”, and judging by all of his videos, he has a good grasp on evol…. evolu…. evol…. damnit, my fingers can’t type sarcasm of that high of a caliber.

By: Bjorn Watland

Bjorn Watland — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:58:19 +0000

Has the ID “wedge” tactic worked? A number of atheists and humanists I’ve talked to about the teaching of evolution believe that ID should be taught as well, because “both sides” should be taught. The fact that ID is viewed as “the other side” means that their tactic has worked. In our media culture, there is a sense that whenever you talk about a subject, the opposition should get equal time. However, how is ID the only alternative to evolution?

By: TXatheist

TXatheist — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:56:22 +0000

To all the Christians who help to get evolution taught and not ID I say thanks.

By: Slept in Today « blueollie

Slept in Today « blueollie — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:49:47 +0000

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