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Is this legal?

Posted on 09/28/2009 3:00:59 PM PDT by MNDude

My teenage nephew just got back to school this month with science teacher who is nicknamed "Mr. Evolution" because of his zeal for his beliefs.

Mr. E started class saying by saying "In this class, I intend to completely dismiss and disprove many religious myths".

I think this is going a little too far. Your opinions?


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: chat; creation; evolution; intelligentdesign; leftismoncampus; liberalfascism; science; scienceeducation
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To: MNDude

Write a nastygram and tel him to keep his religious beliefs to himself. It is NOT his job to tell students what is “true” or not true about their religious beliefs.


21 posted on 09/28/2009 3:17:14 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (The Second Amendment. Don't MAKE me use it.)
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To: MNDude

If this teacher is going to teach his students what the scientific method is and how it works, what a theory and a thesis are, the difference between a religious belief/article of faith and a scientific theory, how theories are tested and revised, and so on, I would want my child in that class. If he is just going to diss their parent’s religious beliefs, without providing students with the information they need to understand how science works, I would not be happy.


22 posted on 09/28/2009 3:17:45 PM PDT by La Lydia
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To: MNDude

I had a psychology professor who challenged religion at every turn...almost mocked it. Turns out he was also a minister - it was all an act to get us to argue with him.


23 posted on 09/28/2009 3:18:39 PM PDT by lacrew (The 274th trimester is a very late procedure)
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To: jagusafr
Horrible typo alert: It should have read...

They're not coming from me

I have got to start wearing my glasses, and stop trying to type so fast.

24 posted on 09/28/2009 3:19:10 PM PDT by OldDeckHand (No Socialized Medicine, No Way, No How, No Time)
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To: MNDude

I’m not at all religious and here’s my opinion:

The guy’s an idiot! He’s there to teach, not to indoctrinate. If he’s going to broach the subject of evolution he should give equal time to all theories about our origins. None of us knows with 100% certainty what the answer is to the beginning of humanity or the beginning of our planet or the universe. We make educated guesses and revise them based on new knowledge as it’s gleaned from research.

This teacher should get a serious talking-to by the principal and the members of the school board so he doesn’t try to force his worldview on kids who have been raised differently.


25 posted on 09/28/2009 3:20:25 PM PDT by Two Kids' Dad (((( I am a proud citizen of GlennBeckistan. ))))
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To: MNDude

Oh, no is he going to show that Athena did NOT spring fully armed from the head of Zeus? How will we stand it?


26 posted on 09/28/2009 3:20:27 PM PDT by arrogantsob
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To: marstegreg

“Why doesn’t he ask his teacher how all of the enzymes lined up in the perfect order to create an strand of DNA?”

-——I’ll take a stab in the dark to answer that question.
Does each enzyme have a “marker” to be able to tell what sequence or place that particular enzyme should be in the strand of DNA?
Correct me if i’m wrong


27 posted on 09/28/2009 3:21:32 PM PDT by 1FASTGLOCK45 (FreeRepublic: More fun than watching Dem'Rats drown like Turkeys in the rain! ! !)
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To: MNDude

As a high school Biology teacher in a public High School, I can tell you what I know. We are not to inject our personal opinion during class time. It is foremost unprofessional. As far as the legality, I am not sure. What state are you in, and is the system parent driven? If it is parent driven you could get something done. Have your son do research and provide an intelligent science based argument against evolution. The data is out there.


28 posted on 09/28/2009 3:21:38 PM PDT by aliquando (A Scout is T, L, H, F, C, K, O, C, T, B, C, and R.)
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To: MNDude

DO NOT SEND YOUR KIDS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL!


29 posted on 09/28/2009 3:21:55 PM PDT by Retired Greyhound
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To: Logophile
There was a good article about a week ago titled:

Exposed: The scientific impossibility of evolution
‘Nothing Created Everything’ a surefire way to debunk atheism

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=110293

One of the quotes I found funny and so true;

“Time performs miracles. Time is the creator,” he said.

“You can say to them, ‘OK, there's nothing in your garage, could you believe in 10,000 years a Mercedes would evolve out of nothing? You'd say, No, that's ridiculous.’ ‘So, what about 100,000 years?’ ‘No, that's stupid.’ But if you start talking billions of years, they'll suddenly go glaze-eyed and, ‘Yeah, I could believe that, a Mercedes could evolve out of nothing over billions of year.’ So time is their miracle worker.”

30 posted on 09/28/2009 3:23:02 PM PDT by Rational Thought
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To: ElayneJ; All

Ask the teacher if the class can watch the South Park episodes on Evolution and Atheism. It will shut him up quick.


31 posted on 09/28/2009 3:23:18 PM PDT by arrogantsob
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To: MNDude
I don't think it's illegal to call religion a myth but I would certainly have concerns about his in tent to "disprove" them. I had a wonderful Physical Anthropology professor who gave ALL "Origin Myths" equal opportunity (including evolution theories). While her course focus was obviously on evolutionary theory, she didn't summarily dismiss and discredit cultural and religious beliefs that people held.

Her introduction was quite possibly the best I've ever heard. I went into the class with a closed mind and finished the course with an A!!

32 posted on 09/28/2009 3:24:24 PM PDT by TNdandelion (I'd rather have FedEx run my healthcare than USPS.)
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To: MNDude

Get wired up for surreptitious audio and video.
YouTube makes for a great place to expose dorks.


33 posted on 09/28/2009 3:24:25 PM PDT by frankenMonkey
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To: MNDude

It’s better than teaching them to be stupid.


34 posted on 09/28/2009 3:24:31 PM PDT by Filo (Darwin was right!)
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To: MNDude

My gut says this may be the violation of the establishment clause - “No state shall pass a law ... or the free exercise thereof.”

Here, the state has mandated that pupils attend a state school, which avowedly “intends to completely dismiss and disprove many religious myths.” The teacher intends to attack a faith based belief of a pupil as a “myth.”


35 posted on 09/28/2009 3:24:39 PM PDT by frithguild (Can I drill your head now?)
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To: MNDude

The teacher needs to be fired.

Public education denies that our children have souls. Public education is robbing our children of their faith and hope.


36 posted on 09/28/2009 3:24:46 PM PDT by abclily
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To: MNDude
It might be illegal. See the case Farnan v. Capistrano Valley School District. I suggest contacting Advocates for Faith & Freedom, who represented Chad Farnan in this case.
37 posted on 09/28/2009 3:24:54 PM PDT by vrwc1
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To: DHSMostWanted

“By referring to religion as myth”

Agreed. Clear 1st Amendment violation.


38 posted on 09/28/2009 3:25:27 PM PDT by combat_boots (The Lion of Judah cometh. Hallelujah. Gloria Patri, Filio et Spirito Sancto.)
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To: 1FASTGLOCK45

But when it happened for the very first time, there could not have been any markers. These are just questions that have plagued me, especially when I was questioning the existance of God (in my younger days).


39 posted on 09/28/2009 3:25:29 PM PDT by marstegreg
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To: MNDude
It is probably not legal coming under the aegis of the first amendment. However, I do know that it is impossible for a teacher to separate his beliefs from what he teaches. If someone has a certain worldview, a lot of what he presents has underlying assumptions and conviction of which the presenter himself is often unaware.

Also, this sounds like an introductory session. I would have serious misgivings about that teacher, but I would wait to see how the material is presented.

If this is a high school class (it may have been stated but I just got up a short time ago and the caffeine hasn't kicked in), the students do need to have their beliefs questioned and challenged. They need to know why their beliefs are true. This is inspection often comes during opposition and they have to search for supports to their faith. The students need to have an answer ready for those who question the faith. Peter says, "always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you,"

Christianity doesn't need to fear facts. All facts point to the Creator.

40 posted on 09/28/2009 3:26:15 PM PDT by Jemian
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