It was this guy:
Posted on 12/20/2005 7:54:38 AM PST by snarks_when_bored
Fox News alert a few minutes ago says the Dover School Board lost their bid to have Intelligent Design introduced into high school biology classes. The federal judge ruled that their case was based on the premise that Darwin's Theory of Evolution was incompatible with religion, and that this premise is false.
You Know You're in a Redneck Church if when the pastor says, "I'd like to ask Bubba to help take up the offering," five guys and two women stand up.
It would not be accurate to claim that ID is entirely a creation of Christians who desire to use it to promote Christianity.
Ummmm....where do non-Intelligent Designers say everything came from?
So you thought intelligent design had NOTHING to do with an overseeing intelligent agent.
Incredible.
I do.
As a nation, we decided long ago that it was in the best interest of society (and the nation) to set up a system whereby a minimum standard of education would be made available to all citizens; it is far better to have an educated citizenship than an uneducated one.
This minimum standard, supported by parental involvement at the home can turn out an individual who is able to function within today's society; and no matter how many horror stories you may throw out about the public school system, it turns out a far greater number of basically educated individuals, than completely uneducated ones.
So paying your taxes is not about sending YOUR kids to school...people who have no children pay school taxes as well.
We all have choices above and beyond the public school system, homeschooling being one, private schools being another. Private schools are a luxury item, and like any luxury item, they cost more.
So yes, you, just like people who have no children (and who by the way, are paying for your kids to go to school just like you are), have an obligation to help maintain this public school system.
But, it is not a necessity for me to participate, imho.
Over my protests, it is a necessity for me to pay for the defense of the nation, but it is not a necessity for me to pay for kids to be educated in ways I don't believe in.
There's a difference between needs and wants.
As I understand it, evolution theory (of whatever variety) doesn't have anything to say about the origin of the cosmos and the initial conditions attendant thereto.Apparently Ichneumon disagrees with you.
At least it appears so from this post.
Just stirring the pot, as I am bored with wrapping Christmas presents.
Sorry, g_w, I don't see anything in Ichneumon's long post-o-links that mentions evolution addressing the question of the origin of the cosmos; the origin of life, yes, but not the origin of the cosmos.
I'm guessing that you've got temporary tinsel-induced blindness, brought on by prolonged exposure to flickering tinsel-reflected light from an open fire on which chestnuts are roasting.
That's my current theory, anyway...
Full Disclosure: When was Darwin's birthday? Maybe folks can send each other various amino acids, nucleotides and such to celebrate. Then, X number of years later, their gifts will (given the proper conditions) appear under the fossil tree? :-)
If X is large enough, I think you might be onto something—indeed, there's a non-zero probability that a black hole will emit a Yugo if you wait long enough...which seems to me sufficient reason for not wanting to live forever!
Merry Christmas and many ho-ho-hos to you and yours, and the same to all FReepers everywhere...
P.S. Perhaps you noticed that I equated a 'guess' with a 'theory' a few lines above. Just my season's homage to some of our FR evolution deniers...
Your comments are quite reasonable and an excellent indication of why public education is failing. It is also why decisions such as Dover will not strengthen science education-- it will weaken it-- if adherence to evolution science is indeed strength. 80 percent of the American public does not approve of how evolution is taught in schools today. That creates an unmanageable political problem which a minority is trying force by way of the establishment clause.
These processes are hurting the overall education effor.
For what it's worth, we have a limited number of Catholic schools in our city and a whole host of public ones.
Just one of the Catholic High Schools had more National Merit Scholars (based on test scores from PSAT/SAT, I think) than ALL of the entire public school system put together.
And that's using the state's own testing system.
I'd say their education's not suffering one whit, wouldn't you?
So, let's shut down the public school system, and only those whose parents can afford to pay for a public education can go to school, then, we'll just have to pay for the costs related to the unsuing crime wave created by millions of kids with nothing to do all day, and no future, because they have parents who can't afford private education.
BTW...you don't believe that making sure that a basic education is available for all citizens is paying for the defense of the nation?
It was this guy:
Doing a quick google search showed that literacy rates were close to 90% at the time of the Revolutionary War, well before the public school system was established. I believe that it is more than it is today and if what I saw in college when I went back is any indication, it isn't that high these days. If that represents what we call literate enough to get into college, this country is in deep doo-doo.
I have been quite impressed with the quality of Catholic school students and home school students. I think it is significant the number of home school students who perform highly at spelling bees and geography bees.
I still believe that contrary to assertions in this discussion that many private schools encourage an understanding of evolution and various explanations of nature's order. In my experience in teaching, I have not noticed Catholic students to be less receptive or less interested in science.
So, what would be acceptable qualifications for a public school teacher to teach religion as a part of the school curriculum?
You get your state education system and others get their home/private school system.
Lots of stats show private education (religious or otherwise) to be superior as based on test scores.
Please, don't insult my intelligence by drawing lines of comparison between societies nearly three centuries apart.
You want to go back to live in Revolutionary times?
Want to compare the infant mortality rates between Revolutionary America and today?
How about the number of people who died from diseases that may not even exist today?
It would have taken two hundred years for an individual alive during the American Revolution to absorb the same amounts of information that today's children process in one year.
What just took you seconds to research via Google, woud have taken researchers of the time months if not years.
We do not live during te time of the American Revolution, we live today.
You are absolutely free to get the best education your money can buy for your children, or to homeschool them if you so desire, but that does not mean that you are also able to fail to meet your societal obligations.
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