Posted on 12/11/2002 6:28:08 AM PST by A2J
By WILL SENTELL
wsentell@theadvocate.com
Capitol news bureau
High school biology textbooks would include a disclaimer that evolution is only a theory under a change approved Tuesday by a committee of the state's top school board.
If the disclaimer wins final approval, it would apparently make Louisiana just the second state in the nation with such a provision. The other is Alabama, which is the model for the disclaimer backers want in Louisiana.
Alabama approved its policy six or seven years ago after extensive controversy that included questions over the religious overtones of the issue.
The change approved Tuesday requires Louisiana education officials to check on details for getting publishers to add the disclaimer to biology textbooks.
It won approval in the board's Student and School Standards/ Instruction Committee after a sometimes contentious session.
"I don't believe I evolved from some primate," said Jim Stafford, a board member from Monroe. Stafford said evolution should be offered as a theory, not fact.
Whether the proposal will win approval by the full state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on Thursday is unclear.
Paul Pastorek of New Orleans, president of the board, said he will oppose the addition.
"I am not prepared to go back to the Dark Ages," Pastorek said.
"I don't think state boards should dictate editorial content of school textbooks," he said. "We shouldn't be involved with that."
Donna Contois of Metairie, chairwoman of the committee that approved the change, said afterward she could not say whether it will win approval by the full board.
The disclaimer under consideration says the theory of evolution "still leaves many unanswered questions about the origin of life.
"Study hard and keep an open mind," it says. "Someday you may contribute to the theories of how living things appeared on earth."
Backers say the addition would be inserted in the front of biology textbooks used by students in grades 9-12, possibly next fall.
The issue surfaced when a committee of the board prepared to approve dozens of textbooks used by both public and nonpublic schools. The list was recommended by a separate panel that reviews textbooks every seven years.
A handful of citizens, one armed with a copy of Charles Darwin's "Origin of the Species," complained that biology textbooks used now are one-sided in promoting evolution uncritically and are riddled with factual errors.
"If we give them all the facts to make up their mind, we have educated them," Darrell White of Baton Rouge said of students. "Otherwise we have indoctrinated them."
Darwin wrote that individuals with certain characteristics enjoy an edge over their peers and life forms developed gradually millions of years ago.
Backers bristled at suggestions that they favor the teaching of creationism, which says that life began about 6,000 years ago in a process described in the Bible's Book of Genesis.
White said he is the father of seven children, including a 10th-grader at a public high school in Baton Rouge.
He said he reviewed 21 science textbooks for use by middle and high school students. White called Darwin's book "racist and sexist" and said students are entitled to know more about controversy that swirls around the theory.
"If nothing else, put a disclaimer in the front of the textbooks," White said.
John Oller Jr., a professor at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, also criticized the accuracy of science textbooks under review. Oller said he was appearing on behalf of the Louisiana Family Forum, a Christian lobbying group.
Oller said the state should force publishers to offer alternatives, correct mistakes in textbooks and fill in gaps in science teachings. "We are talking about major falsehoods that should be addressed," he said.
Linda Johnson of Plaquemine, a member of the board, said she supports the change. Johnson said the new message of evolution "will encourage students to go after the facts."
I suppose moral relativism can be blamed for Moses giving out the wrong rules concerning divorce. I guess he was the first democrat leader.
Things had gotten quiet around Crevo city since Little Boy Blue had mysteriously flown the coop a few days before. Yeah, The Babbler still shrieked his inanities at the passersby, but most folks ignored him. Rumor had it that Saturn Man might be snooping around. He'd been killed seven times at last count, but you can't keep a good villain down. In parks and on street corners all around the city discussions were taking place -- sometimes heated, but never nasty. For the first time in nearly two years the sun was shining, the birds were chirping and life seemed pleasurable again. It was all too good to be true...
Where did I mention relativism? Where did the article mention relativism? Who claimed that morals are arbitrary? I'll state my own postition, if it's all the same to you.
In the meantime, I understood to you say that morality cannot exist without the Christian God. You have yet to support that contention.
Problem is, there is only one God and one creator (Aristotle's law of contradiction came after Socrates death)so there is no disagreement amongst the gods.
I explained this earlier, it is so easy for you to say that since moral law comes from God, it must be arbitrary. The problem with this is that God is eternal, He is not a man. He created the universe and every single spec and idea in it. The universe conforms to God's personality, in fact, it is held together by natural laws that God invented. God invented love, justice, truth, goodness and holiness. Man can know these things only because man is created in God's image and is given the capacity for them to a certain degree. All goodness, truth, and yes, HOLINESS, flows directly from God Himself. It is part of His character. Don't you like love and goodness and justice? Or is that you don't want to bow a knee to your Creator? He is THE source and THE perfect standard for justice, mercy, goodness, truth, and holiness. The God I speak of spun the billions of glaxies into their orbits. He is a VERY BIG God. Besides Him, there is no other.
He is the infinite reference point that is needed as a standard in order to judge what is good and evil. Without that standard, you cannot judge what is good and evil, you can only have your personal tastes (I like chocoloate, you like vanilla)
Without God, you have no standard. You can say God's laws are arbitrary, but since He made you, He can do that. How can the clay tell the potter what to do? Would you rather have an evil man set the moral standard? Or is that you just do not want to be accountable for your actions in life, hmm? What is wrong with perfect justice, goodness, mercy, truth, and holiness? Can you think of a better standard? From whence would it come? Are there any men who have these attributes?
I don't even need to invoke Jesus Christ to win this one. You need to show an alternative source for universal moral law other than God. Let's have it. Good luck finding one. Your dilemma is much bigger than Socrates'.
Funny...the Pharisees asked Jesus this same question! Read the New Testament where Jesus Himself explains to the pharisees why Moses allowed divorces. Must I also give you chapter and verse?
But it's okay to teach naturalism is science class? naturalism is an extension of atheism - a religion based on faith. Why is it okay to teach atheism-based speculative science?
God help us . . . brown shirts - - - hitler's youth - - - rear //palace - - swiss guard ! ! !
No it does not, at least not as I understand the meaning of the word. What might be said is that it is possible to simulate algorithmically the chemical processes taking place in a cell to any desired precision.
Die, infidel dog!
Ok. Here we are together most definitely (minus the 10 commandments in courthouses: doesn't it mention not worshipping anybody but the Christian God in there???). All of that other stuff is absurd and we should be ashamed for letting it happen. I am right on line with you if this is the case (not saying I don't believe you, I've just never heard of it personally. Can you send me links on the Bible meetings being banned in private homes? I need to research that one).
they are slowly abolishing Christianity in America and one day the state-sanctioned persecution of Christians will commence. It is headed that direction.
Although I don't see it, again, this is horrible if true. It goes along with the Bible meeting bans in private homes. I would really love to see the links on this if possible. This is blatant violation of the BoR.
The idea of evolutionary Constitution has nothing to do with the founders' vision - this is a marxist vision.
But I do simply disagree with this statement, but I believe we are using evolution in a different context (big surprise there, why else would this thread exist???). Anyway, you are correct, truth does not change. Rights are self evident. But we saw that the people who gave birth to the nation were also not perfect. Handing out a Bible and calling it a school book 200+ years ago doesn't mean that our forefathers wanted a Christian theocracy, no matter how minute the religion infringed upon the State. They made a mistake, much like they did when they did not allow women the right to vote. Back then, women weren't treated as equal, now they are. Back then the Bible doubled as a schoolbook, now we know it shouldn't. Truth doesn't change. They were wrong to do it then and people today are wrong to try it now.
I think that many creationists I've met in my short time on Free Republic label anybody who is not a Christian a communist or a socialist and will stop at nothing to establish this link. It just simply is untrue.
Others can arrive at the same conclusion without the mysticism.
You can say God's laws are arbitrary, but since He made you, He can do that. . . Would you rather have an evil man set the moral standard?
Then again, now you say that God's laws might be arbitrary. If so, who gets notified if he suddenly changes his mind? If so, how do you know that an evil man is truly evil? Maybe he just disagrees with God.
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