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Scientists unite for science curriculum
Houston Chronicle ^ | Sept. 30, 2008 | KELLEY SHANNON

Posted on 09/30/2008 7:21:06 PM PDT by Soliton

AUSTIN — Scientists from Texas universities on Tuesday denounced what they called supernatural and religious teaching in public school science classrooms and voiced opposition to attempts to water down evolution instruction.

The newly formed 21st Century Science Coalition said so far it has 800 members who have signed up online.

"Texas public schools should be preparing our kids to succeed in the 21st century, not promoting political and ideological agendas that are hostile to a sound science education," said David Hillis, a professor of integrative biology at the University of Texas at Austin.

The State Board of Education is considering new science curriculum standards. It is expected to vote next spring. Because Texas is such a large purchaser of textbooks, its ongoing science debate affects textbooks nationwide.

An academic work group proposed that Texas standards for biology courses eliminate the long-held language of teaching students the "strengths and weaknesses" of theories.

The science coalition supports that language change because it says talking of "weaknesses" of evolution allows for religion-based concepts like creationism and intelligent design to enter the instruction. The Texas Freedom Network, an Austin-based group that says it monitors the influence of the religious right, also praises the proposed language change.

(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...


TOPICS: Education; Religion; Science
KEYWORDS: agnostics; atheism; atheist; atheists; churchofdarwin; coyotespeaks; creationism; darwin; evangelicalatheists; evolution; id; materialism
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To: DoctorMichael

Thank who?


81 posted on 10/01/2008 4:13:17 PM PDT by daler
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To: metmom

Huzzahs to you, metmom. Well stated! Only fools or tyrants try to pass off theories as facts. Some people are both.


82 posted on 10/01/2008 8:42:46 PM PDT by Rembrandt (We would have won Viet Nam w/o Dim interference.)
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To: Coyoteman
The Free Republic hardcore evolutionists Love Big Government, top-down, centralized control by the far left who run the Big Government Public Schools.

Can you say Big Government Liberals posing as small government libertarians to give cover for their obvious liberalism on a conservative website?

83 posted on 10/01/2008 9:30:00 PM PDT by Old Landmarks (No fear of man, none!)
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To: Coyoteman
All that because we prefer science taught in science class and religion taught in other venues?

This whole tack just doesn't appeal to me. Science depends on freedom of thought and discussion, and the idea of ruling out certain ideas categorically just runs against my grain.

I do appreciate that the creationist agenda is advanced not in the spirit of free inquiry, but what is to be done in this case?

The renaissance and enlightenment ideals of scientific practice were those of a fraternal elite who sought to attract men of ability by the power and appeal of their exciting and revolutionary ideas.

In this they were phenomenally successful, and we all know the story. Their ideals were established as conventional wisdom and made the foundation for our technological society. Yet, the establishment of far-reaching results such as Evolution and Cosmology as socially mandated doctrine rests uncomfortably on the foundational ideals of science.

I still maintain that the best way to teach Evolution would be to place a copy of Darwin's Origin of Species at the top of a greased pole wrapped in barbed wire, and forbid it's reading.

84 posted on 10/01/2008 9:37:23 PM PDT by dr_lew
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To: dr_lew
It proves that all flesh IS the same flesh; Flesh of fish, flesh of fowl, flesh of beasts ... and flesh of men.

An ignorant sheephearder seems to have a differing opinion...

1 Cor. 15:39
All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.

85 posted on 10/02/2008 4:21:40 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: dr_lew
I do appreciate that the creationist agenda is advanced not in the spirit of free inquiry, but what is to be done in this case?

Oh??

2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

86 posted on 10/02/2008 4:24:22 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: metmom

“Preference” sounds so.... voluntary, doesn’t it?

Unlike reality where the curriculum is FORCED on the parents & children by lawsuit backed by the force of government guns.

The latter position has NO MORAL GROUNDING, and thus is arguing, morally and rhetorically, from an extreme point of weakness. In other words, when your position is forced on others, you have admitted that you have lost the moral side of the argument.


87 posted on 10/02/2008 5:20:37 AM PDT by MrB (0bama supporters: What's the attraction? The Marxism or the Infanticide?)
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To: MrB
“Preference” sounds so.... voluntary, doesn’t it?

Yes, it does. So non-confrontational, so tolerant, .....

so fake.... in light of the facts

88 posted on 10/02/2008 5:42:38 AM PDT by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: Old Landmarks
The dishonest Free Republic hardcore evolutionists are a pack of liars who claim to be for small government due to their uncompromising Libertarianism (a ruse to justify their liberal social and anti-Bible positions) while supporting, boot-licking and even worshipping the worst of all Big Government abusers, the Big Government Public School system run by the far left.

They are also in the habit of slandering social conservatives as "science-deniers", a typical far-left tactic.

89 posted on 11/22/2008 6:34:46 AM PST by Ethan Clive Osgoode (<<== Click here to learn about Darwinism!)
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