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Young Earth Creationist Attack on the New Texas Earth and Space Science Course
Texas Citizens for Science ^ | January 15, 2009 | Steven Schafersman, Ph.D.

Posted on 01/19/2009 9:42:35 PM PST by Coyoteman

The new Earth and Space Science (ESS) course standards (and all other science course standards) will be up for approval before the State Board of Education (SBOE) during January 21-23. Some SBOE members--the seven who are Young Earth Creationists (YECs)--will attempt to make changes to the ESS standards in ways that will damage the scientific integrity and accuracy of the course. In particular, these SBOE members will try to negatively modify or delete the standards that require students to understand the following topics that deal with scientific topics they consider controversial: age of the Earth and universe, radiometric dating, evolution of fossil life, and the origin of life by abiotic chemical processes. These topics are the ones that YECs consider to be controversial; indeed, they are obsessed with them to the exclusion of everything else.

Continues...

(Excerpt) Read more at texscience.org ...


TOPICS: Science
KEYWORDS: evolution
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To: MovementConservative

Forget Albatross, Young Earth Creationism is straight-up the noose being used to string-up political conservatism to the entire (<30) web-generation. Crap guilt-by-association or no, if political conservatives do not rally together to disassociate themselves from these nuts soon (ideally before the next election), there is going to exist an entire generation in this country who associates ANY Republican, no matter how noble, with Young-Earth Creationist Anti-Rationalism.


21 posted on 01/19/2009 11:56:48 PM PST by Ozymandi
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To: All

The nutcase Steven Schafersman is just another Big Government Atheist, Hyper-Humanist who worships Big Government Public Schools directed top-down by the far left NEA.


22 posted on 01/20/2009 12:06:08 AM PST by Old Landmarks (No fear of man, none!)
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Irony in perspective: Coyoteman whines to Jim about all those 'anti-science kooks' (aka creationists) and gets slapped down..
23 posted on 01/20/2009 12:09:35 AM PST by Fichori (I believe in a Woman's right to choose, even if she hasn't been born yet.)
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To: Coyoteman

I wonder how many Republicans actually want to stop the teaching of evolution.


24 posted on 01/20/2009 12:12:15 AM PST by TChad
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To: Coyoteman

I think these arguments among Conservatives are silly. They are not productive in any way that I can see other than to divide. Let the parent decide what they want their child taught or not taught. It is just that simple.

My thinking is that evolution theory is rather meaningless to the bottom line so what a student knows or doesn’t know about it will not matter. I think many people are turned off because much of this complex theory is guesstimating and active imagination, that is, those parts which the average person thinks of as Evolution. In the end, to me, it just doesn’t matter. Here are the some of the greatest scientific discoveries and not one hangs on evolution theory save one; The Origin of Species: http://encarta.msn.com/column_scientificdiscoveries_tamimhome/10_Great_Scientific_Discoveries.html


25 posted on 01/20/2009 12:44:43 AM PST by WildcatClan (Obama is to the Presidency as Basquiat is to art.)
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To: trumandogz
My solution to this question would be to have each parent on the first day of the first grade is to fill out a card where the parent(s) can select one of two options.

1. Teach my child throughout his 12 years of public education science based on the Young Earth Creationist Theory.

2. Teach my child throughout his 12 years of public education science based on the scientific method.

There is no young earth creationist theory--that's the problem. There is only young earth creationist belief.

And that belief is not subject to discovery or modification via evidence, as would be the case in science. Not surprising, because that belief is not based on evidence!

That is why it is a belief instead of a part of science. And that's why your belief is not appropriately taught as a part of science.

26 posted on 01/20/2009 2:55:38 AM PST by Coyoteman (Religious belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge.)
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To: Fichori
Can't argue the issue, but have to attack me personally?

I guess that's all you got, eh?.

27 posted on 01/20/2009 2:58:17 AM PST by Coyoteman (Religious belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge.)
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To: Coyoteman
For Schafersman, it was.

This is the same guy who continues to hold that the Shroud of Turin is a medieval artifact, denying the overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary from multiple disciplines (remember, "confidence comes from consilience").

And it is people like Schafersman who will be leading the charge to link "conservatives" to "anti science irrationalists" -- you know, like Matt Damon's comments about Sarah Palin.

But the îber-libertarian types seem to think that almost anything else a person things or does, is irrelevant to public office -- only religious faith need disqualify them.

Go figure.

Cheers!

28 posted on 01/20/2009 3:45:46 AM PST by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: grey_whiskers
This is the same guy who continues to hold that the Shroud of Turin is a medieval artifact, denying the overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary from multiple disciplines

1. The best explanation of the evidence is that it is a medieval artifact

2. "the overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary" is that put by Turinfers who disgree on their own explanations. (Much like JFK Assassinationists or UFOlogists - which actually puts them below The School of Anthropomorphic Global Warming on the credibility scale - true story)

29 posted on 01/20/2009 5:20:03 AM PST by Oztrich Boy (This world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel - Horace Walpole)
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To: Coyoteman

“Was The Enlightenment in vain?”

IMO - Young Earth Creationism and Intelligent Design are forms of fundamentalist Protestant apologetics. The idea that the Enlightenment is the source of modern science originated from Protestant apologetics. So I’d say the answer to your question is no.

Does anyone have the pro-science ping list PatrickHenry used to have?


30 posted on 01/20/2009 6:02:55 AM PST by Varda
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To: MovementConservative

Yes the media will link this to the rest of us with glee. Science textbook editors would do well to ally with all the Christian (and others) denominations who don’t have a problem with science. Unfortunately, I doubt they do that. They’d have to give up the humans are evil meme (overpopulation, global warming, etc)


31 posted on 01/20/2009 6:16:31 AM PST by Varda
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To: Coyoteman

The problem is that if such baboomery is adopted in Texas, it will be in all the nation’s text books. Plus, the company that evaluates textbooks is run by an elderly YEC, biblical literalist who has no problem injecting his religious views into his evaluations. If this goes through, Texas will become one fucked up state with respect to education. And all in the name of keeping kids stupid for the sake of a minority deviation from Christianity and Islam.


32 posted on 01/20/2009 7:11:21 AM PST by doc30 (Democrats are to morals what an Etch-A-Sketch is to Art.)
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To: doc30

It will be interesting to see this play out in court. Perhaps this time it will get to an appeals court and establish a national precedent.


33 posted on 01/20/2009 7:52:26 AM PST by js1138
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To: js1138

Texas has a lot of sane, rational people. A lot of defense contractors, semi-conductor companies, aerospace as well as a big petrochemical industry. I’m sure the people at these places, like the Johnson space center, are going to love having their kids exposed to YEC crap that contradicts what their parents do for a living. And that’s on top of some fairly prominent research universities, too.

It would be even more interesting if this goes through and the Texas high schools lose accredation with respect to their diplomas being valid for admittance to colleges and universities. Some California Christian high schools got hit with that a few years ago and that was over teaching YEC creationism and warping science to fit their religious superstitions. Teach kids garbage and they won’t be able to handle science majors in college without a good brain bleaching.


34 posted on 01/20/2009 8:09:21 AM PST by doc30 (Democrats are to morals what an Etch-A-Sketch is to Art.)
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To: doc30
It would be even more interesting if this goes through and the Texas high schools lose accreditation with respect to their diplomas being valid for admittance to colleges and universities.

It could happen. The public schools in my home town were disaccredited -- the main reason I was sent to a private school.

California universities have a list of textbooks that are not approved for credit. You might get admitted to the university, but have to take a remedial course to make up for a high school class taught from a creationist text.

At any rate, textbooks having creationist materials will be banned by the courts, and I don't think any reputable publisher will risk the humiliation. There could even be a backlash in which publishers use "banned in Texas" as a selling point.

35 posted on 01/20/2009 8:18:29 AM PST by js1138
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Why Creation is important to Conservatives: Jim Robinson on Evolution, Creation, and the Constitution.
36 posted on 01/20/2009 10:09:16 AM PST by Fichori (I believe in a Woman's right to choose, even if she hasn't been born yet.)
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To: tpanther; metmom; valkyry1; Mr. Silverback
“Can't argue the issue, but have to attack me personally?

I guess that's all you got, eh?.”
--Coyoteman

Interesting. (especially considering the fact that all I did was post a link to another thread...)

The feller who is so afraid of being asked about his stance on abortion that he asked me to not post to him has posted to me!

So is this the Evolutionists new tactic?

Ask everyone who does not agree with them to not post to them so nobody can challenged their absurd claims?


My oh my, the Beagle must be up on a reef!
37 posted on 01/20/2009 10:34:08 AM PST by Fichori (I believe in a Woman's right to choose, even if she hasn't been born yet.)
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To: Fichori; Mr. Silverback

And the question on his stance is it the job of science to eradicate religion


38 posted on 01/20/2009 10:42:26 AM PST by valkyry1
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To: Coyoteman

Uh-huh...any thinking person understands that evolutionists project. That’s what you do, because most creationists I see are for teaching BOTH, and as I’ve said the facts (that would be the multiple lawsuits excluding anything other than the cult of evolution), speak for themselves.

You’ve left your dishonest self hanging out here like a big fat sore thumb again coytoteman.


39 posted on 01/20/2009 10:56:28 AM PST by tpanther (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing---Edmund Burke)
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To: js1138; metmom; MrB; valkyry1; Fichori; Ethan Clive Osgoode

...creationist materials will be banned by the courts...


Josef Goebbels would be so proud!

yup...science enforced by the courts...typical liberalism.


40 posted on 01/20/2009 11:09:57 AM PST by tpanther (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing---Edmund Burke)
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