Evolution Disclaimer Supported

The Advocate (Baton Rouge) ^ | 12/11/02 | WILL SENTELL

[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."

[SwordofTruth]

Simple placemarker.

For a simple idiot. Use a bookmark!

[f.Christian]

. . . 3333 - - - later(up for grabs) ! !

[Junior]

Complex placemarker. Bookmarks are nice, but they don't keep your place in rather lengthy threads.

[Aric2000]

I sure am glad you are a religious nut, because no person with any intellect at all, would say such a thing about physicist, because that is one thing he is not.

Your Christian arrogance knows no bounds, incredible, totally incredible. But I guess arrogance in religion is OK with your god, huh?

[Aric2000]

Wow, the compliments are flying. You trying to compete with FC? We only need one jester, thank you very much.

[Physicist]

Bookmarks are nice, but they don't keep your place in rather lengthy threads.

Of course, once you top 50 participants, the overhead gets pretty nasty.

[SwordofTruth]

Maybe we're "fine-tuned" for existence in this universe...

Yes we are, by God Almighty.

[js1138]

The Greeks did come up with some important mathematical theories (Euclidian Geometry, etc.), but the biggest theories were after Christianity took hold, after the "scientific method" was developed. Who developed that by the way? And why don't evolutionists follow it?

If you'd like to discuss this, why not respond to post #3199?

[SwordofTruth]

Even numbered post.

Your wasting Bandwith. Please stop it.

[Aric2000]

PROVE IT SCIENTIFICALLY!!

[VadeRetro]

3300 posts and here we are in the Smokey Back Room. Next step "This thread has been pulled. Reason: pulled."

[BMCDA]

Matthew 5:22 "Whosoever shall say Thou fool, shall be in danger of hellfire."

[BMCDA]

Yupp, just like a mud puddle is fine tuned to perfectly fit into that hole in the ground.

[general_re]

"This thread has been pulled. Reason: pulled."

Or, "Reason: Flamewar."

I liked it better when they locked threads instead of pulling them outright - at least that way, the existence of the thread and the posts on it couldn't be denied later...

[Aric2000]

I just noticed that too, banished to the bakroom.

For once, I really would like to get involved in a REAL scientific discussion without all the Creationist and religious fanatics jumping in and gumming up the works.

I would love to just discuss science for once, but alas, IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN. The religious nuts and creationists just have to put there 1/2 cents worth in. and it is worth far less then that.

I would love to have discussed this subject in a logical manner, but nope, was not gonna happen.

My bottom line still is this, there is NO need for a disclaimer. My obvious fix, The first thing taught in any science class is the definition of the term "theory", if that is NOT enough to chill out the creationists, then it is not about science and knowledge at all, but about religion and religiously motivated. It has NOTHING to do with knowledge.

It is an axe that the creationists have to grind, since they have no science of their own, we will not be allowed to teach science.

They will shut us up, one way or the other.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you so very much for looking it over and for all the encouragements! I do hope you get a chance to check out some of the links.

It would be great if you'd post your own views to the collection.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you so much for your post and for stating your point of view on the discussion of algorithms!

Knowing our different perspectives will surely improve our ability to communicate. We have much to share.

[exmarine]

You are weak, despite your supposed "ex-marine" status, so you need to validate your life with a diety. Ad hominem - logical fallacy. But to answer your question, yes, God (Jesus Christ) does fulfill every single need as a human being. Your problem is that your life cannot be validated without God - you are just a meaningless piece of clay. Why can't you live your life like you and your family are a piece of clay? You can't have any realy intrinsic (not monetary) worth without God. You, like the rest of the atheistic darwinists on this thread live a hopeless dichotomy becuase it is impossible to live your lives as if they had no meaning, yet at the same time, in order to be consistent in your worldview, you would have to! Am I weak? Yes, I am - I recognize I am finite and fragile and need God's love. And I'm not ashamed to say so.

[Alamo-Girl]

With all the contributors on this thread and considering the size of it, it appears there are a lot of issues being raised on this thread that Freepers and Lurkers will be interested in for quite a long time.

I do hope you will include this one on your master list with some appropriate emphasis.

[Aric2000]

Well hurray for your side, now get over yourself please.

This is why Christians make me crazy.

We are better then you, because we believe in this.

Well, I am not better then you, and I don't believe your Jesus Christ was god on earth, OK? You are definitely NOT better then me because you do.

There is just no room in a christian heart for any other religion but their own, man, and I thought the Taliban and and Islam was bad. They really do have some competition for arrogance.