Kansas State Board Approves Teaching Standards Skeptical of Evolution

Fox News ^ | 11-08-05 | WestVirginiaRebel

[WestVirginiaRebel]

TOPEKA, Kan.-New science standards for Kansas' public schools, criticized for promoting creationism while treating evolution as a flawed theory, won approval Tuesday from the State Board of Education.

The board's 6-4 vote, expected for months, was a victory for intelligent design advocates who helped draft the standards and argued the changes would make teaching about evolution more balanced and expose studels teach science.

[Coyoteman]

population statistics is science

Human races was one of my studies in grad school, lo these many years ago.

[Kimball]

That is right. The Christian (medieval Roman Catholic) faith in God given laws of nature is what gave actual beginning and to the science. Foundations are often different from what is built on them. But what is even more often when the foundation is removed the building collapses.

Ahh, therin lies the rub. I happen to agree with you to a degree in that I believe that God has bestowed upon us:

• A foundation of fundamental laws that govern nature (i.e., He is not a "trickster" that delights in continually changing the way our world works)
• Cognitive abilities as a species to reveal for ourselves (at least partially) those fundamental laws (i.e., science)
• The "drive" as a species to ask ourselves such questions and wonder about the workings of His creation

Now, if this is true then I have an added burden above the "godless believer" in science you referred to earlier: I have an obligation to the Lord that I will use the gifts he has bestowed upon me to try to understand the world he has made for me. The atheist scientist can either conduct experiments or go home, but I don't have a choice (remember the parable about the talents?) - I have a moral and religious responsibility to strive to comprehend the wonders of this universe.

Now, if I reject a theory that attempts to describe how our world operates simply because it makes me uncomfortable, or because it seems to defy some dogmatic aspect of my particular religious denomination then I am in effect rejecting God. It is God's challenge, and my responsibility, for me to try and comprehend how these things fit together. I can't just throw out the theory of evolution because I don't personally like it. For me, that would be turning away from God.

[AndrewC]

My point is that science does not involve itself in morality. I am sure that Down's syndrome children are equal to my children. But not due to science.

[AndrewC]

My statement still stands.

Only if you count the side as the bottom.

[Coyoteman]

You are posting some interesting thoughts, for someone whose profile says he/she didn't sign up to FR until tomorrow!

Welcome!

[gobucks]

A delightful post from you ... reasoned, thoughtful, not too acerbic.

You wrote:

I can guarantee you that the one big thing that Harvard and MIT and Caltech admissions now know about Kansas is that they threw out the biology curriculum and replaced it with fundamentalist Christianity. You and I both know that's an exaggeration, but it's the way blue staters think ...

I think you are dead right about how average blue staters 'think'.

But the admissions folks at Harvard finding folks from Kansas to be ill equipped? I dunno ... I'm guessing a few of them will do what I did, and review the 'revised science standards' for themselves. Pages 75,76 are especially good.

Kansas Science Education Standards for Kansas Public Schools.

It is actually pretty interesting ... I wish they had been in place when I went to school. Instead I was in 'thrall' to the hoax embryo pictures and gill slits for some time...

. When I dissected the fetal pig in college, that was all she wrote ... at the time. The evos were right, and I knew it.

Oh well ... the truth always wins in the end.

[balch3]

Darwinism on the run BUMP!

[ml1954]

Only if you count the side as the bottom.

Dodge noted.

[onewhowatches]

Darwinism on the run BUMP!

You wish BUMP!!

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Darwinism on the run BUMP!

Along with common sense in Kansas, apparently.

[balch3]

Kansans would be better off not going to those hotbeds of leftist indoctrination anyway.

[Kimball]

You are posting some interesting thoughts, for someone whose profile says he/she didn't sign up to FR until tomorrow! Welcome!

Thank you!

My time machine has come in handy on several occasions.

I'm glad to be here; one of my friends turned me on to FR awhile back. Science and politics always make for interesting conversation.

[Down South P.E.]

Well you know don't you that only evolution theory is science...math, statistics, engineering, etc.... none of those are real sciences. They should change those degree designations from B.S. and M.S. to B.A. and M.A.

[AndrewC]

Dodge noted.

Cadillac actually in showroom.

[TheHound]

Jees, please don't tell me you are a scientist! Hypotheses are assumptions to be shown false, Theories are "Proven" Hypotheses, Laws are indisputable Theories.

Newton had the Law of "Universal Gravitation", indisputable, refuted by Einstein's " General Relativity". But in neither case did they or anyone since, find or can compute what the gravitation force is. We can calculate the atomic forces both weak and strong, but we cannot explain why masses attract each other over infinite distance. Your comment seems to try to base the proof of gravity on gravitational fields.

=Broken record mode=

I Present the Theory of Intelligent Design. Please demonstrate it to be false though experiment and observation.

=/Broken record mode=

[A. Pole]

Are you arguing science asserts one race is superior to another?

As I said this is relative. It does not make sense to tell that one race of dogs is superior over others before you decide what do you want to do with a dog. If you want to hunt some races will be superior.

If the ability to solve IQ test is the most valuable human characteristic in your eyes than you could pick which race/ethnic group or class has the highest average test results easily - statistics are available.

BTW, I do not think that scoring high on IQ is the most valuable trait. I read long time ago that the highest IQ can be found among New Guinea tribes of former headhunters - their ancestors in order to marry had to shrink and dry at least one human head what led to the strong selection pressure on test solving skills :) Today having very high IQ correlates negatively with the number of children - this means that higher IQ genes are harmful for survival today.

[jec41]

This is Kansas. We don't burn witches, we drop houses on them while they're busy terrorizing the Munchkins.

Yes I forgot. It was the Harvard College fundamentalists that presided over the Salem Witch Trials.

[A. Pole]

You are posting some interesting thoughts, for someone whose profile says he/she didn't sign up to FR until tomorrow!

And nice HTML formatting too!

[AndrewC]

As I said this is relative.

He isn't gonna get it.

[Right Wing Professor]

Kansans would be better off not going to those hotbeds of leftist indoctrination anyway.

I'm sure that's how the Moms and Dads of these A students will console themselves.