Posted on 12/31/2005 12:41:23 PM PST by streetpreacher
Once again, you are correct: I did not write that evolution was not a tool to get atheism into schools. I don't know that it is, therefore I would not have asserted something that I do not know to be true.
Having taught (briefly) in a public school, I don't have that much confidence in the ability of most teachers to teach something that is not clearly lined out in the curriculum. These are people who do not think out of the box. In fact, they like being in the box.
Additionally, since I am actually familiar with current science textbooks and curriculum, I don't find that your statement that atheism is being taught is accurate. Just ain't so.
If you could present some actual documentation to back up your assertions, I would be happy to see them.
Umm, that wasn't my statement.
OK, I'm moving on. I prefer to discuss ideas and facts, and not play word games.
####I had no idea they were involved in such an elaborate conspiracy.####
Who said anything about a conspiracy? It's just the way the public schools operate these days. Why do you think so many conservatives & Christians home school, while leftists in Congress and the teachers' unions seem delighted with the public schools?
Accepting the theory of evolution doesn't necessarily make someone an atheist, but the current public school regime on evolution plays right into atheist hands. Otherwise, the ACLU and the Christian-bashing leftist press wouldn't care much about the issue.
But this is no "theory":
"... he has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11
And many "probability theorists" think that those who believe the above words have a god that looks like this, don't they?:
"To claim that evolution does not deal with the soup is to diminish the TOE meaning"
No it isn't. It's truthly representing what the theory actually says, rather than the lies of creationists about what it says.
"I can only say evolution by its very nature removes the supernatural status of Christ, you can't see that, NOT my problem"
Only if you accept as a starting point lies about the theory.
"think about what evolutionists have done to million upon millions of young children by teaching them to deny the Heavenly Father. Christ did have something to say about harming little children."
Lie based upon lies.
"Oh so are you saying for the record that there never was a hot primordial bowl of soup, wherein one single cell divided and set forth the beginnings of what we see on this earth this day????"
I'm saying that that has nothing whatsoever to do with the Theory of Evolution.
I know you're just kidding when you write stuff like that. People dumb enough to believe it aren't smart enough to type messages on an internet forum.
"I'm saying that that has nothing whatsoever to do with the Theory of Evolution."
That is NOT an acceptable answer, because this theory of common descent had to begin somewhere, and you are not denying a hot primordial bowl of soup.
Schools reflect the fact that the United States has, since the time of the great General Washington, been a secular country. Besides which, I pay taxes too and have no desire to see public schools turned into Evangelical cultural preserves.
"That is NOT an acceptable answer, because this theory of common descent had to begin somewhere, and you are not denying a hot primordial bowl of soup."
Why are you trying to change the subject? Is it because you realise the emptiness of your arguments? Theories of abiogenesis have no bearing whatsoever on this discussion. You want to discuss them, feel free to start another thread. I'm sure you'd just embarrass yourself in that one as well though...
By the way, do you also favor eliminating chaplains in the military? Your taxes pay for them, too.
Changing demographics and a growing urban population brought about the death of the homogonized country schools and necessitated a much bigger public school system. When you have children from many different backgrounds and faiths all learning in the same place you obviously have to be avowedly secular.
By the way, do you also favor eliminating chaplains in the military? Your taxes pay for them, too.
Military chaplains are a different situation. Chaplains provide beneficial spiritual guidance for those who want it, but no one is required to participate in any sort of religious service. They fulfill the same function as a parish priest.
These changing demographics took place well before the 1960s, especially in urbanized environments. It seems people were able to work out on their own what they wanted in their school curricula without judges imposing it on them.
Chaplains provide beneficial spiritual guidance for those who want it, but no one is required to participate in any sort of religious service.
No one suggested requiring schoolchildren to participate in religious activity. That doesn't mean schools are somehow constitutionally obligated to censor their curricula to avoid offending small minorities.
Demographics continued to change and are still changing. When I started school in 1985 there were only white kids in my class, by the time I graduated high school in 1997 a good 15% of my class were minorites. And even when it was all just a bunch of white kids, all of our parents had very different ideas about religion.
It seems people were able to work out on their own what they wanted in their school curricula without judges imposing it on them.
The Constitution and Congress mandate equality, judges merely enforce it.
No one suggested requiring schoolchildren to participate in religious activity. That doesn't mean schools are somehow constitutionally obligated to censor their curricula to avoid offending small minorities.
The poster that I originally responded to was indeed suggesting just that. And schools are not required to "censor curricula", just to maintiain neutrality on the subject of religion.
There is quite a large contengent of people out there who keep trying to inject their religious beliefs into public schools. I know that not everyone wants public schools to be avowedly secular, but given the fact that students come from a variety of backgrounds and beliefs it really is the best way to make sure that everyone recieves an equal education.
Thanks for your post.
I never considered the point that natural selection tends against Marxist ideology. The extent to which atheistic assumptions have become predominant in science textbooks warrants a more level-headed approach, but the controversy should be reserved for later years. Nomenclature and factual explanations of how things work would suffice until high school age. The bottom line is that public schools ought to reflect the pluralistic nature of the population lest it tacitly engage in the establishment of religion, including atheism. If they cannot do this, then it is time for the fedral government to desist from allocating tax money to public schools.
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