Posted on 12/19/2006 2:19:29 PM PST by Sopater
ATLANTA A suburban school board that put stickers in high school science books saying evolution is "a theory, not a fact" abandoned its legal battle to keep them Tuesday after four years.
The Cobb County board agreed in federal court never to use a similar sticker or to undermine the teaching of evolution in science classes.
In return, the parents who sued over the stickers agreed to drop all legal action.
"We certainly think that it's a win not just for our clients but for all students in Cobb County and, really, all residents of Georgia," said Beth Littrell of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia.
The school board placed the stickers inside the front cover of biology books in 2002 after a group of parents complained that evolution was being taught to the exclusion of other theories, including a literal reading of the biblical story of creation.
The stickers read: "This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered."
A federal judge ordered the stickers removed in 2005, saying they amount to an unconstitutional government endorsement of religion. The school board appealed, but a federal appeals court sent the case back, saying it did not have enough information.
"We faced the distraction and expense of starting all over with more legal actions and another trial," said board chairwoman Teresa Plenge. "With this agreement, it is done and we now have a clean slate for the new year."
School board attorney Linwood Gunn said the agreement is not an admission that the stickers were unconstitutional. "The school board attempted to reach what they thought was a reasonable compromise," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Yes, I am a huge supporter of homeschooling and don't resent it. However, I certainly can see a condescending attitude when it's presented.
This whole country was funded on Christian principles and they have been a part of American life since it's inception. The founding fathers knew what they were about when the wrote the First Amendment that prohibits the government from establishing a state religion and allows the free exercise thereof, and established the balance of power to try to prevent just what we're seeing today with the misuse of the judiciary.
The only taliban-like behavior is from the ACLU, as its goals of destroying America and eradicating any trace of Christianity are the same as islam's. There's just a different method to their madness. What's alarming is the support the ACLU gets in those goals in the name of *science*.
Removing all traces of religion from public schools IS establishing a religion- that is humanism, or secularism, if you will. Absence of religion is not a neutral position. When there's two sides to an issue, like God vs. no God, there can never be neutral ground. When the ACLU is promoting atheism over Christianity, all the atheists think it's a good thing only because it fits with there world view, but if it went with Christianity, it would be bad because it's favoring one religion over another. They just don't mind when it's THEIR religion that's favored. NEWSFLASH. The public is made up of people. If the public (the people) want their tax money to be used in a certain way to educate the public's (the people's) children, then they should have it as they wish whether a minority of elitst, self-appointed, individuals like it or not.
Yes, but the wishes of the majority should have rule. That's what a representative government is all about; rule of the majority.
What makes you think that atheists don't homeschool or that the only people that do are Christians?
I dont. Where did I ever say that?
And that all homeschooling Christians use the Bible as their science textbooks?
I didn't say that either. Where did you get that idea?
LOL!!! There was actually a FR thread on that not too long ago; that we evolved to believe in God. How ironic.
Here's a nice one. (I have lots more.) This one is also a transitional. Note its position in the chart which follows (hint--in the upper center):
Site: Koobi Fora (Upper KBS tuff, area 104), Lake Turkana, Kenya (4, 1)
Discovered By: B. Ngeneo, 1975 (1)
Estimated Age of Fossil: 1.75 mya * determined by Stratigraphic, faunal, paleomagnetic & radiometric data (1, 4)
Species Name: Homo ergaster (1, 7, 8), Homo erectus (3, 4, 7), Homo erectus ergaster (25)
Gender: Female (species presumed to be sexually dimorphic) (1, 8)
Cranial Capacity: 850 cc (1, 3, 4)
Information: Tools found in same layer (8, 9). Found with KNM-ER 406 A. boisei (effectively eliminating single species hypothesis) (1)
Interpretation: Adult (based on cranial sutures, molar eruption and dental wear) (1)
See original source for notes:
Source: http://www.mos.org/evolution/fossils/fossilview.php?fid=33
Source: http://wwwrses.anu.edu.au/environment/eePages/eeDating/HumanEvol_info.html
Thank you, Coyoteman.
I don't know that I've ever had a "favorite fact," but that will do nicely.
Transistional species are all just freaks that died in Noah's Flood 4,000 years ago, even though that's not how they date using irrefutable scientific techniques.
It all has to do with some mysterious cloud that surrounded the earth and the the fact that the laws of physics have only been constant for the past 4,000 years. Before then, they apparently were completely random, which has fooled the atheist and inherently evil scientists into believing that a fossil could be a million years old or more!
These scientists must be stopped before they brainwash our kids.
It all has to do with some mysterious cloud that surrounded the earth and the the fact that the laws of physics have only been constant for the past 4,000 years. Before then, they apparently were completely random, which has fooled the atheist and inherently evil scientists into believing that a fossil could be a million years old or more!
These scientists must be stopped before they brainwash our kids.
You omitted the /sarcasm tag.
Good one, you had me going for a minute there.
The statement on the sticker is not an endorsement of Religion, (which what the judge ruled) but does point out that Evolution is a "THEORY" and Theory is not Fact. The version of Evolution taught in the Darwin school of thought is itself not the only possible science explanation. The sticker doesn't mention God, nor does it address 'Intelligent Design' theory. The sticker only points out that Evolution is a THEORY and "should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered" shouldn't all scientific theory be studied and considered? Before 1492 everyone accepted the theory for fact that the earth was flat, and you know what happened. If a Bible class was studied in school, I wouldn't have problem with a sticker saying it was a belief and should be "studied" or "approached with an open mind". If you were buying a used car and the salesman said it was "like new" would you accept his theory as fact and buy over the phone? Or would you want to study the car in person and make up your on mind.
The fact that the sticker singled out Evolution is what revealed it to be a fig leaf for Creationism.
Before 1492 everyone accepted the theory for fact that the earth was flat, and you know what happened.
Wrong. Educated people have known that the earth is round for thousand of years. Luckily for us, they did not allow any 'flat earth stickers' to be added to the scrolls of the Library of Alexandria.
A scientific theory isn't the same as a jbwbubba theory.
Why is the Theory of Evolution the only theory that should be "stickerized"? How about a sticker for gravity?
I know the answer, and I believe that you do to. But it's only a theory.
I personally don't like the sarcasm tag. I'd prefer to let astute readers detect it, and the non-astute to swallow it hook, line, and sinker.
I'm weird that way.
"Why is the Theory of Evolution the only theory that should be "stickerized"? How about a sticker for gravity?"
Because the local people in charge decided they wanted it, many laws and rules seem odd and seem hypocritical. Why do some places forbid alcohol sales on Sunday or till after 1:00 after Sunday, yet allow it the rest of the week. Schools are spending money to deal with obesity, yet eliminating recess. The two seem at odds, but it doesn't make it a court case.
You need to include the /sarcasm tag. Otherwise folks will think you're an idiot.
Fortunately, those of us who call ourselves conservatives live in and defend a constitutional republic rather than a democracy.
We disagree about the language. A hypothesis may be rejected as stated if experimental data (never exact) do not support it. In the hard sciences this is done with a discrepancy test. Do the experimental data agree or disagree with the theoretical values?
We do agree that a theory can never be proven.
Ummm....No.
I dont. Where did I ever say that?
And that all homeschooling Christians use the Bible as their science textbooks?
I didn't say that either. Where did you get that idea?
It seemed to me you implied it with this line: "Well, if it's not a good enough option for the atheists/evolutionists, then it's not good enough anyone else."
Sort of like the sticker implied there was controversy or something special about the TOE by singling it out among all theories to point out that it's only a theory. Why overstate the obvious?
It's not only atheists that object to supernatural ideas being introduced into a science class. Creationists have tried their darndest to get people thinking that evolutionist is a synonym for atheist, but it's just not working.
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