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A Classic Evolution Policy Blunder
American Spectator ^ | 8.4.10 | Bruce Chapman

Posted on 08/04/2010 9:42:04 PM PDT by neverdem

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed into law last year an act that sets parameters for teachers who introduce scientific supplements on Darwinian evolution, global warming, human cloning and other controversial subjects. The state's Science Education Act encourages "open and objective discussion of scientific theories being studied." It specifically prohibits religious instruction or interpretations (or irreligious interpretations, for that matter). The law is simple, reasonable and avoids constitutional and scientific mistakes that afflicted earlier laws in Louisiana and elsewhere.

But in Livingston Parish, east of Baton Rouge, some enthusiasts for a literal Biblical account of creation decided that the new law gives them authority to teach creationism -- the account from Genesis. That view clearly violates the law and also the U.S. Constitution as it long has been interpreted. Reported statements from Livingston school board member David Tate were so fallacious and confrontational that they could have been scripted by his supposed adversaries if they were looking for ways to make him look bad.

"We just sit up here and let them teach evolution," Tate orated, "and not take a stand about creationism. To me, how come we don't look into this as people who are strong Christians and see what we can do to teach creationism in schools. We sit back and let the government tell us what to do. We don't pray to the ACLU and all them people: we pray to God."

Tate's fulminations are not characteristic of the educators and legislators who passed the new Louisiana law, but you can be sure that the Darwinist opponents of the law will try to make them sound representative. The same thing happened in Dover, Pennsylvania, in 2005 when school board members decided to grab onto the phrase (not the reality) of "intelligent design" to promote religious doctrine....

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


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: evolution
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1 posted on 08/04/2010 9:42:06 PM PDT by neverdem
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To: neverdem

Jindal should be president.


2 posted on 08/04/2010 9:46:43 PM PDT by garjog
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To: neverdem

Studies of their brain matter conclusively proves that evolutionists are descended from monkeys. The rest of us were created in God’s image.


3 posted on 08/04/2010 9:48:30 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (JUST VOTE THEM OUT! teapartyexpress.org)
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To: Jim Robinson

The bible does speak of two seeds!


4 posted on 08/04/2010 9:50:34 PM PDT by guitarplayer1953 (Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to GOD! Thomas Jefferson)
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To: neverdem
Current interpretation of the separation of church and state only goes back 1960's when radical activist courts changed the meaning of the constitution in order to ban voluntary prayer from public schools.

According to the Constitution, the federal government has no authority over education.

5 posted on 08/04/2010 9:55:35 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: guitarplayer1953

That’s what the judge said today too. Marriage is between two men, two seeds.


6 posted on 08/04/2010 10:02:51 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (JUST VOTE THEM OUT! teapartyexpress.org)
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To: guitarplayer1953

And that’s what happens in a society after government replaces God.


7 posted on 08/04/2010 10:04:25 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (JUST VOTE THEM OUT! teapartyexpress.org)
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To: Jim Robinson

They have found brain matter in the skulls of Bible literalists? I doubt that.


8 posted on 08/04/2010 10:05:31 PM PDT by NotThere
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To: Tailgunner Joe

John Gato, an acknowledged expert, says that a kid would basically be better off being raised in the jungle by chimpanzees like Tarzan than attending many of our public schools.


9 posted on 08/04/2010 10:06:54 PM PDT by wendy1946
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To: NotThere

Anatomically, we all have brain matter in fairly equal amounts, but I would’ve thought a more scientific type should already know that.


10 posted on 08/04/2010 10:48:45 PM PDT by skr (May God confound the enemy)
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To: garjog
Yeah. Right. Not gonna happen.

;-/

11 posted on 08/04/2010 10:49:56 PM PDT by Gargantua (The "Second Death")
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To: Jim Robinson
The inimitable Science Made Stupid suggests a similar comprise, which is perhaps a little more comprising:


12 posted on 08/04/2010 11:19:27 PM PDT by dr_lew
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To: dr_lew
The inimitable Science Made Stupid suggests a similar comprise, which is perhaps a little more comprising:

yikes ... s/b

The inimitable Science Made Stupid suggests a similar compromise, which is perhaps a little more compromising:

13 posted on 08/05/2010 12:15:01 AM PDT by dr_lew
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To: garjog

President only if he is a natural born citizen.


14 posted on 08/05/2010 2:32:50 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and proud of it. Those who truly support our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: NotThere

> They have found brain matter in the skulls of Bible
> literalists? I doubt that.

Ad hominem.

The refuge of an ideologue with a bankrupt narrative.

I’m a Bible Literalist, and the fact that I’m an engineer, and am writing this, is evidence that I have, not just brain matter, but well-connected brain matter.

However, like many evolutionists, you wish to interpret the plain evidence to suit your fainciful ideology, even framing it as an attempt at humor, however lame and ignorant.


15 posted on 08/05/2010 4:34:35 AM PDT by Westbrook (Having children does not divide your love, it multiplies it.)
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To: wendy1946

Tarzan was a chimpanzee?


16 posted on 08/05/2010 6:21:35 AM PDT by RipSawyer (Trying to reason with a leftist is like trying to catch sunshine in a fish net at midnight.)
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To: RipSawyer

RAISED by chimpanzees...


17 posted on 08/05/2010 6:26:36 AM PDT by wendy1946
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To: Westbrook
Thanks for the warning. What sort of engineering do you practice? I would like to avoid your work.
18 posted on 08/05/2010 7:17:33 AM PDT by starlifter (Sapor Amo Pullus)
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To: Jim Robinson
I thought it was obvious, so I failed to include it as part of the posted excerpt. My bad.

Where public school districts have been willing to stick to scientific evidence for and against Darwinian theory, and ignore religious implications in the classroom, Darwinian opponents have not sued, let alone sued successfully.

--snip--

To clear the air of Darwinist cant and enter a debate on the actual evidence, no religious assertions are necessary or desirable. Obviously, there may be religious implications to repudiation of Darwinism, just as there may be irreligious implications to the theory itself. Plainly, emotions on all sides are stirred up by those implications. But science is not supposed to be about religious implications, but about the evidence; and scientific evidence, though illuminating, can only take one so far.

In other words, Render to Caesar evidence, in particular here, scientific evidence. When conservatives argue that scientific evidence supports normal climatic variation, but it does not support evolution, they come out looking like hypocrites or worse looking like "know nothings."

There's no evidence that any recent climate change is the result of anything besides natural variability, yet some evangelicals embrace the precautionary principle to support belief in anthropogenic global warming, the left's latest religion, only because of the Biblical command to be "good stewards."

While it's hard to argue that something can come from nothing, i.e. there is and was no Creator, and the Big Bang just happened for no reason, appeals to faith, religion, scripture, theology, metaphysics, etc. can yield bizarre results that negate common sense.

There's plenty of documented medical and psychiatric pathology associated with homosexuality, yet there's yesterday's decision supporting homosexual marriage in the federal district court striking Proposition Eight's ban on it in California.

Historical evidence documents that Muslims and Africans initially traded the vast majority of African slaves who were sent to the Americas, and Islam still allows slavery, yet so many African-Americans embrace Islam. Go figure. Let's stick with evidence, IMHO.

19 posted on 08/05/2010 11:28:56 AM PDT by neverdem (Xin loi minh oi)
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To: neverdem
Tate's fulminations are not characteristic of the educators and legislators who passed the new Louisiana law, but you can be sure that the Darwinist opponents of the law will try to make them sound representative. The same thing happened in Dover, Pennsylvania

LOL! Antievolutionists, including figures like the author, who founded the Discovery Institute, intentionally create a popular movement, avoiding normal scientific review for their supposedly scientific views, and then get all upset when their popular followers give away the game.

20 posted on 08/08/2010 9:40:24 AM PDT by Stultis (Democrats. Still devoted to the three S's: Slavery, Segregation and Socialism.)
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