Education board considers alternate theories about life

The Indepedent ^ | 6/7/2002

[JediGirl]

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Last modified at 11:50 a.m. on Friday, June 7, 2002

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•  On the Net: Nebraska Department of Education, the Concerned Citizens for Objective Science Education, and the Intelligent Design Network

By Scott Bauer

The Associated Press

LINCOLN -- The State Board of Education is being asked to allow for the teaching of numerous theories about how life began in addition to evolution.

One of those theories holds that aliens could have started life on Earth.

The board is considering whether to add state science standards to an accreditation rule schools must follow to operate.

More than a dozen people were scheduled to appear at the board meeting Friday to comment on the standards. Math and reading standards have already been added to the rule.

The science standards were approved in 1999. State law now requires schools to report how they are meeting such standards, so they must be added to Nebraska's accreditation rule.

The standards make it clear that evolution be taught as theory, not objective fact. They also ask that students investigate and use the theory of biological evolution to explain the diversity of life.

At an earlier hearing, several people supported the intelligent design concept.

Intelligent design is a belief that living things are too complex to have occurred through random genetic change and must have been designed by a higher power. The nature of that being is not specified, but backers acknowledge it could have been a biblical God, supernatural or extraterrestrial.

Critics of the concept argue that intelligent design is not science and that it is a disguise for creationism, which credits the origin of species to God and has been barred by courts from public schools.

The teaching of creationism in Nebraska drew heated debate in 1999 when the state board adopted science standards that left out any mention of creationism.

Some members of the state board in 1999 wanted to revise the standards to require schools teach that there are other theories in addition to evolution, including creationism.

[steve-b]

[stanz]

Glad I live far from Nebraska.

[VRWC_minion]

Ecclesastes 12:

The Conclusion of the Matter
⁹ Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. ¹⁰ The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.
¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails-given by one Shepherd. ¹² Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.
Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.

¹³ Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
¹⁴ For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.

[Physicist]

Math and reading standards have already been added to the rule.

Alternate theories now required to be taught in Nebraska include the theory that "reading is so totally lame" and "math is boring and sucks".

[VRWC_minion]

"math is boring and sucks".

We don't need to teach what is common knowledge.

[Gumlegs]

In 1897 the Indiana House of Representatives unanimously passed a measure redefining the area of a circle and the value of pi. (House Bill no. 246, introduced by Rep. Taylor I. Record.) The bill died in the state Senate.

Note: This is not the internet hoax about Arkansas. See here, or here. As the latter link makes obvious, when dealing in politics, cherchez l'argent.

[That Subliminal Kid]

Oh goodie! So we can all admit that proving something that exists beyond space-time is not possible, and renounce our atheism and theism respectively. Let's all hold hands and admit that we are now agnostics. A little intellectual honesty is all I ask folks.

[That Subliminal Kid]

every whackjob god myth is false

That's a non-sequitur jlogajan. As a free thinker, I'm sure you already knew that.

[Dimensio]

Oh goodie! So we can all admit that proving something that exists beyond space-time is not possible, and renounce our atheism and theism respectively.

So this "God" thing exists beyond space-time? Why is something that exists beyond space-time undetectable? Why should I even consider a proposal if no evidence for its validity can be presented?

If I cannot objectively observe this "god", then why should I give it any more credence than invisible intangible purple unicorns creating the universe?

[That Subliminal Kid]

The existence of a deity is irrelevant in science

Ding ding ding! We have a winner. Makes you wonder why so many atheists pretend that science supports or in some way leads to atheism.

[That Subliminal Kid]

You shouldn't. Everything that exists just happened through a long series of amazingly remote chances in exactly the right order. Move along..

[That Subliminal Kid]

By the way, can you objectively observe an emotional state? Can you think of any other things which you assume exist but cannot objectively observe? Think hard. There'll be a pop-quiz on this tomorrow.

[jlogajan]

Makes you wonder why so many atheists pretend that science supports or in some way leads to atheism.

Nice case of projection! It is the creationists that say that Darwin leads to atheism.

[That Subliminal Kid]

Darwin? Ever heard of theistic evolution? By the way, what on earth is a "Creationist"? I see that term blithely tossed about so often (by you) that I'm really unsure what exactly you mean when you use the word. Mind giving me a concrete definition that I can hold you to? Thanks!

[Dimensio]

By the way, can you objectively observe an emotional state?

I can't...It is possible to monitor the chemical state of the human brain and observe changes based on "emotional state", but I personally posess neither the equipment nor the expertise to make such observations.

[Dimensio]

Everything that exists just happened through a long series of amazingly remote chances in exactly the right order.

Really? I've not seen the chain of events that led to "everything that exists" at this moment, so I can't draw such a conclusion.

[RadioAstronomer]

Let's all hold hands and admit that we are now agnostics

That is exactly what I am! :-)

[PatrickHenry]

Placemarker from beyond space and time.

[avenir]

How clever, you switched the name of God with Allah. I would have thought you'd pick "The Force".

[avenir]

Thanks for the smile.