Bill requiring evolution disclaimer clears House

Claremore Progress ^ | 2/27/04 | Sean Murphy

[Michael_Michaelangelo]

OKLAHOMA CITY (CNHI) — The Oklahoma House passed a bill Monday that would require public school textbooks that discuss evolution to include a disclaimer stating that it is a controversial theory and not fact.

Rep. Bill Graves successfully included the language in House Bill 2194, a measure that originally changed the format for Braille versions of instructional materials.

“I think so many of the textbooks make it appear that evolution is a scientific fact and it’s not,” said Graves, R-Oklahoma City. “Even the U.S. Supreme Court says it’s a theory, so I was just trying to make that clear.

“I think it’s very important for children to know,” Graves said. “If they just believe that they came from some slime in a swamp that’s a whole lot different from being created in the image of God.”

According to the bill, any state school district textbook that discusses evolution would have to include a disclaimer that states, in part, “This textbook discusses evolution, a controversial theory which some scientists present as scientific explanation for the origin of living things, such as plants and humans. No one was present when life first appeared on earth. Therefore, any statement about life’s origins should be considered as theory, not fact.”

The disclaimer goes on to state, “Study hard and keep an open mind. Someday you may contribute to the theories of how living things appeared on earth.”

The bill passed on a 96-0 vote and now heads to the Senate.

Officials with the State Department of Education did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Sean Murphy is the Capitol Bureau reporter in Oklahoma for Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. He can be reached at smurphy@cnhi.com.

[Michael_Michaelangelo]

Bold font added by poster.

[Michael_Michaelangelo]

Ping

[edeal]

Georgia welcomes you to the laughing stock delegation of state legislatures.

[Blood of Tyrants]

The evolution supporters will soon be here to tell everyone how stupid they are for not believing in evolution even though there are HUGE gaps in evolution theory that they simply make up. Come to think of it, almost all of evolution theory is just made up.

[Hodar]

“I think it’s very important for children to know,” Graves said. “If they just believe that they came from some slime in a swamp that’s a whole lot different from being created in the image of God.”

The big picture is not necessarily a religous one, it's an exercise in the "Scientific Method" and "Critical Thinking". The Scientific Method is to look at observable data, make hypothisis regarding the observations, remove personal bias; and simply report what you see. For children, this is a fairly inexpensive yet thought provoking and engaging example. A field trip to just about any museaum will re-inforce that what you belive, and what you see may be at odds. The next step is "Critical Thinking".

Critical Thinking is taking in the observations, and then analyzing them with regard to truths and imperatives you believe, then working to come to an understanding of why things are as they are.

These are skills we all need, and use on a daily basis in work, play and in reading the news. I see no problem with a requirement that Evolution be presented as a plausable theory, I would object to it being presented as undisputed fact. However, to present it as a complete falsehood because Dinosaurs are not mentioned in the bible is teaching children to ignore observable facts; simply because they do not integrate into their belief system.

[yellowdoghunter]

I am shocked that the Democrats let this through. I will be even more shocked if the Democrats in the Senate let it through. The Democrats who control Oklahoma's Legislature are more concerned with legalizing gambling, increasing taxes, and squashing a bill that would outlaw homosexual marriage.

[Physicist]

“I think so many of the textbooks make it appear that evolution is a scientific fact and it’s not,” said Graves, R-Oklahoma City. “Even the U.S. Supreme Court says it’s a theory, so I was just trying to make that clear.

The sequential variation of flora and fauna throughout the fossil record is the scientific FACT of evolution.

Darwinian natural selection is the THEORY of how the fact of evolution came about.

Confusingly, the fact and theory are both called "evolution".

Almost all of the people who are against the teaching of evolution object much more strongly to the fact of evolution than they do to the theory, because it's the fact that contradicts most creation myths. Because of the confusion between terms, they think that by finding flaws in the theory, they can overturn the fact. But they can't.

[Blood of Tyrants]

The sequential variation of flora and fauna throughout the fossil record is the scientific FACT of evolution.

You can do better than that, can't you? Showing me various species of extinct plants and animals that happen to look similar to each other is a fact that they existed NOT that they evolved.

[PatrickHenry]

PING. [This ping list is for the evolution side of evolution threads, and sometimes for other science topics. FReepmail me to be added or dropped.]

[whattajoke]

The evolution supporters will soon be here to tell everyone how stupid they are for not believing in evolution even though there are HUGE gaps in evolution theory that they simply make up.

Anyone who doesn't accept the fact of evolution is stupid for believing there are some supposed HUGE gaps in evolution theory.

Satisfied?

[Rudder]

The bill passed on a 96-0 vote and now heads to the Senate.

Amazing how ignorant Oklahomans are unaimous in their ignorance---not unlike those creationists here at FR.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Yep.

[stanz]

Their resumes ought to have disclaimers.

[JohnnyZ]

Scientific theories should always be presented as theories rather than fact.

[Right Wing Professor]

I am shocked that the Democrats let this through.

You have a higher opinion of Democrats than I have. Democrats in general have no principles. If it's politically expedient, and not important to one of their client groups, they have no problem with it.

And after all, William Jennings Bryan was a Democrat.

[yellowdoghunter]

Please don't refer to Oklahomans as ignorant. Thank you.

[Right Wing Professor]

Come to think of it, almost all of evolution theory is just made up.

You just made that up.

[Dog Gone]

No one was present when life first appeared on earth.

I thought we were told that Adam and Eve were there within a week. Well, scratch that notion. The legislature has ruled.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Well yeehaw and cheers for them.

[Right Wing Professor]

Please don't refer to Oklahomans as ignorant.

96-0 sure looks to me like a shut-out for ignorance.