(U.S. Government Sanctioned) Academy Declines to Accredit Va. College-Creationism Rule Cited

Washington Post ^ | May 11, 2002 SGT | Rosalind S. Helderman

[codebreaker]

Glad to know this school is up and running.

So now our government is telling homeschool kids what to think?

[Mind-numbed Robot]

It sounds like Dr. Wallin is violating the very rules he is citing for his actions. How many schools accredited by his organization forbid the teaching of Creation at all, under the guise of "Separation of Church and State", that madeup Constitutional principle of the liberals.

[BlackElk]

Just who are these people who are authorized to "accredit" colleges, for liberal arts degrees no less? Credentialism is one of the major threats to this society and to our children. Homeschooled children are almost automatically better educated than those crippled by standards set up not by sensible human beings but by liberal-left buttinskis.

Maybe one answer to this is a massive search and destroy mission against every gang of bureaucratic busybodies who think that they have some business tampering with the education of your children. We can set up our own institutions and defund the ones that exist. Won't happen next week but it ought to be a long-term goal and an immediate priority.

Are you in business? Do you hire people? Why care whether or not they met the standards of people who are convinced that we are descended from monkeys? That diversity is more important than substance? That Ho Chi Minh was a frustrated America-loving nationalist who turned to communism because we would not oust the French? That Karl Marx was good because he was a liberal in a hurry? That business is bad and socialism good? That religion is for chumps? Why not hire people who share your beliefs and values and will do a solid job for you and really be part of your team?

You certainly need credentials to be a brain surgeon but any business degree can be replaced by on the job training and a library card. With liberal arts majors, the library card will suffice. Hire the homeschooled above all because their experience as self-starters, self-managers and achievers not pampered phony government-schooled "self-esteem" sponges (unearned division) [There, there poor baby, did they expect budgums to know the WHOLE alphabet before high school graduation? How inconsiderate! Just go off to your fisting class and don't think any more about it. When you get to your accredited college, you can get credit for remedial alphabet.]

[codebreaker]

And I bet there a very few denied accreditation, all regilious in nature to boot.

[codebreaker]

Excellent point.

[societyasart]

I think you have misunderstood the decision handed down by the Academy for Liberal Education. The reason that the college does not receive accreditation is because it proposes to require that its professors teach a particular view. It has nothing to do with the view itself, in this case strict Christian creationism, but that the college requires any particular view be taught at all. This point is consistent with the following quotation from Wallin: 'liberty of thought and freedom of speech are supported and protected, bound only by such rules of civility and order as to facilitate intellectual inquiry and the search for truth.' Any colleges requiring a particular worldview to be included in all courses would be judged in the same manner.

Does this mean that the college cannot teach classes the way it wants? Of course not. Does this mean that employers who value an education backed by a creationist worldview cannot hire graduates of this college? No again.

It simply means that the school will not be included among those that do not "require" a religious viewpoint to be taught along with the secular curriculum.

Forgive me if I have misunderstood your post; I look forward to a response if you feel it necessary.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Thanks for your response. I considered your view before I responded and I see the fine point being made. However, if this is the same group that accredits many other universities, even if it is just liberal arts universities, I think there is still a double standard evident here. I don't think they are as concerned about schools who forbid the teaching of certain subjects, or just conveniently choose not to, such as creationism. I may be reaching that conclusion because of the subject in debate and its importance to liberals, Christian conservatives, and the NEA. However, taken purely as a policy, I am not sure the policy would apply to other subjects, such as math being taught only one way.

[societyasart]

You stated: "I don't think they are as concerned about schools who forbid the teaching of certain subjects, or just conveniently choose not to, such as creationism."

What schools in particular did you have in mind??? I don't know of any that forbid teaching anything as a subject, but I may be misinformed.

The issue here is not creationism being taught as a subject, but that it is a worldview required to be incorporated into ALL classes. Presumably, if a private, secular institution required all professors to sign a document saying that they would incorporate evolutionary biology in all courses, then that school too would be denied accreditation. You cannot force a particular worldview, be it Christian, evolutionary, or Shakazulu, into the classroom and expect to be accredited. And as I said before, I think that this is consistent with Wallin's statement.

You also stated: "I am not sure the policy would apply to other subjects, such as math being taught only one way." Do you see now why I think this comment misses the point? The problem isn't any one course being taught a particular way or even at all but instead that there is a worldview attached as a requirement to all courses. This infringes on the "liberty of thought" from the outset and is why such schools will not receive accreditation until they relax this requirement of their professorate. I mention again that lack of accreditation does not deny the college the right to exist or teach their students in whatever way that they please.

Hope this makes sense...

[Gladwin]

This was posted before here, but the source was worldnet.

[Gladwin]

If they want to teach creationism or intelligent design in a religion course, they would have passed their audit. Teaching creationism in a science class is not kosher, since the first base premise of science is that observed events have a natural explanation. If you believe in supernatural explanations, it really isn't science. This is definitional. Now, if they want to exclude teaching evolution from their biology courses, then maybe they could pass the audit also.

It would be similar to teaching New Age ideas about how people get sick in a germ theory or microbiology class.

It sounds to me like they are picking a fight with the accreditation agency. They don't have to have accreditation. There may be some government and military jobs that their graduates would be excluded from, but if it is a matter of principle, then they should stick to their guns.

[Gladwin]

His school is causing problems, so I will bump him in this thread too.

[ContentiousObjector]

I can't believe in the year 2002 these clowns are still fighting this battle, creationists are a national embarasment.

[FreedomFriend]

science is not entirely fact. Much of it is a religion to the atheists.

[societyasart]

"Much of it is a religion to the atheists" Exactly how is science a religion to the atheists?

Anticipating a possible answer, what exact part of science (other than evolution - I'll grant you this for sake of argument) do you propose is a matter of faith?

[Gladwin]

Science has premises, and assumptions; evolution isn't any different. For example, it is assumed that dinosaurs had DNA. What is the evidence for this? There is circumstantial evidence, in that other living things have DNA. Direct evidence of dinosaur DNA is nonexistant, though, isn't it?

I can go thru some of the assumption in other fields if you want.

[societyasart]

What precisely is your point in saying that all fields of inquiry begin with assumptions? Be as specific as you can if you don't mind.

[VaBthang4]

"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?
Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me Liberty or give me Death!"

Patrick Henry
To the Virginia Assembly, March 23, 1775

[PatrickHenry]

His school is causing problems, so I will bump him in this thread too.

"My" school? Hey, I grabbed this name because I admire the guy and the name was available, and so did they. And because of this name, I do feel an odd affection for that school, and I wish them well.

[Gopher Broke]

Remember, friends, that it is EVOLUTION that is the theory, not Creation. I like one comment I heard (paraphrase)...Evolution is about as likely as a tornado going thru a 747 plant and "randomly" creating a fully built 747, gassed up, running and ready to take off".

I cannot believe that in this day and age, God's people (or "nuts", as you say, ContentiousObjector) must fight to get the truth out...Evolution is crap and the left only keeps it alive because it keeps them from admitting there is a God to which they must submit.