Another point for tyranny of the minority ... but not really
"If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." - John 15:20
More than 2000 parents in Cobb County, Ga., complained that their children’s textbooks taught evolution as a fact, never mentioning that there were opposing viewpoints.
But when the school added a sticker to the textbooks with the disclaimer, “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," it only took five parents to get it removed, according Associated Press and CNN.
Atlanta Judge Clarence Cooper ruled that the stickers violated the “constitutionally mandated separation between church and state.” The framers must be spinning in their graves.
I can see how the phrase “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion …” and the idea that Christian children should be forced to struggle with direct opposition between what their teachers tell them and what their parents and Bibles tell them are somehow related, can’t you?
“…the distinction of evolution as a theory rather than a fact is the distinction that religiously motivated individuals have specifically asked school boards to make in the most recent anti-evolution movement, and that was exactly what parents in Cobb County did in this case,” Cooper wrote in his ruling.
Basically, teaching evolution – which has not been proven – with a tiny disclaimer that allows children to not feel singled out for having different beliefs, is the school board siding with the religious parents. Obviously their ultimate goal is to establish a national theocracy, and they’re only a hair away from teaching creation instead of evolution. They must be stopped!
“By adopting this specific language, even at the direction of the counsel, the Cobb County School Board appears to have sided with these religiously motivated individuals,” Cooper wrote. The sticker is apparently a “message that the school board agrees with the beliefs of Christian fundamentalists and creationists.”
The school board defended its decision using the only sane argument in the entire case, that the stickers were placed in the books for the sake of religious tolerance, not religious activism. School district attorney Linwood Gunn said they were simply an attempt to get past the conflict between science and religion – which are not mutually exclusive, Gunn claimed – and teach good science.
But Michael Manely, an attorney for the five parents, said, “The Cobb County School Board is doing more than accommodating religion. They are promoting religious dogma to all the students.”
Wait a minute. What you’re telling me is that a sticker that says not one solitary word about religion, but simply accommodates children who do not wish to conform to anti-religious beliefs, is promoting religious dogma to the other children?
That argument was just insane enough for Judge Cooper – a Clinton appointee, by the way – to agree.
So why is it that everybody except “religiously motivated individuals” should be tolerated? Why should people whose motivation is solely to stifle religion be accommodated?
I don’t believe for one second that these parents were concerned their children’s education would suffer because they were allowed to form their own opinions about an unproven theory.
If I wasn’t previously an advocate of home schooling, (which I was) I am now.
When I started this commentary I was so furious I could barely speak. But I've calmed down and realized a few things. The world is becoming more and more threatened by our faith. But my God has already overcome the world. He holds in his hands the completion of what we now strive for.
The day of His return is quickly approaching. So while we wait, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." -Hebrews 12:2
posted by Kate Robinson @ 10:32 AM
11 comments
11 Comments:
This is yet another example of why public schooling should be abolished. Personally I believe that primary education is the responsibility of the family and the church (both of which are religious institutions). Therefore under the “separation of church and state” concept (which is not found in the Constitution) that liberal activists adore so much, we should endeavor to completely remove the government from our education.
Obviously most of these so called “progressive” parents and educators would disagree with my belief that education is a family and church thing but historically this has been true (Historically over the last two thousand years not just American history). I think it is time that we return to this model.
I really like your blog. Very well written and well thought out. I am not a parent and I have been furious about the whole "evolution as fact" thing going on in the schools. My parents put me in Catholic school, although I am not a Catholic because they did not want me to deal with the immoral things public schools teach - and my family wasn't even Christian at that time!
That is so sad. I'd ask where this world was going to but I already know.
To total and utter destruction and obliteration. Yes... I know that was redundant.
This reminds me of an exchange between Carmen and her school in the comic 'Prickly City' this past week.
Teacher: Carmen, you can't do your report on Ann Coulter! It has to be a woman from the required list.
Carmen: Like who?
Teacher: Like Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Carmen: So according to your list it's better that I study a woman who allows her marriage to be abused, as long as she can cling to power?
Teacher: Well, I wouldn't put it that way.
Carmen: You should.
Principal: Carmen, your teacher tells me you refuse to do your report based on the required list. We can't cater our curriculum just because it challenges your conservative believes.
Carmen: I was just hoping for a little balance.
Principal: How can you get a balanced education if we give you opposing views? Listen, Carmen, we want you to think for yourself but you have to follow the required curriculum. If this conflicts with your core beliefs, you'll have to keep it to yourself.
Carmen: So what you're saying is, you're all for diversity as long as it's not too diverse.
Principal: And they say we're not teaching you kids anything.
Haha.
Good grief; I am now even more thankful I was homeschooled.
What do these people think that they are doing? If 2000 say one thing, and five say another, how on earth can they justify going with a 400 to 1 minority? If that percentage held true, it would mean that the entire U.S. Education System is disenfranchising...what? 299,250,000 in favor of 750,000? Something like that. Yes, I know that the percentage isn't that much, but if expanded, and rounding the American population to 300 Million, it would be.
Whether it's 2000 to 5, 400 to 1, or everyone minus three-quarters of a million, it is still utterly ridicules.
I have to say that the machine is broken and irrepairable. Time to eliminate the Public School System.
Some times I wish we weren't so civilized so that we could engage in a little old fasioned democracy. Democracy of the variety where the 2000 come out with pipes chains and brass knuckles and the 5 come out with their sticks, knives and hammers and whoever wins chooses the text book.
That's an excellent idea. But not to worry, my friend. The more insane these things get, the more they make the news, the more they are brought to the center of the public square. They are achieving exactly the opposite of what they intended when they do things like this, and making themselves look like bigger and bigger fools.
So does that mean Bibles should come with warning stickers stating: "Warning, this book contains outlandish theories such as creationism, which doesn't have one shred of evidence to back up this theory, other than the words written in this book?"
Or would you say that infringes on the freedom of religion? Well, I think that's their point exactly; religion doesn't belong in the state. When you tell us we have to teach god in school, then we have the right to tell you to teach science in church.
And by the way the "theory of evolution" is only a theory to christians, for the rest of us who have taken freshmen biology and science, it’s a fact. Just as christians believe creationism to be a fact.
If you want your kids to be taught creationism, send them to a private school.
Speaking of irony, Toad734's blog is called "facts."
As I said to TBQelite yesterday, I thought about writing an article to debate Toad734's comments, but chose in the end, not to "answer a fool according to his folly." This was for the following reasons:
1. My motives were wrong. The temptation was to make him look like an idiot, not to convince. I realized that he doesn't need my help looking like an idiot and all the people I needed to convince are convinced already.
2. The nature of his comments made it clear he is the farthest thing from open-minded, and trying to point out the flaws in his logic would be futile and frustrating.
3. If I plan on becoming a journalist or columnist of any type, I'm going to have to learn to deal with offensive responses to my columns without getting all upset over it.
So there you go.
There is great wisdom in the the verse that mentions that you shouldn't answer a fool to his folly. Then again the book of Proverbs and rest of the Bible is fulled with great wisdom. That verse was something that I had to be reminded of (which I greatly appreciate, Kate). Answering a fool will just belittle oneself and gives the fool something he can use.
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