Louisiana Governor Signs ‘Science Education Act’
La. Governor Signs ‘Science Education Act’
By Alexander J. Sheffrin
Christian Post Reporter
Mon, Jun. 30 2008 03:58 PM EDT
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal signed into law last week a measure that would grant teachers and students the freedom to challenge and examine critically the tenets of Darwinism in the classroom.
The so called “Science Education Act,” the latest in a series of academic freedom bills that have swept across as many as six states, cruised through the state legislature with unanimous levels of approval.
Lawmakers said that the new law will help bring an end to allegations that teachers and students who share views contradicting or challenging the tenets of Darwinism in the classroom are marginalized, discriminated, or ostracized.
The law will also help to supply teachers with supplementary textbooks that will give greater freedom in the classroom to analyze and critique existing scientific theories concerning evolution.
While supporters of the measure say the recent measure is an important step in securing safe academic environments where “critical thinking skills, logical analysis, and open and objective discussion of scientific theories” are cherished, detractors say that the new law represents nothing more than a masked agenda to install religion in schools.
Americans United, which was just one among the many groups that tried to urge Gov. Jindal to veto the bill on the basis that it was a violation of the separation between church and state, blasted the new law in a series of statements.
“Louisiana has a long and unfortunate history of trying to substitute dogma for science in … classrooms,” AU executive director Rev. Barry Lynn said, according to Reuters.
“Americans United and other groups contend that ‘supplemental materials’ are likely to be anti-evolution books, DVDs and other items produced by fundamentalist Christian ministries,” the group said.
Supporters of the law, however, say that the language used in the measure is clear regarding the separation between church and state.
“The proposed Louisiana law expressly states in Section 1C that it ‘shall not be construed to promote any religious doctrine, promote discrimination for or against a particular set of religious beliefs, or promote discrimination for or against religion or nonreligion,’” said Dr. John West, vice president for Public Policy and Legal Affairs at Discovery Institute, in a statement.
West, who represents the largest intelligent design think-tank in the nation, emphasized that neither his nor any other organization’s views would be favored under the new law. The measure is about promoting fairness, he said.
“Intelligent design is currently not in the Louisiana state science standards and so could not be taught. But this allows scientific criticisms of Darwin’s theory to be taught,” he concluded, according to Reuters.
Mark Duck, You don’t say what side you’re on. I don’t know if you’re for or against this anti-science bill. But if I had to bet on it, I would bet you’re in favor of it.
What you called “largest intelligent design think-tank in the nation” is also the only intelligent design think-tank in the nation, but I wouldn’t call what they do “thinking”. The only thing the Discovery Institute is good at is lying. Biologists call the Discovery Institute the “Dishonesty Institute”. The creationists of the Discovery Institute have never discovered anything.
The Discovery Institute is a Christian creationist organization. All their income is donations from Christian creationists. Their job, which they do very well, is to spread lies about science and scientists. They’re professional liars and they know they’re professional liars. That’s their job and they’re proud of their dishonesty. Their biggest lie they repeat every day. They say “we don’t know who the designer is and it doesn’t matter.” Of course even their creationist customers know they’re lying about that. Everyone knows the designer is a magic fairy, also known as the Christian God of the Bible.
What the liars of the Discovery Institute call “academic freedom” is really nothing more than letting incompetent creationist biology teachers lie to their students about science.
Good biology teachers, also known as biology teachers who are not a disgrace to their profession, don’t need any bills passed to do their jobs. They don’t want and don’t need the advice of brain-dead Christian politicians who know nothing about biology.
“Academic freedom” and “strengths and weaknesses” and “teach the controversy” and “intelligent design” are code words that mean “people were magically created by God out of nothing”. God’s magic tricks don’t belong in science classrooms.
The basic facts of evolutionary biology are the strongest facts of science. For example our evolutionary relationship with our distant cousins, the chimpanzee apes, is a scientific fact that’s been repeatedly proven beyond any doubt. Extremely powerful evidence from molecular biology and genetics has proven again and again and again that we most definitely share an ancestor with the chimps. The uneducated brain-dead Christians say this evidence is proof for a common designer, also known as the Christian God, but they don’t know what they’re talking about. They have never looked at what biologists can see with their own eyes. And they wouldn’t understand it anyway because they are just plain stupid.
If Christian hicks kept their breathtaking stupidity in their churches and let biology teachers do their jobs, there would be no problem. As long as they keep passing anti-science bills like this, they can expect nothing but ridicule and contempt.
bobxxxx
13 Jan 09 at 9:24 pm
Bobxxxx
I’m solidly in the creation camp and I’m sure the evolution/creation debate will rage on indefinitely. So why am I solidly in the creation camp if this issue is so hotly debated by some very smart people on both sides of the issue? 1) Science can’t explain how inorganic matter (prior to the hypothetical evolutionary process starting) could organize itself into increasingly complex structures leading to the first organic cell in the face of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. The 2nd Law states, in essence, that matter becomes less organized and energy dissipates over time – it’s a one way street. 2) Science can’t explain how matter came into existence. Has it always existed? Was it created? The “Big Bang” doesn’t explain it. That theory says the matter was compressed into a tiny space just before the Bang – it didn’t create the matter. 3) The miracle of DNA replication, transcription and translation – how did this get jump started? 4) I have been pursued by my creator and have a relationship with Him that has changed my life. I don’t have all the answers to the evolution/creation debate, but I do believe that God created the universe, Earth, life on earth, and the conditions on earth that are able to sustain life. I have a post that explores the intelligence gap between humans and the rest of the life forms on earth. If chimp and human DNA is 98% the same, where are the chimps that are even half as intelligent as humans. Humans can build a space station. What has a chimp ever built? I could go on and on. Yes, I’m solidly in the creation camp. “For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. Romans 1:20
Mark Duck
15 Jan 09 at 9:13 pm
Sweet article, I just ran across it on Digg. You wont’t mind if I add your page link to my web site?
Magic Tricks
22 May 10 at 2:20 am
Magic Tricks: Not at all.
Mark Duck
12 Jul 10 at 9:55 pm