Oklahoma breaking new ground in the being idiotic department
“Sooner” state students may soon be able to hold any old idea to be true under state law.
Because you shouldn’t be able to fail a student just for being 100% dead wrong, a proposed Oklahoma law will prevent science teachers from flunking students who argue dinosaurs and humans coexisted. Which, except for in science fiction and my fantasies, they did not.
The state legislator’s committee in charge of education standards has approved a law that would forbid teachers from penalizing students who argue against widely accepted scientific theories, such as evolution and climate change.
“I proposed this bill because there are teachers and students who may be afraid of going against what they see in their textbooks,” said Republican State Representative Gus Blackwell who sponsored the Scientific Education and Academic Freedom Act, which can now go the state legislature for a vote.
Scientific Education and Academic Freedom Act…? Maybe, “There really is no such thing as knowledge act” would be better?
Not that I agree with denying the facts of science but I can understand not penalizing someone for the beliefs especially when we’re talking about religious beliefs. If this was a bill stating that kids had to believe in climate change or evolution and not their own religious beliefs I’d have a problem with it just as I’d have a problem with a bill forcing people to believe in Christianity, Islam, etc. to pass a class. We live in a free country and I don’t think we should set a standard that punishes someone for the belief system or force others to accept our own beliefs. This isn’t like someone denying that 1+1=2 or that the Holocaust didn’t happen, basically it’s not something that is clear, cut, and dry.
Will it put Oklahoma in a good light in the scientific community? No, but at the same time I can understand their reasoning however misguided it may be. I wouldn’t want my kid being forced to go against their beliefs whatever they may be and I wouldn’t want to force someone’s child to accept my beliefs either. Basically we should let our children make up their own mind and if anything we should teach both in school to be fair to everyone involved. However that won’t happen because we can’t have religion in schools which makes this even more of problem to those who don’t want their child’s religious beliefs being influenced in a matter they can’t control.
There will always be a debate over religion/science in school and I tend to side with those who don’t want to force either upon anyone and want to let everyone make up their own mind as that’s their right.
You keep using the word belief. Science is fact based. Teaching evolution is not the same as forcing people to believe in a religion, and it’s kinda shocking that you would compare religion and science.
It is laws like this that cause me the most concern for our country. How many scientists/engineers will be coming out of Oklahoma? Honestly, denying a child accurate information, a honest education and pretending that religion is science borders on child abuse. (Yeah, that’s probably a bit dramatic, but Oklahoma will be crossing off entire fields of study for these kids.)
@Kevin: So… If a bizarre religion decrees that the English language is evil, should schools be forced to teach in the student’s native language? It’s a completely legitimate question. Galileo was held under house arrest for the duration of his life for revealing a scientific truth that was not broadly accepted until a century after his death. Now we are in a global economy where scientific knowledge drives straight to national competitiveness, and churches that don’t like the science are holding schools under house arrest with understandings that ARE broadly accepted. They are holding the truth hostage. They are deliberately holding the next generation back.
If someone wishes to believe that babies come from under cabbages, it doesn’t mean we have to teach it to everyone. If someone wishers to believe the world is still flat, it doesn’t mean we have to teach it to everyone. If someone wishes to believe the sun and planets revolve around the earth, as many have in our past, it doesn’t mean we have to teach it to everyone. There are things that are, and things we would like them to be. We teach the things that are. It is a sacrilege to fill a young child’s mind with something that will ridicule, embarrass, and demean them at a later date, when they discover that over their life, they were taught a lie..
Every individual can make up and choose what they wish to believe. But to force a falsity upon young minds who are too incomplete to understand the differences from real and falsehoods, is inherently evil at its best.
It is time we renew public burnings of creationists to punish them for blasphemy…. 🙂
“Not that I agree with denying the facts of science but I agree with denying the facts of science.”
Kevin and the Oklahoma GOP basically want two classes of facts. Agreed upon facts and disputed facts. It doesn’t work like that.
That’s what you get in a state with 3.2 alc/volume beer.
This problem is unique to America and also to extreme muslims. How can it be that Americans have the same educational tendencies as the Taliban? …wanting to teach obvious lies.
There they shoot the girl who wants girls to be educated. Here, we pass ridiculous laws promoting ignorance.
How can we respect other people’s religious beliefs when they are utterly ridiculous? By what standard can we say… “Enough… That’s just too stupid.”
In other news, they have legislated that the value of pi shall be 3. Because, as one Republican lawmakekr put it, 3.14159265359 was “just irrational.”
FTW
Wow, Kevin. one doesn’t have to go to Oklahoma for idiotic. First I thought your first sentence was the dumbest thing I’ve read; then your first paragraph was; then your entire comment.
Can’t waste time on Kevin or republicans. His comment gets an F. Take your pointed hat, Kevin and go sit in the corner.
PS Oklahoma, home of the lying devil, James Inhofe.
However, republicans would have no problem if this were taught in schools across America.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=EKd6UJPghUs
The Science Republicans Don’t Want People to Know
Oklahoma senator Inhohe knows who and what is causing climate change. Most republicans know; a minority are incapable of knowing.
But instead Inhofe points to the sky and says – ‘what “he” is doing in the climate.’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=EKd6UJPghUs
Inhofe doesn’t mention that he has received $1,352,523 in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry, including $90,950 from Koch Industries. That’s an almighty sum, until you think of the profits of the fossil fuel industries over the last two decades of climate denial and the fact that denial has already cost the world trillions and caused tens of millions around the world to suffer climate hardships, plus millions of climate deaths. With fossil fuel ‘business as usual’ you get this – what republicans don’t want people to know:
http://neven1.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/arctic-methane-why-the-sea-ice-matters-.html?cid=6a0133f03a1e37970b017ee65a1b81970d
“Sooner” state students may soon be able to hold any old idea to be true under state law.
So basically Oklahoma students are in training to be wingnut republicans — who will fight to the death for their wrong ideas and be hugely victimized by the fact that the world insists on facts.
It’s Good to see I can get under everyone’s skin by simply stating that I wouldn’t punish someone for their religious beliefs.
I believe in climate change and evolution but I’m also a Catholic and I’ll be damned if I force my religion onto someone else and force them to accept something that is against their beliefs.
I’m pretty sure the article said they wouldn’t be punished for their views not that they wouldn’t be taught about climate change and evolution.
They’ll make up their own minds like most of you have already. It’s not like this bill outlawed teaching science that conflicts with religious teaching but judging by many people’s reactions that’s exactly what it does.
It’s one thing to force someone to accept something that is against their beliefs. It’s another thing to declare religious fantasy on the same level as verified science.
In what way is marking a student’s wrong test question wrong “penalizing” them?
“There will always be a debate over religion/science in school and I tend to side with those who don’t want to force either upon anyone and want to let everyone make up their own mind as that’s their right.”
No, at some point religious belief will be placed firmly in the dustbin of history where it belongs. Or, more likely, the scientific illiteracy of people like you will lead us to extinction.
The key, which you don’t seem to understand, is that science isn’t just a set of beliefs — it’s a set of beliefs built on a basis of evidence instead of superstition. That’s the reason religion has been hostile toward science — science began to show that religion was bullshit, and the high priests of bullshit couldn’t have that.
*sigh* If you’re in science class discussing dinosaurs and one person says that humans use to ride dinosaurs are you supposed to say, “Well, that’s what some people believe.” Seriously? Does the teacher not correct them, thereby confusing other students?
How about thunder is god bowling? Should that be accepted in science class.
If people want their kids taught religion in science class then those parents can send their kids to a private school.
What about kids who think sugar is a healthy breakfast? who the hell are “nutrition experts” and “doctors” to tell them differently.
If kid’s believe it, it must be true- the new conservative mantra.