[From a newspaper article -- note also the dishonest irony of the name of the quoted fundie's organization.]
Emphatically, we are not trying to 'take evolution out of the schools,' " said Mark Ramsey of Texans for Better Science Education, which wants schools to teach about weaknesses in evolution. "All good educators know that when students are taught both sides of an issue such as biologic evolution, they understand each side better. What are the Darwinists afraid of?"
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It'll require less than one second to complete the "creation science" curriculum. What to do with the remainder of the schoolyear?
I know, let's investigate the claims of UFO abductees.
The fact that you're trying to pass off mythology, or at best, completely unproven, unreviewed "science" as fact?
We are not trying to take the history of the Holocaust out of schools. All good educators know what students should be taught both sides of an issue. We just want them to understand the position of the Holocaust deniers as well and let them make up their minds. What are the Holocaust supporters afraid of?
We are not trying to take chemistry out of schools. We just want students to broaden their perspective by being introduced to the Biblical science of alchemy and let them decide which is right. What are the chemists so afraid of?
You see the problem. The truth isn't democratic, and you can't have two opposite ideas for the same thing and treat them equally. It's a mockery of education.
We DON'T "teach both sides" of things. We don't "teach problems with the theory." The only "problems" that exist with evolutionary theory exist on the fringe and don't challenge the core of the theory itself. And in those cases, we DO "teach both sides."
On the graduate level. Not in high school.
"All good educators know that when students are taught both sides of an issue [...] they understand each side better."
Which is why churches conspicuously don't teach both sides of any of their tenets.
In fact, their whole idea is disingenuous, evolution does teach the weaknesses of the theory in the sense that you are also told what the scientists don't know (or were when I was in high school). That's what got me interested in biology, the idea of solving some of these problems.
Neither ID nor creation science are 'weaknesses' of evolutionary theory, nor do they compete with it on the science front. The promotion of unprovable, untestable, ad-hoc explanations for what you can't explain isn't science, but magic, and the only thing it can teach students is that if you don't understand something, just make some shit up!
I'm all for it, if we also teach the weaknesses in Creationism/ID, being that it's unsupported by evidence, scientifically unsound (beginning with a conclusion and then trying to support that), largely dishonest (both in 'evidence' put forward to support the theory and to discredit other theories), is not scientifically detached (has a vested interest in religion, and I don't care if you say ID doesn't: it does), and that it's strongest proponents are completely batshit .
Oh, that isn't what you meant? You only want to teach the weaknesses of evolution ? GTFO.
"All good educators know that when students are taught both sides of an issue such as biologic evolution they understand each side better."
The problem you have fundtard is in this case there is no other side. The only alternative to evolution is ignorance.
I don't mind teaching about the weaknesses of evolution if the weaknesses of creationism are also taught.
No wait, that by itself would consume the whole school year.
"Both" sides is a false dichotomy. If we're trying to be "fair" then we have to give every wacko with a creation theory time in the classroom. This includes evolution, ID, FSM, IPU, aliens, whatever that crazy guy down the street believes, tribal myths about the sun birthing people, people being made of mud/dirt, etc. etc. etc.
Sounds good to me!
Of course, we can't give any one theory more than about five minutes because there are so many we now have to discuss and treat as plausible.
All good educators know that when students are taught both sides of an issue such as biologic evolution, they understand each side better.
So do the teachers get to rip Genesis apart with science and discuss the Flying Spaghetti Monster, too? I'll bet not.
Start teaching Mexican children as much science as possible. In a generation, they can sneak over the border and work for the pharmaceutical companies, aerospace companies, research laboratories, etc.: there won't be any qualified Americans to do those jobs.
Science is not issue based, there is no "other side" moron. There are other scientific theories, which should be looked at as in any matter of science. Belief makes NOT a scientific theory, and moronic beliefs like your own only points to a dysfunctional mind and life.
"...which wants schools to teach about weaknesses in evolution"
I'm all for that. Evolution, while absolutely proven to be the mechanism by which life came to be, is far from complete and should not be taught as if it were. We need to inspire future scientists to help flesh out the details.
Not that that's what this cunt meant.
I assume that by "weaknesses in evolution", they mean the Paluxy tracks, Piltdown man and the various straw man arguments of Kent Hovind.
But seriously, if they have any real evidence creationism is true, then by all means. However, they're gonna have to be factual , and after going through the various creationist organizations like AiG and CSE, I doubt it.
I'm not afraid of anything, if evolution is properly taught to the students it will be obvious that creationist arguments are worthless. My PROBLEM with teaching creationism/ID in science classes is that they are NOT science! They are mythology masquerading as science and do not belong in science classrooms.
Now, I'm all for a brief discussion of ID/creationism and explaining what cdesign proponentists believe, and explaining the scientific responses to Creationism/ID, but that is of course, not what you want. You want your "theory" discussed as if it were a valid scientific, alternative theory to evolution, which it is not.
teaching nonscience in science class.
alchemy, astology, runes ect..
science in science class, thats not to hard to ask.
There is only one side.
Oh, yeah, there is also the "we don't like Darwinism, because we don't understand it" crowd. But that's not really a side, is it?
So why aren't the churches teaching the view point that The Son and The Holy Spirit were creations of The Father (Arianism)? Why aren't they teaching that the Old testament and the New testament are paying tribute to two separate and different gods (Marcionism)? Why aren't they teaching that the world is a prison for souls, and that only by receiving enlightenment can they be freed (Gnosticism)?
The followers of all the above faiths considered themselves to be Christian, so why aren't the Christian churches teaching their sides? What are the Christians afraid of?
Good. So when can I come to your kids' Sunday School class to teach evolution? Surely you want your kids to be aware of both sides, you know, so they can understand both sides? Hell, I'll even do it as a volunteer. Totally free of charge.
Unless you just wanna cram your dogma down the throats of people who aren't coming to your church in a clumsy effort to win converts...
Mr. Ramsey stated “I was indoctrinated, some would say brainwashed, to believe that evolution was as proven as gravity. ... Today, over two decades later, many of us now know better.”
Apparently, Mr. Ramsey, you don't know anything about the theories of gravitation either. There is less known about gravity than there is about evolution. You need to go back to school. Secondly, I doubt that you even know what the word "theory" means. Look it up. Don't confuse 'theory' with 'hypothesis'. Most of you anit-evolution types do not know the difference. Go back to school.
What is the "other side" to the reality of evolution?
Ah, yes, the FANTASY OF CREATIONISM.
Teach the controversy!
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Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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