Bill promotes school religion at expense of education

[mr blur]

The Oklahoma House of Representatives Education Committee has just approved House Bill 2211. The bill is expected to pass the full House, and then to go to the Senate. Its authors describe it as promoting freedom of religion in the public schools. In fact, it does the opposite...

The bill requires public schools to guarantee students the right to express their religious viewpoints in a public forum, in class, in homework and in other ways without being penalized. If a student's religious beliefs were in conflict with scientific theory, and the student chose to express those beliefs rather than explain the theory in response to an exam question, the student's incorrect response would be deemed satisfactory, according to this bill.

The school would be required to reward the student with a good grade, or be considered in violation of the law. Even simple, factual information such as the age of the earth (4.65 billion years) would be subject to the student's belief, and if the student answered 6,000 years based on his or her religious belief, the school would have to credit it as correct. Science education becomes absurd under such a situation.

<snip>

What. The. Fuck?!

http://www.edmondsun.com/opinion/local_story_067125346.html

[lizerdbits]

1. Great, they're not even required to learn evolution

They can just say it goes against religious beliefs without learning anything logical countering it.

I went to school in Loudoun County VA and several years after I graduated HS there (1992) the school board was spending a shitload of money in courts for something, I think it was the moment of silence but maybe it was something evolution related. After a year or so they finally thought "Hey, maybe we could be spending these MILLIONS of dollars on BOOKS or TEACHERS" and they gave up. That's the location of Patrick Henry College aka the god squad politician factory, the college for the home skooled (only if the home schooling takes place due to parents fears their children might find out what their genitals are for before age 25 in the godless heathen public school). I pass it when going to my parents house and last weekend they were in the process of building new buildings. :(

[TZ]

2. It's Oklahoma

Home to idiots like Inhofe. They still think they live in the 1800's. Why they are proud of recently given the women the vote, as long as they still cook the dinners for their men!
Seriously, Oklahoma is a very red state. This does not surprise me. Many of the attacks on science come from the politicians from this state..No global warming, evolution is an unproven theory, stem cell research is teh evul etc.

[moggie]

3. Holy crap!

From the article:

The consequence of the bill will be to create havoc and promote discord in the public schools. That’s already happening in Texas, where the bill has been law for several months. Denton, Texas Independent School District, responding to the law, has decreed that no students may ever speak in assembly, to graduation, to the crowd at an athletic event or in other group function. As reported in The Denton Record Chronicle Sept. 1, the superintendent there said if no students are ever allowed to speak, then there will be no discrimination and no basis for lawsuits.

It's not hard to imagine biology teachers avoiding evolution entirely, geography teachers avoiding physical geography topics which contradict a young Earth or "flood geology", and so on. If teaching a topic will lead to fundies disrupting your class, and there's nothing you can do about it, why take that risk? Furthermore, if you give a fundie kid a bad grade for any reason, you'd better hope their parents aren't litigious, or you could find the school on the receiving end of a malicious lawsuit. Better play safe and just give good grades to all vocal Christians.

Who'd want to be a teacher? It's a good thing they're so respected and well paid. :sarcasm:

[cosmik debris]

4. I'm curious about how this will impact the Smallkowski family?

It may be that this will protect their rights as much as it hinders the rights of those who want to preach and pray.

Of course, I haven't read the law, and there will be many unintended consequences, but I suspect chaos could help the Smallkowskis.

Every time god opens a door, he slams a window on someone's fingers!

[Deep13]

5. Headline should read: "Oklahoma Invites Federal Lawsuit."

This is all manner of wrong.

[LeftishBrit]

6. And are they also marked correct if they say the world is flat?

[John Gauger]

7. Yet more evidence for my theory.

My theory being that it is time to give up on this country. Fuck it.

[Deep13]

8. "Oklahoma rejects modernity; demands serfdom." nt

[varkam]

9. Rofl! You should write for The Onion!

:spray:

[Anarcho-Socialist]

10. Pi is exactly 3!

[chicagomd]

11. And the end result will be,

to paraphrase Chris Rock:

Teacher: "Hey Jimmy, whats 2+2?"
Jimmy: "Jello"