Quote :

"Evolution Opponents Lose Control of Kansas Schools Wednesday, August 02, 2006 Calif. School Nixes 'Intelligent Design' Class TOPEKA, Kan. — Conservative Republicans who pushed anti-evolution standards back into Kansas schools last year have lost control of the state Board of Education once again. The most closely watched race was in western Kansas, where incumbent conservative Connie Morris lost her GOP primary Tuesday. The former teacher had described evolution as "an age-old fairy tale" and "a nice bedtime story" unsupported by science. As a result of Tuesday's vote, board members and candidates who believe evolution is well-supported by evidence will have a 6-4 majority. Evolution skeptics had entered the election with a 6-4 majority. Critics of Kansas' science standards worried that if conservatives retained the board's majority, it would lead to attempts in other states to copy the Kansas standards. "There are people around the country who would like to see the Kansas standards in their own states," said Eugenie Scott, director of the National Center for Science Education in Oakland, Calif., which supports the teaching of evolution. Also Tuesday, Kansas Republicans chose a nominee to challenge Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius in November. With 96 percent of the state's precincts reporting, state Sen. Jim Barnett captured his party's nomination with 36 percent of the vote, besting six other candidates. Control of the school board has slipped into, out of and back into conservative Republicans' hands since 1998, resulting in anti-evolution standards in 1999, evolution-friendly ones in 2001 and anti-evolution ones again last year. Late-night comedians have been making cracks about Kansas, portraying it as backward and ignorant. Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" broadcast a four-part series titled, "Evolution Schmevolution." The school board contest was part of a larger effort by the intelligent design movement to introduce its ideas in public schools. A suburban Atlanta school district is locked in a legal dispute over its putting stickers in 35,000 biology textbooks declaring evolution "a theory, not a fact." Last year, in Dover, Pa., voters ousted school board members who had required the biology curriculum to include mention of intelligent design. A federal judge struck down the policy, declaring intelligent design is religion in disguise. A poll by six news organizations last year suggested about half of Kansans thought evolution should be taught alongside intelligent design. Proponents of Kansas' latest standards contend they encourage open discussion. "Students need to have an accurate assessment of the state of the facts in regard to Darwin's theory," said John West, a vice president for the Center for Science and Culture at the Seattle-based, anti-evolution Discovery Institute. The standards say that the evolutionary theory that all life had a common origin has been challenged by fossils and molecular biology. And they say there is controversy over whether changes over time in one species can lead to a new species. Three incumbent conservatives faced primary foes Tuesday, and there was a contested GOP race for the seat held by a retiring conservative. A pro-evolution Democratic incumbent also had a challenger. With almost all the votes counted early Wednesday, pro-evolution Republican Jana Shaver picked off a conservative incumbent and won the primary for the open seat. Conservative Republican John Bacon kept his seat by besting two pro-evolution challengers, as did another conservative incumbent, Ken Willard. Janet Waugh, a Kansas City Democrat who opposed the new standards, easily defeated a more conservative Democrat who favored the anti-evolution language."

the bolded part may be the stupidest thing i've ever read, simply because what this stupid bitch describes evolution theory as applies much more to her beloved intelligent design.

8/2/2006 11:54:57 AM

i swear, some people are so god damn religious

its like they let belief in some "god" blind their common sense

8/2/2006 11:56:56 AM

At one point, while working for a church, I was asked what I thought about evolution. I told them that I thought it fit in nicely with God's plan. After the collective pulled their jaws off the floor and wrapped their heads around the fact that I can be an active member of the Christian faith and believe that evolution is scientific fact, I explained the real nitty gritty to them this way:

"Even if you're right about evolution, and you're not - I am -, there are much better fights to pick because at the end of the day whether or not you believe that humans evolved doesn't affect your relationship with God one iota."

A few months later, I was kinda forced out of the job.

8/2/2006 12:06:00 PM

According to all the polls I've seen about half the country believes in creationism.

But apparently only half-heartedly, because no one seems to want to be "that county" that bans evolution. All the school boards that make news for teaching creationism seem to get the boot shortly thereafter.

8/2/2006 12:14:39 PM

^^baptists?

b/c i was essentially placed in the same situation once. the kicker though was when once we had to tell how we were inspired by the speeches and faith of people like the president and i responded with "well, hes a terrible public speaker, so he doesnt inspire me at all".

8/2/2006 12:19:05 PM

Quote :

"The former teacher had described evolution as "an age-old fairy tale" and "a nice bedtime story" unsupported by science. "

I LOL'd

8/2/2006 12:19:51 PM

Actually, they were Methodists with Pentecostal-envy. I'm amazed I lasted there as long as I did.

8/2/2006 12:29:24 PM

Quote :

"According to all the polls I've seen about half the country believes in creationism."

That's probably accurate. About a third of Americans are self-described biblical literalists. That probably also helps explain this end times fad, too.

8/2/2006 3:24:22 PM

well i thought it was pretty apparent that about half the country are idiots.

8/2/2006 3:34:44 PM

I'd argue the entire country is made up of idiots, each with varying degrees of idiocy.

8/2/2006 3:39:30 PM

Quote :

"A suburban Atlanta school district is locked in a legal dispute over its putting stickers in 35,000 biology textbooks declaring evolution "a theory, not a fact.""

Yea, because evolution is the only theory taught in school.

Sometimes I think public education should be optional. If people want to live in the dark ages, let them.

8/3/2006 8:52:07 AM

with all this going on

im excited to see who emerges as the antichrist.

im not going to ruin it here, but I think I have it figured out.

8/3/2006 9:49:24 AM

http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/cpurrin1/textbookdisclaimers/

8/3/2006 10:01:33 AM

8/3/2006 10:23:08 AM

critcly consid'rd

8/3/2006 10:36:49 AM

gotta love my good ol home state of KS. I guess my thought is if you really don't like what the public school system teaches, then find a way to put your kids in private school. Or teach them at home. That being said, my kids will be going to a private school.

8/3/2006 11:03:27 AM

^ same here. Public schools look worse and worse to me every year. I hate the idea of home schooling because kids need the social interaction and I am afraid I would neglect it somehow, but I think my kid(s) would learn a lot more and be more productive if I was the teacher.

8/3/2006 11:08:03 AM

How did everyone else's high school deal with evolution?

My biology teacher (public school, Gaston county) just taught it. Someone in the class said they didn't believe in it and she said "you don't have to, but its on the test so you'll need to know it"

Seems to me like that's a pretty decent way to cover it.

Also, my cousins (whom I'm staying with) go to a prestigious private Catholic school, and they were taught evolution in science with only the standard disclaimers that come with any theory. I think the reason is that the Catholic church as recently been getting on board with science. There's some interesting quotes from the previous Pope on how science and religion can fit together.

8/3/2006 11:32:27 AM

I honestly don't remember it in high school at all, I do remember it in middle school though.

8th grade, science teacher made a big deal out of believing in both creationsim and evolution, she had no problem taking 20+ minutes out of the day to go over how evolution wasn't contradictory to the bible, dinosuars and all, atleast once a week when someone called bullshit on her either.

8/3/2006 11:43:09 AM

I went to HS in KS and if I remember correctly we spent most of the time on evolution but did spend a brief amount of time on intelligent Design/creationism

8/3/2006 11:45:32 AM

I think most school's taught it and usually most classes would have one idiot screaming CREATIONISM!

It seems like we are going backward, not forward. I didn't think this was an issue since the 60's.

Even the Scopes Trial in fucking 1925 was seen as a joke. That's over 80 years ago for you people still using Godulators.

8/3/2006 11:46:14 AM

My teacher didn't mention intelligent design at all. I didn't even hear the term used until Philosophy of Science my sophomore year at state.

And I never got shit for being an evolutionist at church either.

8/3/2006 12:04:04 PM

Quote :

"I think most school's taught it and usually most classes would have one idiot screaming CREATIONISM! "

So he's an idiot because he believes in creationism?

8/3/2006 12:07:10 PM

well, I would wager yes, but that wasn't my point

he's an idiot because he screams at the teacher for teaching the fucking curriculum

8/3/2006 12:09:34 PM

Quote :

"So he's an idiot because he believes in creationism?"

Maybe not an idiot, but at least very, very afraid of death, and very, very easy to manipulate because of it.

[Edited on August 3, 2006 at 12:27 PM. Reason : .]

8/3/2006 12:27:05 PM

clearly...

8/3/2006 12:35:58 PM

Quote :

"Maybe not an idiot, but at least very, very afraid of death, and very, very easy to manipulate because of it. "

Do what now?

8/3/2006 12:37:40 PM

When you're terrified of death, you're willing to believe in some crazy shit.

Case in point: creationism.

Not so much to do with intelligence (though that can be a factor in believing dumb shit), but more to do with fear of death.

8/3/2006 12:39:40 PM

so if you believe in creationism, that means you're afraid of death?

8/3/2006 12:44:48 PM

Quote :

"My biology teacher (public school, Gaston county) just taught it. Someone in the class said they didn't believe in it and she said "you don't have to, but its on the test so you'll need to know it" Seems to me like that's a pretty decent way to cover it."

best way to do it. it's a 'doesn't matter what you 'believe' you have to know the material to graduate.' deal....

and yes, current Catholic Doctrine supports evolution (kinda a divine intervention/guidance twist to it but it's a matter of faith combined with the fact of science)

8/3/2006 12:54:27 PM

Who's not afraid of this guy?


Everyone is going to die, don't be scared. So what if your conciousness is just going to dissipate and your physical structure is going to breakdown into nothing. Big effin deal.

8/3/2006 12:56:34 PM

I think a tougher sell is going to be convincing me that evolutionists aren't afraid of death.

8/3/2006 1:10:42 PM

Quote :

"According to all the polls I've seen about half the country believes in creationism."

half the people in our country believe in unicorns

8/3/2006 1:18:20 PM

no one said we wern't

8/3/2006 1:18:28 PM

half our country voted for [insert your political nemesis]

Quote :

"At one point, while working for a church, I was asked what I thought about evolution. I told them that I thought it fit in nicely with God's plan. After the collective pulled their jaws off the floor and wrapped their heads around the fact that I can be an active member of the Christian faith and believe that evolution is scientific fact, I explained the real nitty gritty to them this way:"

Ha, Well .... You aught not have believed something that they believe you cant believe without believing something else.

[Edited on August 3, 2006 at 1:25 PM. Reason : etrsdft]

8/3/2006 1:21:23 PM

Quote :

"i swear, some people are so god damn religious its like they let belief in some "god" "science" blind their common sense"

Quote :

"My biology teacher (public school, Gaston county) just taught it that Xenu was Lord and Creator of all. Someone in the class said they didn't believe in it and she said "you don't have to, but its on the test so you'll need to know it""

8/3/2006 10:37:18 PM

burr0, if its on the test, I will learn it.

However, I'd prefer my curriculum be based on science and that I leave my religious studies for church and/or my theology classes.

8/4/2006 7:28:45 AM

hey burro, you're an idiot!

8/4/2006 11:21:31 AM

eheh

"science"

this is why you guys always lose legal actions.

8/4/2006 12:12:31 PM

here goes burro again with his usual bullshit

8/4/2006 1:22:09 PM

Pick your religion below. Either way, there will still be unanswered questions because we are just plain DUMB and we'll probably never know in our life times:

God
http://exploitsofnothing.ytmnd.com/
- Who created God?

Flying Spaghetti Monster
http://fsmexploits.ytmnd.com/
- Who boiled the noodles and cooked the meatballs?

Science
http://theunfunnytruth.ytmnd.com/
- Where does the source of matter come from?
(oops, wrong kind of science )

8/4/2006 2:50:28 PM

Even fucking Scientologists don't believe that Xenu is the lord or that he created anything, much less the vast majority of scientists worldwide.

8/4/2006 2:58:59 PM

Quote :

"its like they let belief in some "god" "science" blind their common sense""

if all you believed came from common sense, youd be a certifiable lunatic. not to mention a bigot. which burro is anyways.


its funny....ive never met anyone or seen anyone on the TWW post who didnt think evolution happened AND can actually state the theory of evolution and the evidence which supports it. they usually just insert there own definition of the theory.

I can state the theory of creationism and its evidence. But nobody who doesnt believe in evolution can do the same.


[Edited on August 4, 2006 at 3:25 PM. Reason : dfh]

8/4/2006 3:15:21 PM

thats what i thought.

8/4/2006 7:41:03 PM

Quote :

"However, I'd prefer my curriculum be based on science and that I leave my religious studies for church and/or my theology classes."

that's funny. Because people used to say they'd prefer the curriculum be based upon the Word of God, because it was the truth. That you don't see the parallel is not surprising. We are often blinded by our own religiously imposed ignorance

8/5/2006 1:18:51 AM

Quote :

"Because people used to say they'd prefer the curriculum be based upon the Word of God,"

nobody ever used to say that

the first curicula in universities was based on ancient greek/roman texts. which, FYI, they did not believe was the word of god.

8/5/2006 1:37:58 AM

Quote :

"the Center for Science and Culture at the Seattle-based, anti-evolution Discovery Institute. "

thats the part that keeps trippin me out.

i mean it's like putting the Promise Keepers headquarters in San Francisco.

8/5/2006 2:46:03 AM