Indiana anti-Evolution Bill would indoctrinate students in Creationism

[brooklynite]

Center for Inquiry:

Senate Bill 373 would permit Indiana public schools to teach “creation science” as an alternative to the scientific theory of evolution. Creation science is a purely religious teaching that is unsupported by actual science. In 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Edwards v. Aguillard that the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause protects public school students from indoctrination in religious ideas such as creation science.

“The children of Indiana deserve a high-quality science education. It is their right to be properly taught the fundamentals of biology,” said Bertha Vazquez, director of CFI’s Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science. “How else will they be able to compete in an increasingly competitive college entrance process and the national job market? The parents of Indiana should be outraged that their own children will be subjected to the willful ignorance of a few legislators.”

SB 373 also requires public schools to display a poster stating “In God We Trust” in each classroom and library.

This is similar to model legislation promoted by the Christian nationalist Project Blitz, an effort by the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation to impose Christianity on Americans through operation of law. The Project Blitz manual encourages religious Right lobbyists to advocate for Christian nationalist legislation in their home states beginning with symbolic “In God We Trust” bills. Additional legislative initiatives would allow religious discrimination against women seeking reproductive health care, same-sex couples, transgender people, and other marginalized groups. CFI stands with our secular and interfaith partners who oppose the goals and methods of Project Blitz. We see it as a full-on assault on one of the nation’s founding principles: that religion and government shall be separate.

[Claritie Pixie]

1. Creationism is NOT science! Not one shred of evidence supporting the bible's fairy tale.

WHY are these people so afraid of evidence-based science and instead choose to engage in magical thinking? Geez they suck.

[Archae]

14. Three reasons:

Three reasons, mainly, that is.

1. Creationism is easy. Actual science is more difficult.

2. Creationism is a part of the theocrat's agenda.

3. Money. Creationists like Ken Ham are quite wealthy thanks to "donations."

[maxsolomon]

2. Indiana, why is your head up your ass so frequently?

Do Hoosiers just have too much free time to come up with court time-wasters like this?

When I go back there, everyone's main occupation seems to be riding lawnmowers.

[The Truth Is Here]

13. Shit like these is what is turning Indiana to Methiana.

Indoctrine that shit, and people turn to meth.

[maxsolomon]

17. I thought it was Fentandiana now.

Shit like this is a futile effort to keep Biblical Literalism alive.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

23. Please don't broad brush us

I have no idea why we have such awful legislators. They're mostly a bunch of old, white, right-wing, wealthy men firmly ensconced in power and a severely atrophied Democratic Party apparatus. Not to even mention the "Brain Drain". Very few people who aren't Republican or conservative don't really want to stay here.

[maxsolomon]

24. You do know why you have such awful legislators.

Hoosiers keep electing them.

[Qutzupalotl]

3. Time to donate to the ACLU again.

http://www.aclu.org

[brooklynite]

6. FFRF is more likely to take the lead...

[Caliman73]

19. ACLU is great but...

what brooklynite stated is accurate. The Freedom From Religion Foundation might be a better place to put that money.

ACLU typically defends free speech and other civil liberties. This would be specifically about keeping separation between church and state intact.

https://ffrf.org/

[Qutzupalotl]

20. ACLU also defends the separation of church and state.

Lots to explore here: https://www.aclu.org/issues/religious-liberty/religion-and-public-schools/creationism-evolution-and-religion

[Caliman73]

25. I stand corrected.

Thanks for the link. I think both organizations will work together on this case if it passes through the legislature.

[SidDithers]

4. Christopher Hitchens had it right...

Religion poisons everything.

Sid

[brooklynite]

5. I actually support this Bill...

...because the Governor and Legislature are going to have to explain to voters why they spent millions in taxpayer dollars for a lawsuit they knew they would lose.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Leaning That Way, Too

As long as the questions get asked.
I fear they won't and the base will just get more outraged at the "deep state".

[Hermit-The-Prog]

12. but will they lose

It's a stacked U.S. Supreme Court.

[brooklynite]

15. Kitzmiller v. Dover didn't even make it to the US Court of Appeals.

and that was at least dressed up as "Intelligent Design". Even this SC would never go for a Creation Science law.

[DetlefK]

7. Oh, I would mess with those kids so badly if I were a creationism-teacher.

"And today we conduct a scientific experiment to test whether creationism is real. Each group will build a box, seal it with locks and chains, destroy the keys, and then we will put it atop the shelf. By the end of the day we will open it and if there's an animal inside the still-sealed box, then we have the proof that creationism is real. If there's no animal inside, then we know that creationism is wrong."

[dlk]

9. Why Are "Christians" and the GOP so Afraid of Science? Are Their Beliefs That Weak?

This push to teach creationism comes from a place of fear in its proponents and underscores the insecurity underlying their beliefs to withstand a different idea, opinion (or replicable facts). There is a reason the founders made clear that religion and government are to be kept separate. Insecurity and fear shouldn't be permitted to change that.

[Archae]

18. Because science is scary.

Creationists say "Gawd created da whole world jest fer US!"

Science says we are just a really tiny part of a huge universe, and we could get wiped out andnever see it coming or know it happens.

[maxsolomon]

21. Yes their faith is that weak.

Last edited Thu Jan 17, 2019, 03:05 PM - Edit history (1)

It is possible to combine the two; to believe in science, but also believe that a diety is responsible for "creating it", or setting it all in motion. Catholic Nuns that I work with have that ability.

Or that existence IS the diety; that we are all manifestations of the divine (but that's not what it says in Genesis, and that has to be literally true - or the entire bible is delegitimized).

binary thinking strikes again.

[zipplewrath]

30. Conflicts

For the literalists, science completely undermines their bible.
For many more, science explains things as being "natural" that they don't like.
For others, it is threatening to not "need" god to understand the universe, it makes him/her/it seem unnecessary.
For the GOP, science tends to explain why they shouldn't do things they want to do.

[angrychair]

10. There is an irony here

The whole reason our national motto and money have “god” on it was religious zealots were afraid of godless Russian commies taking over world.
Now the descendants of those same anti-commie religious zealots are embracing all things Russian and using “god” as a tool to control thoughts and ideas and inhibit the questioning of authority...like totalitarian commies in Russia.

[mr_lebowski]

27. It's actually a Paradox (and Alanis was wrong), but ... yeah ... there sure is ;) (nt)

[gratuitous]

11. It was "intelligent design," now they're going with "creation science"

The Dover school district in Pennsylvania spent a lot of time and wasted a lot of money getting themselves slapped down in federal court back in 2005. Indiana is apparently jealous or ignorant and wants its turn in the barrel.

This might also be one of those silly season bills, introduced to placate a bunch of ninnyhammers, but that will never get out of committee.

[brooklynite]

16. No, no, it was ORIGINALLY Creation Science; Dover proved they tried to hide it as ID...

[comradebillyboy]

22. Supreme Court ruled on this very issue and found

it unconstitutional advocacy of a religious dogma by government.

[redstatebluegirl]

26. And this surprises you?

We lived there for 7 years, a very LONG 7 years. This is Pence country. Think about it, we impeach Trumper and get Pence and "Mother".

[Scurrilous]

28. ...

[SWBTATTReg]

29. Great education for Indiana kids. Indiana has now ruined its education program by ...

clearly misstating the truth and who knows what other 'facts' will be determined as 'fake' by the Indiana legislature, all for political reasons and nothing else.

I guess getting a fact-based medical treatment or anything like this that requires a fact-based methodology in order to work is going to be next to impossible, in Indiana.

Hiring is out for these kids in Indiana by out of state companies, I mean, after all, if I'm a company, I can't have someone working for me that seems to think that the world began 6000 years ago (among other facts that are worse than the world being just 6000 years old).

This action by Indiana is throwing all logic and scientific reasoning out the door and is terribly irresponsible.

What's next for Indiana? Making vaccines illegal in Indiana? That atoms and electrons don't exist because we can't see them in Indiana?

Believe me, I've dealt w/ people like this in my high school days and I don't suffer fools willingly anymore and don't believe in giving them an audience and thus, preaching their garbage and non-factual nonsense to
others.

Ignorance of the facts doesn't save one from a traffic ticket. Same thing with 'facts'. ACTUAL facts by the way. If I were a parent, I would seriously consider moving away from Indiana. Why do I want my kids subject to such brainwashing? They have NO right to infringe or attempt to teach my kids such nonsense. This is ridiculous and I would complain angrily to my state representative.

[yortsed snacilbuper]

31. The truth of the matter.

[Volaris]

32. Yay we get to do Kitzmiller v Dover again, this time in INDIANNA!

I suspect the results will be the same. Even most conservative judges are smart enough to not wanna die poor, and therefore know damnwell how important actual science is to a Growth stock market and First World economy.