(no subject)
Today's reading of the New York Times came up with these excerpts from a science article about high school biology teachers avoiding discussion of evolution:
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Dr. Gerald D. Skoog, a former dean of the College of Education at Texas Tech University and a former president of the science teachers' organization, said that in some classrooms, the teaching of evolution was hampered by the beliefs of the teachers themselves, who are creationists or supporters of the teaching of creationism.
"Data from various studies in various states over an extended period of time indicate that about one-third of biology teachers support the teaching of creationism or 'intelligent design,' " Dr. Skoog said.
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But several experts say scientists are feeling increasing pressure to make their case, in part, Dr. Miller said, because scriptural literalists are moving beyond evolution to challenge the teaching of geology and physics on issues like the age of the earth and the origin of the universe.
"They have now decided the Big Bang has to be wrong," he said. "There are now a lot of people who are insisting that that be called only a theory without evidence and so on, and now the physicists are getting mad about this."
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*Katie goes ape-shit*
What the hell. 1/3 of bio teachers support teaching creationism = proof that 1/3 of bio teachers don't know what they're talking about. Literalist Christians just don't seem to understand that in science, 'theory' is not some wishy-washy term, like an hypothesis without proof is in mathematics. It is widely accepted as fact, because physicists don't formally 'prove' things. All of the evidence we have found relating to the formation of the universe and human beings - ALL of it, and there is a lot - supports the Big Bang and basic evolutionary theory. Live with it; humans evolved by process of natural selection and Genesis is literally wrong.
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Dr. Gerald D. Skoog, a former dean of the College of Education at Texas Tech University and a former president of the science teachers' organization, said that in some classrooms, the teaching of evolution was hampered by the beliefs of the teachers themselves, who are creationists or supporters of the teaching of creationism.
"Data from various studies in various states over an extended period of time indicate that about one-third of biology teachers support the teaching of creationism or 'intelligent design,' " Dr. Skoog said.
***
But several experts say scientists are feeling increasing pressure to make their case, in part, Dr. Miller said, because scriptural literalists are moving beyond evolution to challenge the teaching of geology and physics on issues like the age of the earth and the origin of the universe.
"They have now decided the Big Bang has to be wrong," he said. "There are now a lot of people who are insisting that that be called only a theory without evidence and so on, and now the physicists are getting mad about this."
***
*Katie goes ape-shit*
What the hell. 1/3 of bio teachers support teaching creationism = proof that 1/3 of bio teachers don't know what they're talking about. Literalist Christians just don't seem to understand that in science, 'theory' is not some wishy-washy term, like an hypothesis without proof is in mathematics. It is widely accepted as fact, because physicists don't formally 'prove' things. All of the evidence we have found relating to the formation of the universe and human beings - ALL of it, and there is a lot - supports the Big Bang and basic evolutionary theory. Live with it; humans evolved by process of natural selection and Genesis is literally wrong.