Texas official resigns, cites creationism conflict – USATODAY.com
The state’s director of science curriculum said she resigned this month under pressure from officials who felt she gave the appearance of criticizing the instruction of intelligent design.
The Texas Education Agency put Chris Comer on 30 days paid administrative leave in late October, resulting in what she described as a forced resignation.
The move came shortly after Comer forwarded an e-mail announcing a presentation being given by the author of Inside Creationism’s Trojan Horse. In the book, author Barbara Forrest says creationist politics are behind the movement to get intelligent design theory taught in public schools. Comer sent the e-mail to several individuals and a few online communities.
It was just a matter of time before Texas took the reins of creationism to foist it on the students. And you might want to look for the term “Scientific Creation” as code words.
And we wonder why American’s are falling so behind the rest of the world on math and science?
The Dover case has already proved it, Evolution is science, intelligent design is just another word for creationism. (its not only bad science, it is bad religion too).
What amazes me is that it is the same people who call “Global Warming” as junk science that insist “intelligent design” as viable science.
lol, that looks like one of those old Chick comix!
For the record, I think creationism and Al Gore’s global nonsense are both bad science.
These knuckledragging asshats aren’t gonna quit until we return to mud huts for houses and leeches for medicine.
creationist politics are behind the movement to get intelligent design theory taught in public schools
So called “intelligent design” isn’t a theory and it would be good to start right there. That the average person doesn’t know what “theory” means is sad enough, withing having people think that this modern fairy tale is a theory.
DISCLAIMER FOR MUSTARD – When I say “asshats” I am referring only to the morons pushing this agenda, not a wider population of people who believe in a god. So let’s please not make this about who’s bashing Christians. This is about bashing idiots.
I wish Gov. Bush had followed through on the plan to eliminate the State Dept of Education. They kept it so they could keep receiving the federal money. I’d rather have the local control. Yeah, it might lead to more creationism being taught, but that’s their choice.
>>This is about bashing idiots.
Bash away, OFTLO.
I see MikeN stepped right up to the plate, suggesting that Texas reject funding for education in order that they be able to teach classes on “Dinosaurs on Noah’s Ark” and other such CD curriculum.
PBS’s NOVA (wonderful show!) recently re-ran (locally?) Judgement Day, about the Dover case.
It’s viewable online, and I would suggest that anyone interested watch it.
Judgement Day
J/P=?
These are the folks that gave us the Dark Ages originally…that banned science, learning and reason for a few hundred years. Welcome back guys, welcome back.
From The Notebooks of Lazarus Long, by Robert Heinlein:
Note that though he didn’t say so here, elsewhere in his writings it is fairly clear that religion is often the source of such “right-thinking”.
Can anyone explain why creationists are so keen on it and why they want to force it on everyone else?
The memo condemns Comer for giving a presentation and attending an off-site meeting without prior approval and for allegedly saying that then-acting Commissioner Robert Scott was “only acting commissioner and that there was no real leadership at the agency.”
Comer said she doesn’t remember saying the comments about Scott, who has since been appointed commissioner.
“But even if I did, is that so horrible?” she said
Texas – the fucking stupid state.
and that despite the fact that Texas showed that reverse evolution is a fact? Human-Governor-Chimp-President?
amazing how some people close their eyes not to see reality.
The only things that come outta Texas:
“Steers and queers.”
@8 – You’d be hard pressed to find Christians who advocate a return to poverty conditions or a reversal of science. Most christians that I talk to are far more open-minded than most of the militant athiests. Yeah, we can blame the church for the dark ages, but it seems that they also managed to preserve what was left of culture until the enlightenment; not to mention halting the spread of Islam across Europe.
Darwinism is partially right in the “survival of the fittest” arguement. Ironically, it is proving to be the “least fittest” when compared to intelligent design. Maybe God does have a sense of humor…
#9
“Can anyone explain why creationists are so keen on it and why they want to force it on everyone else?”
That’s pretty simple to explain actually; Christians LIVE to force down their beliefs onto others, there’s no bigger example when there’s always an Evangelical person in a group of people and he or she is trying to convert others who don’t belong to a definite flavour of Jesus’ worshippers
Thank God atheists are far more open with beliefs.
RBG
>>Ironically, it is proving to be the “least
>>fittest” when compared to intelligent
>>design.
I just knew that Adam and Eve were frolicking with dinosaurs. Where else would we have gotten the ideas for Barney and Dino?
Creationists (and religious nuts of all ilk) are like God fanboys. They see differing opinions as a threat to their own beliefs They don’t have a well reasoned case so they kick and scream like children to get their way and make their points.
I think the next step should be to replace the school nurses with faith healers. And of course, the school psychologists can easily be replaced by exorcists who know how to get to the real root of a child’s behavior problems. Jesus loves Texas, and Texas sure as hell loves Jesus!
The creationist, Bibble-thumping old clown who heads up the TEA (and who is at the center of this mess) was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry, a corrupt, hypocritical piece of shit who makes Dubya look like Winston Churchill by comparison.
The appointment was made deliberately in order to curry the support of the mouth-breathing morans who demand the right to cram their fairytales down every kid’s throat, in the public schools.
• • • • • • • •
#2 – Dr. Rabbitfoot
“For the record, I think creationism and Al Gore’s global nonsense are both bad science.”
Thereby you prove beyond any doubt that you have no idea of what science is.
…pursuing that same vein, the guy down the street from me, who rebuilds transmissions, is going to tell Dr. DeBakey that he doesn’t think open-heart surgery is “good medicine”…
I went to school in Texas in the 1960s and 1970s and my teachers were generally pretty balanced about keeping creationism separate from evolutionary science in the classroom. I remember one having to respond to a student who asked about the Biblical creation story in the context of a discussion on natural selection, and she replied that “your church’s Sunday School can teach religion, but in this classroom, we study science.”
She was pretty good, but I also remember several teachers requiring us to pray every morning before class began and every day before we went to the cafeteria for lunch (and this was years after the Supreme Court decision that outlawed prayer in school). That experience helped to make me the atheist that I am today (along with the fundamentalist Baptist church my mom forced me to attend as a child).
God bless Madelyn Murray O’Hare!
At least one state is going in the right direction. Why are all of you so adamently opposed to Creationism and yet say that you are open minded. Or are you only open minded as long as a person agrees with your point of view. Think about it.
I don’t believe either position should be taught because very few people really understand what evolution is, and I can guarantee you that a non Christian public school teacher doesn’t understand Creation.
We should be looking for truth in science. These days truth is very hard to find, you have to think critically about what you read. Public schools don’t teach it so we have many generations of lemmings who couldn’t string a coherent thought together.
You probably still believe there are WMDs in Iraq.
Oh, brother. It’s like a game of Whack-A-Mole around here.
“Why are all of you so adamently opposed to Creationism?”
For the very same reason we are against teaching children that the Stork brought them. It is a childish, patently false fairytale.
“I don’t believe either position should be taught because very few people really understand what evolution is…”
You really don’t spend much time considering your words before sharing them with the world, do you?
The very reason ANYTHING is taught is because the people being taught don’t understand it. If they understand what evolution – or anything else – is, then there’s no need to teach them.
“…and I can guarantee you that a non Christian public school teacher doesn’t understand Creation.”
Oh, yes they do. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize any one of an infinite number of utterly impossible and preposterous things, and ignore them in favor of provable facts that are in keeping with the real world.
“We should be looking for truth in science.”
Well, you will be pleased to know that that is the sole purpose of science.
“These days truth is very hard to find, you have to think critically about what you read. Public schools don’t teach it so we have many generations of lemmings who couldn’t string a coherent thought together.”
Well, you’re right about that! However, public school may do a terrible job of teaching critical thought – and they most certainly should be trying to – but they still do it better than organized religion, which fights tooth and nail against critical thinking, since it undermines everything they hold dear…
#23 – Ha, thanks for the funny post.
Personally, I hope the Creationists win in Texas so we can get the popcorn and watch the state implode.
“Texas – We Create Science Every Sunday”
How about a Texan reality show where there are Creationists and Evolutionists in scientific teams where they both try to produce real life applications?
Texas makes Florida look intelligent.
Evolution, Creationism; who cares? Let those who believe whatever continue to believe, if you don’t like what they are teaching your kids then teach them your way yourself. In time, they will have to determine for themselves whether or not your teachings relate to them.
The vast majority will continue to believe what they feel comfortable believing, and no amount of chest beating, frenzied proselytizing will change their inner beliefs. Indeed, the most fervent pushers of each ideology are themselves guilty of the most extreme religous intolerance, and really need to lighten up.
It is the right of the great unwashed and ignorant masses to stay dirty and ignorant, no matter the angst felt by those who would force them to be otherwise.
mustard, that’s not what I said. I said they should drop the Dept, which would prevent the state from pushing creationism on everyone. Some districts will still carry it of course, but I don’t consider that such a big tragedy.
i went to catholic schools so i know both the bible (very well thank you) and i learned evolution which i believe, and i believe in god.
If you want your kids to be taught religious philosophy, then send your kids to parochial schools. Period.
To wit, the only problem creationists have with the theory of evolution is doesn’t fit with the Book of Genesis which is what? a religious text.
In my opinion, creationism is an insult the Bible. Treating the Word of God merely as some sort of textbook or legal document strips it of it’s deeper meaning, and cheapens it.
The real reason creationists want it taken literally is so that they can replace democracy with a theocracy. Some are brave enough to admit that, I wish they all were.
Texas has an unusally large influence on textbook publishers. Creationists view Texas as the most important state for establishing curriculum standards because of this. They’re hoping this nonsense shows up in textbooks across the nation.