Lover of masks.
And so the end begins.
Gents. It has been a honor posting with all of you.
Please.
Fuzzy Orange Doomsayer
Hmm . . . Do we have anyone on the forums who opposes teaching evolution in classes?
Personally, I'm happy to see this. Texas is a nationwide nuisance since they're such a big customer for textbook manufacturers. Now if only they'd approve better history textbooks . . .
That's Feo . . . He's a disgusting, mysoginistic, paedophilic asshat who moonlights as a shitty writer—Something Awful
Oh My
The closest I have seen to people opposing evolution in classrooms on the fora is Bobby G defending some creationists...Which is to say I haven't seen it at all.
Also...FUCK YEAH, TEXAS.
edited 23rd Jul '11 1:37:47 AM by Aondeug
If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah
bitchy queen
I thought this title was being sarcastic at first. Well, all I can say is...yay reality!
"Without a fairy, you're not even a real man!" ~ Mido from Ocarina of Time
Actual Wrestling Legend
I can see Phyllis Schlafly's dentures firing out of her mouth and embedding themselves in the wall when she reads that headline.
edited 23rd Jul '11 6:54:43 AM by johnnyfog
I'm a skeptical squirrel
A victory for logical reasoning over baseless myth is always good news. Hurrah!
Lead.
You know, I've got wonder when these people will ever think to include a religious study course in schools. Seems like it'd cut several problematic knots alone.
The emotions of others can seem like such well guarded mysteries, people 8egin to 8elieve that's how their own emotions should 8e treated.
There are schools with religious study classes, even public ones. Usually it's an elective Bible course.
Lead.
Well, I mean, like, it'd do loads of good just to have a mandatory social studies class that covers the major religions in the US (or whatever country you live in). You know, spread greater cultural understanding while avoiding picking a favorite religion to discuss. That's just me though, and plus, I agree, creationism and science are two very different things and shouldn't be in the same textbook. But teaching creationism in a class that covers the basics of several different religions? Sounds good.
The emotions of others can seem like such well guarded mysteries, people 8egin to 8elieve that's how their own emotions should 8e treated.
I actively encourage religious studies classes. What I will not ever condone is those classes teaching any religion as true.
It's fine to teach "Christians believe that their god created the world in seven days."
It's not okay to teach "God created the world in seven days."
Simple.
edited 23rd Jul '11 7:03:57 AM by Capt.Fargle
State-sponsored username
The US doesn't have a Religion class in school? I Swedish gymnasie(think High school) there is a mandatory religion course. Contents vary slightly depending on teacher but basically the major religions, why sects and cults are dangerous, some basic philosophies and listening to a famous singer being possessed and exorcised.
In the quiet of the night, the Neocount of Merentha mused: How long does evolution take, among the damned?
The US doesn't have a nationwide education program. I know of school systems which do have Bible Studies classes and some which don't.
A lot of US colleges offer very comprehensive religious studies.
They just dont get much press because they teach ALL religions, because any college educated pastor or clergyman worth his salt needs to know basic data about every religion.
edited 23rd Jul '11 7:36:39 AM by Midgetsnowman
My Social Studies class in the 8th grade covered all the major faiths of the US.. My teacher did a great job. Covered them historically, which meant from the most neutral standpoint possible. Obviously to properly understand them historically, he had to dedicate time to their actual beliefs and cultures.(religions do have a sort of culture)
Lead.
Yeah, the most I've seen of religions covered in the US classroom outside of college is in "World History" in middle school where they're more of a foot note than anything. It wasn't until I got to college that they had two specific classes for it "Eastern Religion" and "Western Religion".
The emotions of others can seem like such well guarded mysteries, people 8egin to 8elieve that's how their own emotions should 8e treated.
Karkadinn
I'm more than a little amazed that this happened. And wondering if this will affect the views of any of my fellow Christian acquaintances on evolution.
Furthermore, I think Guantanamo must be destroyed.
More like giant cherries
Yeah, I think religions are mainly covered in world history. It's kind of hard to talk about history without talking about religion.
Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
I predict this will be a very short thread, because nearly every single troper agrees that this is a good thing. Just dropping by to express my happiness before it goes off-topic and gets locked. 
This is a great development for education. And it was unanimous, too!
edited 23rd Jul '11 12:07:59 PM by OnTheOtherHandle
"War doesn't prove who's right, only who's left." "Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future."
NOT THE BEES
I basically got the same thing Barkey did on religious studies, and wound up taking a couple further courses in college as part of my general ed electives.
Surprisingly, evolution was about the only thing my sophomore biology class successfully taught
Always Right
Wait...you mean they WEREN'T teaching evolution, but instead, creationism until now?
But theres far too many different religions all over the world to study them comprehensively. And if you choose to study only one, that's just favoring one religion over another...which won't sit well with many people.
edited 23rd Jul '11 3:42:54 PM by Signed
"Every opinion that isn't mine is subjected to Your Mileage May Vary."
The Ant King
I changed accounts.
No, some idiots wanted to make a bid to change it from evolution to creationism and evolution side-by-side, if I recall correctly.
I am now known as Flyboy.
Lead.
@Signed:
Major religions in the United States.
Christianity: (59.9%[14] to 76.0%[4])
Unaffiliated, including atheist or agnostic (15.0%[4] to 37.3%[14])
Judaism (1.2%[4] to 2.2%[14])
Islam (0.6%[4][5][6][14])
Buddhism (0.5%[4] to 0.9%[15])
Hinduism (0.4%)
Other (1.4%)
That means Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Maybe with some mentions of the difference between atheism, agnosticism, and other similar groups. It honestly wouldn't be that hard to pull off and you don't necessarily have to dedicate the majority of the time to Christianity just because it's the majority in the US, they can all get an equal share of the pie with "Other" being covered on a case by case basis.
And so you can still have Creationism taught in schools without it getting confused with science. I don't know, should we make a new topic for classes about religion?
The emotions of others can seem like such well guarded mysteries, people 8egin to 8elieve that's how their own emotions should 8e treated.
Yes, you're reading the title right.
I mean in that Texas.
Props to the Lone Star state for batting creationism down and out of the classroom. Seeing the big textbook consumer come down firmly on the side of real science will help a lot.
Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.