"I don't believe that it's the role of government or the role of schools to settle controversial issues."
That's what doctor, state legislator, and losing gubernatorial candidate Jim Barnett says about his views on teaching evolution. He also thinks that there are two "sides of the issue" to be presented in science class.
Barnett, of course, thinks that government policy should be based on the controversial position that human life begins at the moment of conception. One only hopes that he thinks it's OK to address only one side of the controversial issue of the earth's motion around the sun.
- Log in to post comments
More like this
From a 2006 debate:
Next, [moderator] Carey asked about teaching alternatives to evolution - such as creationism and intelligent design - in public schools. …
PALIN: “Teach both. You know, don’t be afraid of information.
“Healthy debate is so important and it’s so valuable in our schools. I am a…
One of the more annoying fictions promoted by the media is the one about John McCain being a moderate. A plain-speaking independent who states it plain and calls it the way he sees it. Of course, it's long been obvious to anyone who's been paying attention that he's a staunch right-winger, but…
CBS is ever so slowly releasing bits and pieces of Katie Couric's interviews with John McCain and Sarah Palin. Last night they released the transcript and some of the video of the third part of the interview where Governor Palin addresses several key science and health issues including her opinion…
An important principle in first amendment jurisprudence is that government actions must not be undertaken solely for the benefit of religion. In 1987, the Supreme Court considered a law passed by Louisiana that required teachers who presented "evolution-science" to "balance" it with "creation-…
I am a 7th grade Earth Science teacher, and one of the topics I teach is Astronomy, the Big Bang theory, and how the solar system was formed. One of the first questions I am asked is, "do I believe god?" This is a natural question to hear if I am telling my students something that does not readily fit into the time frame of the Bible.
I inform them that none of what they learn is an exact science and that in a few years what we believe is correct may change; an example of this is Pluto is no longer considered a planet. I encourage them to search out information and come to their own intepretations of what they believe the information may mean.
It is good for the students to learn information from different sources, science, religion, and their cultures. Let them learn as much as than can about every subject, but leave it up to their families and themselves to decide the relevance. I certainly do not want the government or a teacher telling me what is moral, right, or wrong; just give me the information.