Mississippi lawmaker admits his education bill is to protect creationism

[n2doc]

Mississippi is the latest US state to see a bill introduced that would protect teachers who injected bogus information into science classes. In that regard, there's nothing new; South Dakota beat it to the punch this year. The text of the bill is also unremarkable, fitting right in to the family tree of similar legislation that's been introduced over the years (see sidebar).

What is unusual in this case is that the lawmaker behind the bill is being very upfront about his purposes. “I just don’t want my teachers punished in any form or fashion for bringing creationism into the debate," Representative Mark Formby told The Clarion-Ledger. "Lots of us believe in creationism.” The bill he introduced would protect teachers from any disciplinary actions triggered by their discussion of it into the classroom.

n most cases, the people behind these bills avoid publicly admitting their intentions. In that way, they can pretend that the language of the bill (which ostensibly protects scientific information) has a purely secular purpose. By giving the game away—the language is a sham, and the bill is meant to allow proselytizing in the science classroom—Formby has created a record that will undoubtedly resurface should his bill pass and trigger a lawsuit.

Most years, several states see variations on this bill's language introduced in their legislatures. In most cases, the people involve avoid going on the record in admitting their goal is cultural, rather than educational. Formby has made it clear why this language is used. As with many of these bills, it's not just evolution that's being attacked here. The language also mentions the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning.

more
http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/02/mississippi-lawmaker-admits-his-education-bill-is-to-protect-creationism/

[longship]

1. Fucking, blinkered idiots!

What can one do against such as this?

It boggles the mind.

I think ridicule is the only answer.

From The Onion:
Evangelical Scientists Refute Gravity with Intelligent Falling

KANSAS CITY, KS—As the debate over the teaching of evolution in public schools continues, a new controversy over the science curriculum arose Monday in this embattled Midwestern state. Scientists from the Evangelical Center For Faith-Based Reasoning are now asserting that the long-held "theory of gravity" is flawed, and they have responded to it with a new theory of Intelligent Falling.

Rev. Gabriel Burdett explains Intelligent Falling.

"Things fall not because they are acted upon by some gravitational force, but because a higher intelligence, 'God' if you will, is pushing them down," said Gabriel Burdett, who holds degrees in education, applied Scripture, and physics from Oral Roberts University.

Burdett added: "Gravity—which is taught to our children as a law—is founded on great gaps in understanding. The laws predict the mutual force between all bodies of mass, but they cannot explain that force. Isaac Newton himself said, 'I suspect that my theories may all depend upon a force for which philosophers have searched all of nature in vain.' Of course, he is alluding to a higher power."

Founded in 1987, the ECFR is the world's leading institution of evangelical physics, a branch of physics based on literal interpretation of the Bible.
(More at link)

Only ridicule can fight the ridiculous.

[Wounded Bear]

4. Wow...

and all this time I just thought the Earth sucked.

[awoke_in_2003]

16. "evangelical physics"

I suppose they can "explain" where all that water went after the great flood. Oh, and that whole "living in the belly of a whale for 3 days" thing.

[SCantiGOP]

17. Very simple

The water evaporated when the Scientologists exploded the nuclear bombs in the volcanoes.

[awoke_in_2003]

18. damn scientologists

[lastlib]

2. If we can't fix stupid, could we at least Gorilla-glue its mouth shut??!?

. .

[DetlefK]

3. Counter-proposal: Mandatory lab-experiments testing creationism, for all biology-classes.

Exercise 1: "Design an experiment to test creationism. What outcome will mean that creationism is correct, what outcome will mean that creationism is wrong?"

Exercise 2: "Conduct an experiment testing the hypothesis of creationism. Does the data support or contradict creationism?"

[valerief]

5. Legislating Teh CRAZY. I don't know how our species has survived this long. nt

[gregcrawford]

6. There is no hope for fools like Formby...

... and I feel badly for his children. But if he wants to teach his kids that the Earth is only 6,000 years old, that it's flat, and Christ rode a velociraptor, then fine. But this ignorant motherfucker has NO right to impose his staggering stupidity on others by infecting the educational system with his asinine and perverted lies.

[passiveporcupine]

9. I'm not sure I agree with this

I think children have the right to be taught intelligent and factual information.

Just because you have parents who grew up believing untruths, does not mean you are their property and therefor they should be allowed to force their illiteracy/ignorance on you. There is a reason we have public schools and study curriculums (for private schools and home schooling) that are required learning up to a certain age.

[gregcrawford]

13. My wife's a teacher...

... and I have some direct experience in that education myself. From a philosophical standpoint, I agree with you, but legal speaking – as long as certain criteria are met – Formsby is free to enroll his children in any religious school, or to home school them in the Old Testament God of vindictive malice, vengeance, and my-way-or-the-highway dogma, and they ain't nuthin' we can do about it.

[Initech]

7. Where's Neil DeGrasse Tyson when you need him?

[mdbl]

8. What a stupid moron

Tell Formby I believe in the flying spaghetti monster and think they should teach it in his schools. How can people be so stupid? I don't get it.

[Judi Lynn]

10. This one genuinely looks that stupid.

[center][/center]
You note the dull, uncomprehending eyes. Looks as if he's been hit by a 2X4 in the back of his cowlick. He had to have been raised, and taught by other sub-average people, as well.

He's a walking advertisement for avoiding visiting Mississippi forever.

[center][/center]

[hifiguy]

14. The resemblance is striking

Alfred E. looks more awake, though.

[Matthew28]

11. Sounds like something iran or the isis would do

[greymattermom]

12. There are lots of creation stories

and they could all be taught in a class on cultural diversity. Let's put creationism where it belongs. Comparative Religion.

[eggplant]

15. Actually, I'm glad for this.

It gives us a basis for having it declared unconstitutional, and that gives precedent for overturning the more stealthy versions.

Of course, I would prefer if our elected officials would stop being assholes, but that seems less likely.

[BlueJazz]

19. Wonder if I could introduce "Creation math"

God=dfrac {1}{1+x^{2}}=dfrac {1}{2}left( dfrac {1}{1-ix}+dfrac {1}{1+ix}right)

[Shadowflash]

20. And, in another GOP sponsored bill

They are going to allow the 'Stork Theory' be taught in the biological reproduction curriculum.


Same thing.