It could be that the ghosts of William Jennings Bryant and Clarence Darrow will be polishing their legal skills to so battle once again, if Tennessee Republicans have their way. They are trying to evade the First Amendment prohibition of taxpayer support for religious doctrine to push creationism into the schools while discrediting evolution. Although it is not creationism, there is one alternative to evolution that is credible.
Eighty six years after the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial opened Tennessee classrooms to the teaching of evolution, the state House is trying to slam the door shut again. Tennessee’s House Education Committee approved a bill Tuesday in the name of “academic freedom,” but in reality, it is a thinly veiled attempt to curtail the teaching of evolution. House Speaker Emeritus Jimmy Naifeh (D) has even taken to calling it “the monkey bill.” From the bill’s summary:
This bill prohibits the state board of education and any public elementary or secondary school governing authority, director of schools, school system administrator, or principal or administrator from prohibiting any teacher in a public school system of this state from helping students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories covered in the course being taught, such as evolution and global warming.
Should this bill pass, Tennessee teachers will have official sanction to teach about evolutionary “controversies” that simply do not exist. Furthermore, it will allow teachers to teach pseudo-scientific ideas — such as creationism or intelligent design — as legitimate scientific theories comparable to evolution… [emphasis original]
Inserted from <Think Progress>
In the interest of full disclosure, as a deist, I believe that God had a hand in creation, but that his role was that of the author of the natural laws which produce what sometimes passes as intelligent life on this planet. I have a right to my beliefs. I do not have a right to insist that taxpayers fund the propagation of my beliefs, and neither do the pseudo-Christian followers of Republican Supply-side Jesus.
However, as I stated above, there is evidence for an alternate theory.
10 Responses to “Making Monkeys of Tennessee”
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It’s time for those idiots in Tennessee to shut the f*ck up and come into the 21st century! These same morons who hate Darwin hypocritically have no problem with social Darwinism though, do they?
That’s different, Jack. Supply-side Jesus has sanctified social Darwinism. 😉
What is this “alternate theory” you are talking about that has as much data and converging lines of evidence that evolution does?
That was a joke my friend. It is the theory of DEvolition and the proof is at the very bottom of the article.
Ah, ok, sorry, missed the joke.
No problem. I didn’t mean to upset anyone. I had thought it was obvious enough. 🙂
I’m with cleanhippe – please share more information on the “one alternative to evolution that is credible.”
I firmly believe that Evolution represents solid science; is overwhelmingly accepted by the scientific community; and that it in no way does it deny the existence of a divine creator.
“Intelligent Design” (ID) is nothing but “Creationism” tarted up in a lab coat – it’s a sectarian religious dogma trying to masquerade as science. And as Richard Milner, Editor of Natural History Magazine said: “ID is not only pseudoscience, but also as an exemplar of pandering politics, poor pedagogy, and tacky theology. “
Nameless, please see my reply to the hippie. Look at that bottom graphic and try to tell me that DEvolution is not real. 😉
Well, I didn’t see that coming, but it is unfortunately true. 😯
LOL!