RE: Cobb County

The ruling is quite complex and involves some interesting applications of the "Lemon Test". You can access it here:

http://www.aclu.org/ReligiousLiberty/ReligiousLiberty.cfm?ID=17311&c=139

Jim Hofmann

-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu on behalf of George Murphy
Sent: Sat 1/15/2005 9:09 AM
To: asa@calvin.edu; Either Carol or John Burgeson
Subject: Re: Cobb County
 
----- Original Message -----
From: "Either Carol or John Burgeson" <burgytwo@juno.com>
To: <asa@calvin.edu>
Sent: Saturday, January 15, 2005 11:11 AM
Subject: Cobb County

> The following news clip appeared in my inbox today:
>
> A federal judge in Georgia has ruled that schools in Cobb County must
> remove from science textbooks stickers that say "evolution is a theory,
> not a fact" that should be "approached with an open mind, studied
> carefully, and critically considered."
> http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/14/national/14sticker.html
>
> I understand that one of the reasons for the decision must have been that
> the stickers were put there because of "religious motivations." But even
> as a "card carrying member of the ACLU," I am really unable to understand
> the ruling. (1) I don't see that the stickers do any harm and (2) what
> they claim is, at least with some definitions of "evolution," patently
> true. (3) The advice given is simply good "scientific skepticism," and is
> properly applied to any and all areas of human knowledge.
>
> Maybe someone can enlighten me. <G>

One of the main problems with this & similar "warnings" is that they pick
out evolution as something uniquely controversial. There are (AFAIK) no
warning labels about the germ theory of disease, relativity theory, the
theory of plate tectonics, &c. So what these labels do is to tell students
that they should be _more_ critical of evolution than of other theories. &
for many students they will convey the message that evolution doesn't have
to be taken seriously because it's "just a theory."
A similar thing has been done here in Ohio with a supplemental lesson plan
that supposedly teaches critical thinking in science but in reality can be
used to teach students that evolution should come in for special criticism.

Shalom
George
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
 
Received on Sat Jan 15 12:29:10 2005