Schools can’t teach religion as science, even in Texas
Texas Gov. Rick Perry needs to get home more often.
On Aug. 11, just days before Perry told a boy in New Hampshire that “in Texas we teach both creationism and evolution,” the Texas Education Agency sent a memorandum to the State Board of Education finalizing approval of scientifically accurate teaching material for use in Texas public schools.
Perry’s pronouncement notwithstanding, Texas schools teach evolution without any mention of creationism—despite years of political pressure from religious conservatives to include creationist ideas in the curriculum. Evolution, dismissed by Perry as “a theory that’s out there” with “some gaps,” is presented as sound science in Texas textbooks and supplementary materials.
But even if a majority of the Texas state board voted tomorrow to teach creationism alongside evolution in science classrooms, public schools may not do so without violating the establishment clause of the First Amendment. So-called “balanced treatment”—when you teach one, teach the other—was explicitly struck down as unconstitutional promotion of religion in public schools by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1987 (Edwards v. Aguillard).
The struggle to keep religion and science separate in the classroom is a never-ending battle in Texas, as it is in other states where anti-evolution sentiment runs deep. In 2009, the state board of education adopted science standards that require examination of “all sides of scientific evidence”—language that anti-evolution forces hoped would open the door to creationist critiques of evolution.
At the same time, the board rejected stronger language requiring schools to teach “strengths and weaknesses” of scientific theories, a formulation many scientists and civil libertarians feared would be used to push unscientific objections to evolution.
Just what gets in and what doesn’t was tested earlier this year during a hot debate over supplementary high school lessons up for adoption (“supplementary” because the state can’t afford new textbooks). In July, the state board rejected modifications proposed by a board-appointed reviewer that critics charged would water down and distort the teaching of evolution. Led by the Texas Freedom Network, an advocacy group that supports the teaching of evolution, many scientists, educators and religious leaders led a successful campaign to block the changes.
To mollify anti-evolutionists, the board left open the possibility of revisions by charging Education Commissioner Robert Scott with continuing to work with the publisher on final changes that meet the 2009 standards. On Aug. 11, Scott informed the board that the publisher had “sufficiently addressed” all of the objections.
According to the Texas Freedom Network, the final approval of these lessons means that “all of the materials approved from the nine publishers are in line with fact-based science and free of creationist attacks seeking to undermine science.”
Of course, students in Texas and everywhere else should be exposed to a variety of religious ideas about creation. And they should study the political and religious context for the long-running debate over evolution in the United States. Teaching about religion in public schools in the social studies and other courses is constitutional; teaching religion as science is not.
A good education should also include legitimate scientific questions about evolution. Even the most established scientific theories are open to further discovery. But religious objections to evolution with no scientific support may not be taught as “scientific” critiques of evolution.
No doubt many Texans, if not most, agree with Gov. Perry that schools should teach both creationism and evolution in science classes. But decisions about what counts as science should not be a popularity contest. No matter how many people object, public schools must teach what the vast majority of scientists and every leading science association affirms as sound science.
Rather than fret about the “gaps” in evolutionary theory, Perry should focus on the achievement gap that places American students 23rd in scientific literacy among the 34 developed nations in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Teaching the theory of evolution in public schools may not be popular in Texas or other Bible Belt states. But it’s right and necessary to do for the sake of good science education today—the key to economic prosperity tomorrow.
Charles C. Haynes is director of the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C., 20001. Web: firstamendmentcenter.org. E-mail: chaynes@freedomforum.org.
Aug 31, 2011 at 9 p.m.
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The golden rule is a phenomenon of biological and cultural evolution. No god necessary.
Matter and energy and the opportunity for those things to form into life has always existed. No miracles necessary.
Aug 31, 2011 at 4:07 p.m.
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Tulkas - I read the infomrmation from the site you gave but I have an issue with the informaiton posted. I'm not doubting what they are saying but once their drilling is complete their infomration will still only go back 500,000 years. If the earth is estimated at 5 billion years old that only makes their research to be 1/10,000 of the proposed life span of the earth. I'm not doubting the earth may be warming up but I feel it is the earth going through a cycle, with the overall age of the earth, 500,000 years is the equivalent to a half day of a 1000 year old person.
Also, why did the name change from Global Warming to Climate Change? Don't get me wrong because I'm all for cutting down on oil consuption and a greener earth as I too am a big recycler but I don't believe we are causing Global Warming or Climate Change which is the new name for it. All I see it as is a new way to tax the crap out of us. Actually a couple of years ago California created a new tax on cattle farmers for methane release from their animals. For situations like that, shouldn't all people eating at Taco Bell be charged extra as there will be additional methane created from eating there? I know the last statement is just crazy and I'm laughing but you get the point I'm trying to make.
Aug 31, 2011 at 9:45 a.m.
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Which Texas textbook companies dictate state and national teaching and testing programs to the nation as a whole? Which Conservative governors and Presidential candidates do they heavily fund? They don't really care what is being taught as long as they make huge profits dictating and selling whatever modern curriculum is supported by the politically powerful. I wonder if George Bush and Tommy Thompson got campaign contributions from these folks?
Aug 31, 2011 at 8:10 a.m.
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fearandtoolongtotype - How do you know there has never been an explosion in the past 5-6 billion years that didn't involve super heated oil from the Earth's belly? Why is it that one volcano erruption causes more polution than we can in 100 years? What caused the ice age? What caused it to melt again? What caused all the planets to move away from the mass clump and to the positions they currently are in?
Since you are on the subject of religion: Do I believe in God, Yes. Do I believe in what the bible has to say, Somewhat. My belief is you are given a score card at birth and when it's all over you will either get a pat on the back for a job well done or have some serious explaining to do. Does that make my theory right, No Way. But the simple concept of treating others as you want to be treated is a good way to live your life whether you believe in God or not!
Aug 31, 2011 at 8:02 a.m.
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I wonder why the christians are not taking this opportunity to explain the vast conspiricy that they think satan has pulled off by hijacking the entire academic and scientific community.
Aug 30, 2011 at 12:34 a.m.
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gonfo5: Try this explanation and see if it helps your understanding a little.
http://www-das.uwyo.edu/~geerts/cwx/note...
Aug 29, 2011 at 11:51 p.m.
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The problem is with your assertion gonfo, is that NEVER in the history of the planet have we burned hundreds of billions of barrels of fossil fuels and expelled the exhaust into the atmosphere. Have we?
BTW according to the Bible the Earth is about 13,000 years old.
Aug 29, 2011 at 8:58 p.m.
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This is relevant, when Kansas had the same issue: http://www.venganza.org/about/open-lette...
Aug 29, 2011 at 8:48 p.m.
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I don't think perry has quite evolved yet.
Aug 29, 2011 at 8:21 p.m.
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Perry thinks Evolution is a "theory that's out there with gaps"? Yikes, what an idiot!!!
Aug 29, 2011 at 4:27 p.m.
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gonfo5- Exactly....In fact, the majority of scientists do NOT believe in man-made climate-change, just the ones in elite circles where it counts more as "status" than "science".
Aug 29, 2011 at 3:56 p.m.
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David - I don't buy the Global Warming of past and what they changed it to Climate Change either! Do I believe the earth may be warming up? Yes! Do I believe the earth has done this a few times in the 5 or 6 billion years of its existance? Yes! Weather has only been documented for the past 100-150 years with any accuracy and since we are living on a planet that is approximately 5-6 billion years old, that leaves a lot of room for error in the scientists claiming we are causing the earth to warm up! It's hard to say the scientists are basing their information on facts as they too are creating theories since they truly don't know what happened to cause the ice age and also for it to melt.
Aug 29, 2011 at 12:41 p.m.
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gary, that most made me LOL!!:)
Aug 29, 2011 at 12:08 p.m.
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Only one thing to say to this.
http://www.doug-morgan.com/Billboard/
Aug 29, 2011 at 11:40 a.m.
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Mr. Haynes story points out that we have a key problem in this country regarding how many individuals run for office. Rather than state factual data and tell their voters what they will do while in office, they take a position that is held dear by many and use if for personal gain. The teaching of Evolution is but one example of where fundamentalists or other extremists have declared "wrong" because it is based on scientific evidence. Climate Change is a far more serious example of where certain well fed extremists have been successful in blocking the scientific view of things by lies and pure distortion of the facts. Gov Perry and many other GOP candidates are siding with the "climate change is not our fault" camp. Even Mr. Romney has changed his view. They have to take this position or else all oil money is going to be shut off.
Aug 27, 2011 at 10:10 a.m.
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Why not teach magic as an alternative to every subject?
It certainly would make final exams much easier.
Aug 27, 2011 at 10:06 a.m.
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Where is the scientific support for religion as a science?
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