Latest Challenges to the Teaching of Evolution

Apparently there is evidence of intelligent life in Louisiana

A decision to teach creationism could become expensive for the parish school system, said Marjorie Esman, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union.

“If they were to do it, they could anticipate that any litigation would result in them not only losing, but having to pay enormous legal fees,” she said. “They would be wasting a huge amount of taxpayer money on a battle they can’t win.”

The Australian Constitution borrows from US

Perhaps you should read it

so your previous comment that religion is being taught without "incident "is merely a condition of your own laws, and in that respect you are much closer to UK, even though youve clearly glommed from our Constitution.(You have no choice, your courts have upheld the lack of such a wall).

The topic was "Separation of xchurch and state".

your just smokescreening again

Teaching ID and its father, Creationism in science classes is the entire point of this thread

The argument that a secular public-school science program is a "force for the spread of atheism "is as dum and lame brained an argument as is a 6000 year old earth.

freedom of religion – Section 116 creates a limited right to freedom of religion, by prohibiting the Commonwealth (but not the states) from "making any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion." This section is based on the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, but is weaker in operation. As the states retain all powers they had as colonies before federation, except for those explicitly given to the Commonwealth, this section does not affect the states' powers to legislate on religion, and, in accordance with High Court interpretations, no Federal legislation on religion, short of establishing an official religion of Australia, would be limited by it either.

rarely correct but never in doubt.

Anybody see any Dinosaur DNA laying around? Anus has.

These anti-IDers are not evolutionists at all.

Worked out what a cloaca is yet

Human beings only have an embryonic cloaca, which is split up into separate tracts during the development of the urinary and reproductive organs. However, a few human congenital disorders result in persons being born with a cloaca, including persistent cloaca and Sirenomelia (mermaid syndrome).

In an Amero-centric view of the world, you see section 116 based on the USA First Amendment ?

The real reason for your anti-religious stance is you cant handle criticism.

As fast as thou shalt wane, so fast thou grow'st
In one of thine, from that which thou departest;
And that fresh blood which youngly thou bestow'st,
Thou mayst call thine when thou from youth convertest.
Herein lives wisdom, beauty, and increase;
Without this folly, age, and cold decay:
If all were minded so, the times should cease
And threescore year would make the world away.
Let those whom nature hath not made for store,
Harsh, featureless, and rude, barrenly perish:
Look whom she best endow'd, she gave the more;
Which bounteous gift thou shouldst in bounty cherish:
She carv'd thee for her seal, and meant thereby,
Thou shouldst print more, not let that copy die.

Discovery Institute: A Secret Conversation
1-August-2010 ·
ONCE again, dear reader, we have deployed our recently perfected, top secret InterStall™ bathroom listening device, which one of our operatives placed between two stalls in the men’s room of the neo-theocrats at the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture (a/k/a the Discoveroids).

Let’s see … yes — we’re getting a voice-activated transmission now. It’s fuzzy, so we can’t be certain who’s talking or whether our transcription is accurate. From the context, we’ve labeled one voice as “Casey” and the other as “Westie” — whoever they may be. Make of this what you will:

Westie: I donno, Casey. I really think we’re losing the battle.

Casey: Losing? Westie, that’s ridiculous. ID is winning! It’s gaining ground everywhere.

Westie: I’m afraid our high-water mark was the Kansas evolution hearings back in 2005. We’ve been steadily losing ground since then. The Dover case killed us.

Casey: After all the posts I’ve made criticizing Judge Jones and that silly decision in Dover? I think we’re winning!

Westie: No, Casey — it hurts me to say this, but no one is paying any attention to your writing. The Dover case has ruined us with school boards everywhere. Not one of them has adopted a program to teach Intelligent Design. Their lawyers are all afraid of litigation.

Casey: But Westie … our legislative program … the Academic Freedom bills …

Westie: Are you serious? That’s a disaster!

Casey: No, Westie — look at Louisiana! We’ve accomplished great things there.

Westie: Do you think I haven’t been watching? I once hoped that we had a chance down there, but they’re crazy. Losers, all of them. It’s hopeless.

Casey: I have faith. Louisiana will spark a great revival of ID.

Westie: Do you really believe that, Casey? If so, you’re the only one. Have you done a Google search on “intelligent design” lately? Most of the hits on that phrase are about some company’s latest product design. No one is writing about us any more.

Casey: There’s always the great Ben Stein documentary, Expelled! That got us a lot of attention. It was a big hit!

Westie: Expelled? That mess died at the box office — and it cost the promoters a fortune.

Casey: But what about that list of scientists who doubt evolution? It keeps growing!

Westie: That pathetic list? It’s hardly growing at all. I had forgotten about it. Do you know how many scientists there are out there, and what a small fraction of one percent of them is on our little list? They’re a few hundred lightweights. The other side has more Steves alone than we have in total. Come on, Casey — get real!

Casey: But what about Michael Behe and irreducible complexity? That’s terrific science! The flagellum …

Westie: Behe? He’s universally regarded as a nobody. Besides, how would you know good science? You’re no scientist!

Casey: But we have Meyer and his work on the cell! It’s great stuff!

Westie: Bah! He’ll always be remembered for that peer review controversy. As for his latest book, it’s warmed-over William Paley and his watchmaker analogy. We’re not getting anywhere with that 200-year-old idea. Meyer knows it. I know it. Everyone around here knows it — everyone but you.

Casey: But … but …

Westie: Look, Casey. You’re a great guy. A true believer. We all like you. And as long as our patrons keep funding this joint, you’ll always hae a job here. But believe me, you’ll be a lot happier if you face the facts. We’ve lost.

Casey: No, Westie! It’s not true! We’re on the verge of great things! The Wedge strategy …

Westie: Yeah, right. That’s as successful as those IDEA clubs you were so keen on. Remember them?

Casey: That’s a minor setback. We’ll do better next year!

Westie: Yeah, okay, Casey. If you say so. I gotta get back to the office. Hey, for once — don’t forget to wash your hands. The hygiene around here is really awful.

The argument that a secular public-school science program is a "force for the spread of atheism "is as dum and lame brained an argument as is a 6000 year old earth.

In my view such a scenario would usher in not just the spread of atheism but the spread of Communism.

Scientists would be in grave doubt about evolution if they knew it had the support of these clowns.

Creationists hijack lessons and teach schoolkids man and dinosaurs walked together
(By Carly Hennessy and Kathleen Donaghey, The Brisbane Courier-Mail, August 01, 2010)

PRIMARY school students are being taught that man and dinosaurs walked the Earth together and that there is fossil evidence to prove it.

Fundamentalist Christians are hijacking Religious Instruction (RI) classes in Queensland despite education experts saying Creationism and attempts to convert children to Christianity have no place in state schools.

Students have been told Noah collected dinosaur eggs to bring on the Ark, and Adam and Eve were not eaten by dinosaurs because they were under a protective spell.

Critics are calling for the RI program to be scrapped after claims emerged Christian lay people are feeding children misinformation.

About 80 per cent of children at state primary schools attend one half-hour instruction a week, open to any interested lay person to conduct.

Many of the instructors are from Pentecostal churches.

Education Queensland is aware that Creationism is being taught by some religious instructors, but said parents could opt out.

Australian Secular Lobby president Hugh Wilson said children were ostracised and discriminated against if they were pulled out of the class.

In many cases, the RI lay people were not supervised by teachers.

Kings Christian Church youth worker Dustin Bell said he taught "about creation" in Sunshine Coast schools.

Set Free Christian Church's Tim McKenzie said when students questioned him why dinosaur fossils carbon dated as earlier than man, he replied that the great flood must have skewed the data.

Queensland Teachers Union president Steve Ryan said teachers were sometimes compelled to supervise the instructors "because of all the fire and brimstone stuff".

Mr Ryan said Education Queensland had deemed RI a must-have, though teachers would prefer to spend the time on curriculum.

Buddhist Council of Queensland president Jim Ferguson said he was so disturbed that Creationism was being aired in state school classrooms that he would bring it up at the next meeting of the Religious Education Advisory Committee, part of Education Queensland.

He said RI was supposed to be a forum for multi-faith discussion.

Education Queensland assistant director-general Patrea Walton said Creationism was part of some faiths, and therefore was part of some teaching.

New research shows three in 10 Australians believe dinosaurs and man did exist at the same time. The survey, by the Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies, shows a "worrying" lack of basic scientific principles.

"The results underscore the need for students to be exposed to science and mathematics through a well resourced education system, rather than learning about science through Jurassic Park," FASTS president Dr Cathy Foley said.

PhD researcher Cathy Byrne found in a NSW-based survey that scripture teachers tended to discourage questioning, emphasised submission to authority and excluded different beliefs. She said 70 per cent of scripture teachers thought children should be taught the Bible as historical fact.

A parent of a Year 5 student on the Sunshine Coast said his daughter was ostracised to the library after arguing with her scripture teacher about DNA.

"The scripture teacher told the class that all people were descended from Adam and Eve," he said.

"My daughter rightly pointed out, as I had been teaching her about DNA and science, that 'wouldn't they all be inbred'?

"But the teacher replied that DNA wasn't invented then."

After the parent complained, the girl spent the rest of the year's classes in the library.