Tennessee
law allows creationism theory in classrooms
By Tim Ghianni
NASHVILLE, Tenn | Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:06pm EDT
(Reuters) - Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam on
Tuesday refused to sign a bill that would permit discussion of creationism in
classrooms alongside the traditional evolutionary-based explanation of the
origins of life, but allowed it to become law anyway.
The legislation, dubbed the "Monkey
Bill" by critics, had sailed through the conservative-leaning state's
Republican-dominated legislature.
Haslam, a Republican, earlier had said he would
sign the bill despite his misgivings about its impact on the state's science
curriculum. After a petition drive against the proposed legislation, he chose
to let it become law without his signature.
"I do not believe that this legislation
changes the scientific standards that are taught in our schools or the
curriculum," Haslam said on Tuesday. "I also don't believe that it
accomplishes anything ..."
Haslam could have vetoed the bill. The
legislature, however, could override the veto with a simple majority.
Groups including the American Civil Liberties
Union and the state teachers union opposed the bill, which requires teachers to
permit a discussion of alternative theories to evolution as well as other
issues such as global warming.
Teachers are not allowed to raise the alternative
theories but must explore them if mentioned.
Critics said the bill provides a way to bring
creationism - the belief that life on Earth was created by God - into science
classes and have drawn comparisons with the so-called "Monkey Trial"
of 1925 in which a Tennessee teacher was accused of violating state law by
teaching that life evolved over time.
"With all the emphasis now on science, math
and technology, this seems like a real step backwards," Jerry Winters,
director of government relations for the Tennessee Education Association, said
in an interview with Reuters.
"Tennessee was the focus of this debate in
the 1920s and we don't need to be turning the clock back now," Winters
said.
"The Scopes Monkey Trial," held in the
east Tennessee city of Dayton, drew national attention as defense attorney Clarence
Darrow and prosecutor William Jennings Bryan debated teacher John Scopes' right
to teach evolution in violation of state law.
Scopes was found guilty, but the verdict was
overturned in the state Supreme Court.
Cassi Creek:
Tennessee
became notoriously backward in the eyes of much of the nation when the 1925
Scopes trial took place. The “monkey
trial, pitting established science against the creationist mythology,
established a vision of Tennessee as backward, uneducated, and unwilling to
become educated.
Since then,
Tennessee has become firmly entrenched in nuclear weapons and nuclear fuel
processing research and technology. There
is a strong scientific presence in the state that is, unfortunately, countered
by a religious populace which not only believes the Christian creationist
mythology but which intends to shove it down the throats of every citizen of
the state, beginning with the children in Tennessee public schools.
Not content to
be considered backward and poorly educated, the legislators have decided to
abuse their positions by allowing the insertion of creationism into science
classes. The sponsors added such current
topics as climate change in order to attempt to mask the overt attempt to
circumvent the 1st Amendment’s establishment clause.
This will
consume teaching time and resources to infiltrate religion into science
curriculum, decreasing the already minimal quality of science education in the
state. While the new “monkey law” does
not allow teachers to bring up the “alternative views” it should be expected
that the various evangelical churches would prime students to bring the “alternatives”
into class from the very first day. There
will be the usual objections to science voiced by a preset roster of religious
fanatics-in-training. Sadly, teachers
will no longer be able to halt such organized intrusion of mythology into
science classes. We’ve come one
dangerous step closer to the red states theocracy.
When we moved
to Tennessee, we brought no children with us.
We two are firmly connected to and grounded with biology, genetics,
chemistry, geology, and other scientific disciplines that prove evolution to be
a reality. We can also look at the
physical world, study the various data sets, and see that climate change is
occurring. Other than being laughed at
by friends who wonder why we chose to move here, the low quality of Tennessee
public education does us little harm. However,
if we were concerned about the education of our offspring, Tennessee would join
the list of states considered unfit for public education, the red states
theocracy.
It’s not just
local media picking up this latest legislative idiocy. By failing to veto this bill, the current Governor
has assured that other nations will hear of this. It is going to resonate throughout the
industrialized, technically competent nations of the world. There will be no foreign investments in
manufacturing or technology for Tennessee.
What well educated engineer or researcher will wish to place his or her
children in schools that teach fairy tales instead of science? Tennessee will become more and more like
those third world nations we used to ship sweatshop jobs to.
Governor
Haslam, you were not elected to “Christianize the natives.” Veto this new Monkey Law and bring Tennessee
into the 21st century.
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