The Language of God by Francis S. Collins ~ Book Review

Part one deals with how he went from atheism to belief. He was homeschooled by his free-thinking parents until the age of 10 in a rural community. When he was 10 his family moved to town to care for an ailing Grandmother and he entered the public school system. For many years he was agnostic and drifted toward atheism until a patient asked him what he believed. This question started him on an odyssey where he sat out to prove or disprove God's existence. He references C.S. Lewis a lot at this point. Eventually he came to the conclusion that there is a God and that God and Science can peacefully coexist.

Part two deals with the great questions of human existence.

Science is progressive and self-correcting; no significantly erroneous conclusions or false hypothesis can be sustained for long, as newer observations will ultimately knock down incorrect constructs. But over a long period of time, a consistent set of observations sometimes emerge that leads to a new framework of understanding. That framework is then given a much more substantive description and is called a "theory" - the theory of gravitation, the theory of relativity, or the germ theory, for instance. (page 58)

Many Christians today demonize Darwin, but this is unfair.

Far from being ostracized by the religious community Darwin was buried in Westminster Abby.  Darwin himself was deeply concerned about his theory on religious belief, though in The Origin of Species he took pains to point out a possible harmonious interpretation. (page 98)

I have always wondered how many of Darwin's detractors have actually read The Origin of Species?

No serious biologist today doubts the theory of evolution to explain the marvelous complexity and diversity of life. In fact the relatedness of all species through the mechanism of evolution is such a profound foundation for the understanding of all biology that it is difficult to imagine how one would study life without it. (page 99)
The examples reported here from the study of genomes, plus others that could fill hundreds of books of this length, provide the kind of molecular support for the theory of evolution that has convinced virtually all working biologist that Darwin's framework of variation and natural selection is unquestionably correct..... As Theodosius Dobzhansky a leading biologist of the twentieth century (and a devout Eastern Orthodox Christian), has said, "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." (page 141)

Part three deals with Faith in Science, Faith in God

If God created the universe, and the laws that govern it, and if He endowed human beings with intellectual abilities to discern its working would He want us to disregard those abilities? Would He be diminished or threatened by what we are discovering about His creation? (page 153)

Following is a discussion on how the CHURCH was threatened by Galileo's claim that the earth revolves around the sun.

But along the way (to accepting Galileo's conclusion), considerable damage was done-and more to faith than to science. In his commentary on Genesis, Augustine provides an exhortation that might well have been heeded by the seventeenth century church "The shame is not so much that an ignorant individual is derided, but the people outside the household of the faith think our sacred writers held such opinions, and, to the great loss of those for whose salvation we toil, the writers of our Scripture are criticized and rejected as unlearned men." (pages 156-157)

Augustine sounds like a pretty intelligent guy.
How did Atheism gain such a foot hold, consider the following.

Both the French royal family and the church leadership were seen as harsh, self promoting, hypocritical, and insensitive to the needs of the common man. Equating the organized church with God Himself, revolutionaries decided it was better to throw off both. (page 162)

But Collins argues against using science to promote atheism.

Science cannot be used to justify discounting the great monotheistic religions of the world, which rest upon centuries of history, moral philosophy and the powerful evidence provided by human altruism. (page 169)

Creationism especially Young Earth Creationism (YEC) has it's own problems.

Young Earth Creationist argue that accepting anything other then the acts of special divine creation during the six twenty-four-hour days of Genesis 1 would put the believer on a slippery slope toward a counterfeit faith. (page 174)

Recognizing the overwhelming body of scientific evidence, some YEC advocates have more recently taken the tack of arguing that all of this evidence has been designed by God to to mislead us. (page 176)

This image of Gad as a cosmic trickster seems to be the ultimate admission of defeat for the Creationist perspective. Would God as the great deceiver be an entity on would want to worship? (page 177)

It seems they equate God with the trickster Q of Star Trek fame.
Intelligent Design has it's own flaws.

So, scientifically, ID fails to hold up, providing neither an opportunity for experimental validation nor a robust foundation for its primary claim of irreducible complexity. More than that, however, ID also fails in a way that should be more of a concern to the believer than to the hard nosed scientist. ID is a "God of the gaps" theory, inserting a supposition of the need for supernatural intervention in places that its proponents claim science can not explain. (page 193)

What's the answer according to Collins Biologos otherwise known as Theistic Evolution.

Theistic evolution is the dominant position of serious biologist who are also serious believers. That includes Asa Gray, Darwin's chief advocate in the United States and Theodosius Dobzhansky, the twentieth-century architect of evolutionary thinking. (page 199)

Unfortunately many people have never heard of Theistic Evolution, I did a Google search, below you will find a list of websites I found.

• Perspective on Theistic Evolution
• Origins of Theistic Evolution
• Theistic Evolution an Essay
• God and Evolution

To conclude Collins points out.

Science in not threatened by God; it is enhanced. God is most certainly not threatened by science; He made it all possible.

The appendix deals with bioethics.
I encourage you to read this book for yourselves, it is very thought provoking.

Anti Science Idiots Do Not Speak For All Homeschoolers

I shuddered when I read  On The  Box with Ray Comfort Homeschoolers Miss Out on Sexual Promiscuity and Much More, it is anti science idiots like this that give homeschooling a bad name.

He says

I have met many kids who have been educated by their parents (using what one atheist on my blog called "idiot" home-school textbooks, and I have found that they are consistently respectful, well-adjusted to life, sociable with their peers, and extremely knowledgeable.

Not all us use those dreadful textbooks there are many secular textbooks available to homeschoolers, textbooks that teach REAL SCIENCE not this .....................................garbage. And I don't see how anyone can be considered knowledgeable when their "so called knowledge" is based on fiction not science. But if parents want to teach their children superstitious nonsense that is fine with me just don't pretend to speak for all homeschoolers.

He goes on to paint a totally biased portrait of public schools. While I am not a fan of the public school system and choose to homeschool my own children there are many good public schools out there that in no way resemble the public schools of Ray Comfort's fevered imagination.

He then says

Had home schoolers attended public school they would have also been brainwashed by an unproven theory about human origins,

The THEORY OF EVOLUTION  has been proven countless times, just like the THEORY OF GRAVITY.

No serious biologist today doubts the theory of evolution to explain the marvelous complexity and diversity of life. In fact the relatedness of all species through the mechanism of evolution is such a profound foundation for the understanding of all biology that it is difficult to imagine how one would study life without it. (page 99)
The examples reported here from the study of genomes, plus others that could fill hundreds of books of this length, provide the kind of molecular support for the theory of evolution that has convinced virtually all working biologist that Darwin's framework of variation and natural selection is unquestionably correct..... As Theodosius Dobzhansky a leading biologist of the twentieth century (and a devout Eastern Orthodox Christian), has said, "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." (page 141) - The Language of God by Francis S. Collins

Why It's Important to Teach Facts NOT Feelings

More post on Homeschooling and the Theory of Evolution can be found here.

Religion is NOT Science

I have never understood why some religious fanatics insist on teaching Creationism, Intelligent Design or whatever "pretty name" they come up with in their efforts to bully their way into science classrooms. I wonder how they would react IF scientist demanded the right to teach Evolution in Sunday School Classrooms?

Religion is based on faith.

Science on the other hand is based on facts. First a scientist comes up with a hypothesis (an idea to explain a natural occurrence - in the case of evolution how life on Earth came into being). Then he comes up with ways to PROVE his hypothesis. If the data supports his hypothesis it becomes a Theory or Law.

But for some reason some people have trouble accepting this Scientific Truth.

The Short Proof of Evolution by Ian Johnston

http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/essays/courtenay1.htm

"Curiously enough, there is one major scientific truth which vast numbers of people refuse to accept (by some news accounts a majority of people in North America)--the fact of evolution. Yet it is as plain as plain can be that the scientific truth of evolution is so overwhelmingly established, that it is virtually impossible to refute within the bounds of reason. No major scientific truth, in fact, is easier to present, explain, and defend"

I suppose some of it is the general populations ignorance of what the definition of a scientific theory is. I had one woman tell me Evolution was nothing more the some devil worshippers crackpot idea about how the world began. Her statement is full of holes. Darwin wasn't a devil worshipper http://www.aboutdarwin.com/ he was a scientist. And the definition of a scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena; "theories can incorporate facts and laws and tested hypotheses"; "true in fact and theory".

Anyway to make a long blog short the judge ruled against teaching ID in the science classroom. You will find a very well written article on his decision here http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4516

One can only wish the so called Christian School Board members hadn't felt it necessary to resort to lying and intolerance to push their religious agenda. And maybe we should all stop and think, if religion is going to be taught in public schools, whose religion are we going to teach? And maybe it's time the religious fanatics understand that science is not religion, and religion is not science. They are two different things. Religious beliefs have no place in science textbooks. But hey if we are going to teach religious beliefs as science, teachers get out your pirate suites and get ready to teach the Theory of the Flying Spaghetti Monster http://www.venganza.org/

For those of you teaching the Theory of Evolution this site looks promising http://evolution.berkeley.edu/

Why It's Important to Teach Facts NOT Feelings

When my kids started kindergarten the latest fad in education was the writing to read program. The students were encouraged to write stories, and were told that spelling wasn't important, to just spell the word however they felt it should be spelt. My youngest who loves telling stories loved it. Then he hit first grade, all of a sudden he had to spell words a certain way, not the way he felt they should be spelled. He was miserable and confused. It took years of homeschooling to convince him that spelling words the way everyone else does is important.

Some parents feel that the theory of evolution challenges their religious beliefs. These parents want to discard teaching evolution because it contradicts the bible stories they were taught as children, what's the harm?
From The Bible Belt's Assault on Education By: Robert W. Tracinski

Some of these religious activists claim that they reject the teaching of evolution because it is "unproven," since it lacks "sufficient evidence." Yet their arguments systematically reject the need for proof and evidence. Scientists can point to a billion-year-long fossil record of continuous changes across all species as they develop from more-primitive to present-day forms. They can point to the natural variations among members of a species, variations that change from one climate to another as species adapt to their environments. But the Creationist categorically dismisses the evidence--because it contradicts Biblical dogma. The central issue is not whether there is enough scientific evidence to validate a particular conclusion--but whether science as such, rather than faith, is the basis for arriving at conclusions. There can be no scientific debate between these two positions. There can be no rational argument between a view that rests on observation and reason, and one that rests on blind faith--i.e., on its adherents' desire to believe something, irrespective of logic. If the Creationist approach were taken seriously, what would remain of education? If evidence and reasoning are to be "balanced" by faith or feelings--what, then, would not belong in the curriculum? Even the theory that the earth is flat has proponents who feel it is true. More to the point, what is to stop teachers from presenting any other non-rational view of the origin of man? Why not give equal time to, say, the Nazi claim that the white race descended from the superior Aryans? The most ominous implication of the Creationist position is its belief that, in judging the truth of an idea, one can simply ignore rational evidence--if it clashes with one's desire to believe otherwise.

I can only wonder how kids who have been denied a "real" science education feel when they go off to university and find themselves being confronted with "facts" they have never heard of. Maybe they should be introduced to The Language of God by Francis S. Collins.

Thus Collins a devoutly Christian geneticist and leader of the Human Genome Project, can comfortably accept that "a common ancestor for humans and mice is virtually inescapable" . ~Scientists on Religion by George Johnson in Scientific American

Or the book Why Darwin Matters by Michael Shermer (publisher of Skeptic)

In Why Darwin Matters, historian of science and bestselling author Michael Shermer diffuses our fears by examining what evolution really is, how we know it happened, and how to test it. Shermer then discusses what science is through a brief history of the evolution-creation controversy from the Scopes “Monkey” trial of 1925, through the U.S. Supreme Court case of 1987, to the ongoing trials today, demonstrating clearly how and why creationism and Intelligent Design theory are not science. Dr. Shermer also builds a powerful case for evolution as the scientific theory that most closely parallels the Christian model of human nature and the conservative model of free market economics.

In "The Bait and Switch of "Intelligent Design", Keith Lockitch explains why "intelligent design" isn't real science.

The supposedly nonreligious theory of "intelligent design" is nothing
more than a crusade to peddle religion by giving it the veneer of
science--to pretend, as one commentator put it, that "faith in God is
something that holds up under the microscope."The insistence of "intelligent
design" advocates that they are "agnostic regarding the source of design" is a
bait-and-switch. They dangle out the groundless possibility of a "designer" who
is susceptible of scientific study--in order to hide their real agenda of
promoting faith in the supernatural. Their scientifically accessible "designer"
is nothing more than a gateway god--metaphysical marijuana intended to draw
students away from natural, scientific explanations and get them hooked on the
supernatural. No matter how fervently its salesmen wish "intelligent design" to
be viewed as cutting-edge science, there is no disguising its true character. It is nothing more than a religiously motivated attack on science, and
should be rejected as such.

I feel the Flying Spaghetti Monster should be the intelligent designer, because it's cute and I like eating spaghetti. Which goes to show why feelings shouldn't enter the classroom doors. Since everyone's feelings are valid if we teach strictly what parents feel is "right" then we open the door to any half-backed idea circulating at a particular time. IF on the other hand we stick to teaching "facts" our children will get the education they deserve.

Originally posted October 2006

Apparently the ID V Evolution debate is still ongoing in the Meridian Star
http://www.meridianstar.com/opinions/letters_to_editor/

Alawine: Scrutinizing intelligent design
By BO ALAWINE

OCEAN SPRINGS - A recent columnist, contributing his thoughts on the debate concerning intelligent design vs. evolution, stated, “I still can't bring myself to believe that an amoeba suddenly grew legs and decided to walk on land.”Apparently, many supporters of I.D. do not understand the basic tenets of evolution through natural selection. Organisms do not “decide” to grow limbs, nor does the development of complex biological structures take place in such a generally short time. Also, his assertion that “the notion that natural selection could produce new organs or wings or tails is simply unsupported by any observable evidence that would withstand the scientific method” would harvest quite a few objections from those who work in the life sciences. I myself would be interested in knowing how well I.D. stands up to the scientific method. But I digress.

Setting aside the debate of whether I.D. is a scientific theory on par with the theory of evolution through natural selection, several issues should concern the open-minded individual following this controversy.

First, many proponents insist on “teaching the controversy” - i.e., present both sides of this issue and allow students to decide for themselves that which is true. As a man of both science and, I hope, of common sense as well as being a parent, this approach alarms me greatly.Would these I.D. advocates be as willing to have other controversial subjects (such as abstinence vs. safe sex) be presented so young minds could decide for themselves? Methinks not. The responsibility of science educators is to mold young minds with the latest accepted, peer-reviewed scientific knowledge, not to confuse them with sociopolitical controversies.

Secondly, the whole concept of I.D. seems to smell just slightly of intellectual dishonesty. Intelligent design rests on the foundation that an Intelligent Designer exists or existed. If an Intelligent Designer exists/existed, He/She/It must have designed or created all that is. This sounds remarkably like creationism, something the courts of this nation have prohibited being taught in our public schools. Proponents of I.D. would gain more respect for their position if they admitted I.D. is repackaged creationism rather than to push I.D. as if it were something new and not tied to one particular religion.This “repackaging” causes one to speculate as to the true motives of I.D. proponents, but that's not a subject I'm prepared to discuss in this forum at this time.

Lastly, I would like to point out certain practical considerations have yet to be addressed by those pushing to introduce I.D. into the classroom. I.D. requires the presence of an Intelligent Designer, a Creator. If all the facts are to be presented to students, who is to be the Intelligent Designer? What is to be His/Her/Its purpose for designing all life? What predictions can we make as to the future actions of an Intelligent Designer?There are numerous religions in this word, all which have their own cosmogony: Judeo-Christian, Islamic, aboriginal, pagan, etc. (My personal favorite is Flying Spaghetti Monsterism.) Other religions, such as Hinduism, view time as cyclical. Also to be included would be theories in which aliens introduced life to this planet (I.D. = E.T.?).From a truly objective I.D. viewpoint, all of these scenarios must be presented as each is just as valid as the other. Are proponents of I.D. willing to travel that road? Again, methinks not.

I suspect proponents of I.D. are interested in only the Designer of one particular religion.The concept of creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing) is the starting point for both the theories of evolution/natural selection and intelligent design. While my personal beliefs allow me to accept evolution through natural selection as perhaps the vehicle by which a Creator brought life as it is to be, I refuse to be dogmatic about it. The search for truth begins with the simple statement: “I do not know.”Science tells us how. Religion tells us why. The two are complementary. To attempt to supplant one with the other benefits no one.As Albert Einstein said, “Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.

Bo Alawine, a Meridian native and 1983 graduate of Clarkdale Attendance Center who currently lives in Ocean Springs, is a computer programmer/systems engineer for a defense contractor.

Homeschooling in nothing like creationism

I always enjoy the thoughtful post at Principled Discovery, Homeschooling as a protest movement is such a post.

This lead me to read Objections to evolution arise from incorrect interpretation of the facts Posted by Lawrence Kapture. I agree with a lot of his post, but I am infuriated by his assumption that all homeschoolers are anti-evolution idiots. Many homeschoolers BELIVE IN EVOLUTION and teach the theory of evolution to our children.

Homeschooling is essentially a protest movement. Regardless of motivation, homeschoolers believe public schools are unable to prepare their children to live in the world.

There is nothing inherently wrong with protesting. Many important reforms (Civil Rights to name one) have been enacted due to people protesting behavior they believed to be wrong. I proudly admit that my family left the Jackson County Public Schools in PROTEST of the mandatory public school uniform policy and it's socialist overtones. But we choose homeschooling because of the many opportunities and benefits it offered to my family.

Unfortunately, what homeschooling can do is isolate children from the market of ideas, especially when it comes to biological science. There is a large amount of fringe literature published by religious groups that support the claims of creationists while providing no real information about the vast field of evolutionary biology.

Homeschooling does not isolate children from "ideas" anymore then the public schools do. In fact many homeschooling parents understand the difference in a scientific theory like evolution and Aunt Betty's theory of who shot JR. We embrace the field of evolutionary biology and make sure our children are well educated in science.

Homeschooling allows families to isolate their children from good information by providing them only with information that is comfortable with their own biases.

Homeschoolers have a wealth of information at their fingertips. Homeschooled children are just as capable of navigating the Internet as public school students are. Frankly I am amazed at the ignorant people who assume homeschoolers are isolated from the world.

Like homeschooling is a protest against public schools, creationism is a protest against anything that opposes a literal interpretation of the Bible. When it comes to the origins of life, creationism is not a scientifically educated movement.

Homeschooling is nothing like creationism. Creationism is a religious belief. It has nothing to do with science and does not belong in a science classroom. Homeschooling is an educational choice, just like sending your child to public school or private school is an educational choice.

Anti~Science HB 25 or Stupid in Mississippi

I do wish the nut jobs would figure out that a scientific theory isn't just some idea Joe Blow came up with. You know gravity is a theory but I don't see the nut jobs challenging it (pity).

Nut Job: Evoulution is JUST A THEORY!

Scientist: Gravity is just a theory too, why don't you jump off this 10 foot building to see if it is based on a careful and rational examination of the facts.

Nut Job: (jumps off building and goes splat)

Anyway back to HB25

The State Board of Education shall require every textbook that includes the teaching of evolution in its contents to include the following language on the inside front cover of the textbook: "The word 'theory' has many meanings, including: systematically organized knowledge; abstract reasoning; a speculative idea or plan; or a systematic statement of principles. Scientific theories are based on both observations of the natural world and assumptions about the natural world. They are always subject to change in view of new and confirmed observations. This textbook discusses evolution, a controversial theory some scientists present as a scientific explanation for the origin of living things. No one was present when life first appeared on earth. Therefore, any statement about life's origins should be considered a theory. Evolution refers to the unproven belief that random, undirected forces produced living things. There are many topics with unanswered questions about the origin of life which are not mentioned in your textbook, including: the sudden appearance of the major groups of animals in the fossil record (known as the Cambrian Explosion); the lack of new major groups of other living things appearing in the fossil record; the lack of transitional forms of major groups of plants and animals in the fossil record; and the complete and complex set of instructions for building a living body possessed by all living things. Study hard and keep an open mind."

Secular Homeschoolers Don't Owe the Fundies Anything

Could the author of  Darwin Has a Pity Party (and I about have an aneurysm) at least read Charles Darwin's The Orgin of Species before she starts bashing him and if Creationist actually understood the meaning of a SCIENTIFIC THEORY,  it would be nice.

Here are some terms used in Science and their definitions.

1. A hypothesis is an educated guess, based on observation. Usually, a hypothesis can be supported or refuted through experimentation or more observation. A hypothesis can be disproven, but not proven to be true. 
2. A scientific theory summarizes a hypothesis or group of hypotheses that have been supported with repeated testing. A theory is valid as long as there is no evidence to dispute it.
3. A law generalizes a body of observations. At the time it is made, no exceptions have been found to a law. Scientific laws explain things, but they do not describe them.

 Evolution is not "just a theory". Any scientific theory must be based on a careful and rational examination of the facts. Creationist look really stupid learning impaired when they use the "just a theory" argument.  Newton's theory of "Universal Gravitation", is "just a theory" too but you don't hear Creationist demeaning it by saying "it's just a theory".

Scientist are not afraid of textbooks like those from Apologia, they just think they are full of lies false information. Let's put it this way so hopefully everyone can follow along. If some Christian Publisher choose to publish a science textbook claiming the Earth was flat and that the Sun revolved around the Earth and peddled it to homeschooers wouldn't we all agree that the book was worthless and full of lies?

And the arrogance of  this Fundamentalist Christian is astounding.

I have a message for secular homeschoolers. We welcome you into our ranks. We're glad you're here. Nobody is happier than I am that you have decided that the government run school system is broken and you want your kids out of it. But please remember, your freedom to homeschool was earned on the back of fundamentalist Christians.

Homeschooling was not started by Fundamentalist Christians and my freedom to homeschool wasn't earned on your back. Fundamentalist Christians stole co-opted the homeschooling movement in the 80's.

From Homeschooling: Growing and Thriving in the 21st Century

 Many people who are just now beginning to homeschool are not aware that the modern homeschool movement began as something of a cultural phenomenon. In the late 1960s, researchers estimate that the number of homeschoolers in the U.S. was between 10,000 and 15,000.² These early homeschoolers were often considered the rebels. In Home Schooling: From the Extreme to the Mainstream, a paper published by the Fraser Institute, the authors state, "Although the contemporary image of homeschooling parents depicts a homogeneous, deeply religious, socially conservative sub-group of the population, back in the 1960s and 1970s, most homeschooling parents were members of the counter-cultural left, principally advocates of New Age philosophies, hippies, and homesteaders."³

So maybe you should take your own advice honey and remember homeschoolings roots. Modern Day Homeschooling was started by a bunch of SECULAR hippies and homesteaders. Why don't you try showing us a some RESPECT.

Great Letter to the Editor

Evolutionary theory does not address ‘life’s origins’ Regarding Mississippi House Bill 25, on placing a message that “evolution is a theory” in school textbooks: We have been through this before (Georgia), and such a measure will eventually be struck down. Please, let us put a stop to this now, and not waste additional taxpayer dollars on a fruitless, and entirely religious-based cause. Indeed, there is a theory that attempts to explain the facts regarding species evolution. However, evolutionary theory in no way attempts to explain origins of life, as is mentioned in HB 25. That mention is a clear mistake, or misrepresentation. In other words, it is wrong. Evolutionary theory does not address “life’s origins.” Evolutionary theory informs us as to how species change over time, and how new species emerge through that change. The ultimate origin of life is not a part of evolutionary theory. Did you know … gravity is also a theory, yet we don’t see groups “warning” people about that one (however, for an example of how silly this kind of thinking can be, see “Intelligent Falling”). Also, education makes use of a theory (Instructional Theory). Probability is also a theory. Etcetera. So, to be fair, students must also be “cautioned” about all of these theories that are associated with teaching and with what is being taught. To single out evolution is a clear attempt to insert religious thinking and biases into classrooms, and such an attempt will and should fail. Religion is a private matter, and is not in any way a part of scientific learning. Please, let us not waste any more of my and your tax dollars on this issue. Please, let us not make Mississippi look more foolish than it already does. Clay LaHatte Vicksburg

Home-Schoolers Learn to Argue For Evolution

I wonder if the evolved homeschoolers got together and held a seminar promoting evolution it would get as much press as these Fundamentalist Christian Homeschoolers (Home-Schoolers Learn to Argue Against Evolution) did?

Evolutionary scientists say there are no credible scientific critiques of evolution -- no more than there are credible alternatives to the theory of gravity. While its details are debated, evolution is unassailable in scientific circles.

The American public thinks differently. Gallup polls have shown nearly half of U.S. adults don't believe evolution, and a third are unhappy schools teach it.

Many of those adults who don't believe in evolution were educated in public schools.

Science is among 14-year-old Hannah Bernhart's favorite classes. Before Snavely's seminar, she had already studied evolution to better understand what "our opponents" believe, said the ninth-grader from Elizabethtown.

She knows some Christians view the Bible differently and accept evolution. That's confusing to her because the Bible clearly says God created man in his present form, she said.

"I believe the reason most people believe in evolution is they don't want to believe the Bible," she said.

Maybe she should try reading some books on theistic evolution. Click here to read additional post on evolution.

HT: HERP&ES (the former HE&OS)

Debunking the faulty research by Kati Criss on homeschooling

Dana at Principled Discovery wrote The life and death of homeschooling, a eulogy. Please drop by her blog to read it. She wrote it in response to Katie Criss' post Home-schooling Researched . Since there is very little research involved in this hatchet job, perhaps a better title would be Katie Criss' Bias Against Homeschooling.

She says
One reason that I frequently found through research was that parents home schooled their children because of the violence found in public schools.

If you are afraid of your child being bullied, what will happen when your child becomes an adult and meets a bullying boss? This is a real-world story; children need the exposure to different people. Why? Simple, because nobody in this world is the same.

Comparing a child being bullied in the public schools by another child or in some cases by a teacher to an adult with a bullying boss shows a huge lack of understanding about the problem of bullying in our public schools. For one thing the government does not require you to work at a certain place. If you encounter a bully in the work place you have options. You can 1.) Report him to his/her boss or 2.) Seek employment elsewhere. A child in the public schools who is being bullied has few IF any options. Reporting the bullying child to a teacher gets you nowhere. The teacher is unable to act unless she/he actually sees the bullying. And teachers often look the other way. If the bullying escalates into violence both children are often punished. If the teacher is the one doing the bullying the child is at a distinct disadvantage. And unless the family is willing to leave their home the child is unable to leave the public school where the bullying is taking place for a friendlier public school.

She also seems to be labouring under the misguided idea that homeschoolers live in isolation. Nothing could be further from the truth. Homeschoolers meet and interact with many different people through the various activities they are engaged in.

I am sure if you are living in Harlem, New York compared to South Park, Pennsylvania there is going to be an immense difference in the crime of the area.


Violence in our public schools is escalating to new levels and living in a 'nice' neighborhood is no longer enough to guarantee your child will be safe at their public school. As this depressingly long list of school shootings show, they can and do happen anywhere in the United States.

• Columbine High School Massacre -On April 20, 1999, in the small, suburban town of Littleton, Colorado, two high-school seniors, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, enacted an all-out assault on Columbine High School during the middle of the school day. The boys' plan was to kill hundreds of their peers. With guns, knives, and a multitude of bombs, the two boys walked the hallways and killed. When the day was done, twelve students, one teacher, and the two murderers were dead.


• Oct, 2007 - Two students and Two teachers were shot at Cleveland area High School. The injuries were not life threatening. The culprit was a 14-year-old student, Asa H. Coon who later shot and killed himself.


• Jan, 2007 - Douglas Chanthabouly, 18, shot fellow student Samnang Kok, 17, in the hallway of Henry Foss High School.


• September 2006, Cazenovia, Wisconsin - Weston School principal John Klang was killed by a 15-year-old student.


• September 2006 - Six students were held hostage at Platte Canyon High School. One of the hostages, Emily Keyes (16), was then shot and killed.


• April 2006 - Two teachers were shot at Essex Elementary School resulting in the death of one of the teachers.


• November 2005 - The assistant principal at Campbell County High School was shot and killed and two other administrators were seriously wounded, by the 15 year old shooter.


• March 2005 - Red Lake, Minnesota, Jeff Weise, 16, killed himself after killing his Grandfather, a school a teacher, a security guard and 5 students.


• September 2003 - Cold Spring, Minnesota, two students are killed at Rocori High School.


• April 2003 - Principal Eugene Segro of Red Lion Area Junior High School was killed by James Sheets, 14, who also killed himself.


• April 2003 - One 15-year-old killed, and three students wounded at John McDonogh High School by gunfire.


• January 2002 - Two students were wounded at Martin Luther King Jr. High School.


• March 2001 - Gary, Indiana One student killed by Donald R. Burt, Jr (17), who had been expelled from Lew Wallace High School.


• March 2001 - One teacher and three students were wounded at Granite Hills High School by Hoffman. Hoffman was shot and wounded by a policeman.


• March 2001 - Kimberly Marchese, a student, was wounded in the cafeteria of Bishop Newumann High School by14 year old Elizabeth Catherine Bush who was depressed and frequently teased.


• March 2001 -Two killed and 13 wounded when Charles Andrew Williams, 15, fired from a bathroom at Santana High School.


• January 2001 - One student shot and killed in front of Lake Clifton Eastern High School.


• September 200 - Two students wounded with the same gun during a fight at Woodson Middle School.


• May 2000 - One teacher, Barry Grunow, shot and killed at Lake Worth Middle School with .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol on the last day of classes by 13 year old Nate Brazill.


• March 2000 - Two students killed while leaving a dance sponsored by Beach High School.


• February 2000 - Six-year-old Kayla Rolland shot dead at Buell Elementary School near Flint, Mich. The assailant was identified as a six-year-old boy with a .32-caliber handgun.


• December 1999 - Four students were wounded when Seth Trickey, 13, opened fire with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun at Fort Gibson Middle School.


• November 1999 - Araceli Tena, 13, was shot and killed in the lobby of Deming Middle School by 12 year old Victor Cordova Jr.


• May 1999 - Six students were injured at Heritage High School by Thomas Solomon, 15, who was reportedly depressed after breaking up with his girlfriend.


• Jun, 1998 - Richmond, Virginia, One teacher and one guidance counsellor wounded by a 14 year old who carried out the crime in the school hallway.


• May 1998 - Two Students killed. 22 others wounded in the cafeteria at Thurston High School by 15 year old Kip Kinkel who had been arrested a day earlier for bringing a gun to school. The Killer killed his parents too.


• May 1998 - One student killed in the parking lot of Lincoln County High School just 3 days before he was to graduate. The victim was dating the ex-girlfriend of the killer, 18 year old Jacob Davis, an honor student.


• April 1998 - Teacher, John Gillette killed and two students wounded at a dance at James W. Parker Middle School by 14 year old Andrew Wurst.


• March 1998 - 13 year old Mitchell Johnson and 11 year old Andrew Golden shot at their classmates and teachers from the woods. Four Students and one teacher were killed, ten others were wounded. This occurred outside Westside Middle School as school was being emptied during a false fire alarm.


• Dec, 1997, Stamps, Arkansas -Two Students were wounded as they stood in the parking lot by 14 year old Colt Todd who was hiding in the woods.


• December 1997 -Three students were killed and five wounded as they participated in prayer circle at Heath High School by 14 year old Michael Cameal.


• Oct, 1997, Pearl, Mississippi -Two students were killed and seven others were wounded by 16 year old Luke Woodham. He and his friends were said to be outcasts who worshiped Satan. He also killed his Mom.


• Feb, 1997, Bethel, Alaska -Principal and one student killed, two others were wounded by 16 year old Evan Ramsey.


• Feb, 1996, Moses Lake, Washington - Two Students and one teacher killed and one other wounded by 14 year old Barry Loukaitis when he opened fire on his Algebra Class.

Using Katie Criss' logic this depressingly long list (gathered from Recent World Wide School Shootings) would be enough to have us crusading against public schools.

But if the recent public school shootings aren't enough to have you questioning the safety of students in public schools there are all the teachers who are sexually abusing the children under their supervision.

• A former middle school teacher was sent to prison for six years Tuesday for having sexual encounters with five teenage boys. Authorities said Allenna Ward, 24, met 14- and 15-year-old boys at the school where she taught as well as at a motel, a park and behind a restaurant.


• Lafave, 26, is serving three years of house arrest and seven years of probation after pleading guilty to having sex with the (14 year old) boy in a classroom and her home in June 2004.


• AP reporters in every state and the District of Columbia identified 2,570 teachers who were punished for sexual misconduct from 2001 to 2005 alone, for actions that ranged from fondling to viewing child pornography to rape.


• Richland High School teacher was sentenced to 40 years for having sex with two students. A teacher in Tupelo got 18 years for a similar crime. But a teacher in Clarksdale, who was accused of giving an eighth-grade student gonorrhea, struck a deal with prosecutors and walked out of court a free man. More than a dozen teachers in Mississippi have been convicted of sexual crimes since 2000. The sentences handed down vary widely from case to case.


• A man honored as among the best teachers in Utah pleaded guilty Thursday to felony sex charges involving 11 students at his suburban classroom. Frank Laine Hall, 37, who taught first grade in the Salt Lake City suburb of Riverton until his arrest last March, could get up to 30 years to life in prison, prosecutor Rodwicke Ybarra said.

She justifies her harassment of homeschoolers by questioning the safety of homeschooled children.

• In the Warren case she cites, she fails to mention that county workers got an anonymous tip: better check on those kids. Someone knew there was a problem and reported it to the proper authorities.


• Since she didn't even provide names in the Iowa case it is impossible to find any further information.


• Many people were aware of Andrea Yates' mental illness. In fact her husband was desperately trying to get her medical care. Also the Yates' children were Noah, 7, John, 5, Paul, 3, Luke, 2, Mary, 6 months old. Under Texas compulsory attendance laws only Noah (age 7) was school age.

  a child who is at least six years of age, or who is younger than six years of age and has previously been enrolled in first grade, and who has not completed the academic year in which the child's 18th birthday occurred shall attend school.

Ms Criss is erroneous in her belief that homeschooling bore any responsibility in these children's deaths. She also fails to acknowledge that some public school parents abuse their children undetected by school officials, and that some of the public school teachers are abusive.

I have concluded from this information that a child can only go as far as their parents have, and in some instances that may not be very far. Therefore these children are being cheated out of a valuable education.

Homeshooled children are not being cheated out of a valuable education. Often parents choose to learn along with their children, they hire tutors or form cooperatives (where classes are often taught by former public school teachers), they enroll in distance learning programs. Homeschool parents have many options when it comes to educating their children.

She also fails to address the public school students who are not receiving an education, see Stupid in America by John Stossel

Also I have questioned, having a parent as a teacher... are they teaching their children their bias's? In an institution goals are made to make sure that the material being taught is bias free.

Public schools are full of bias.

• Florida's current standards require the teaching of evolution using code words like "change over time." Thankfully the nonsense of using 'code words' has finally come to an end. Florida's State Board of Education has voted to use the term "scientific theory of evolution" in new science standards. It's the first time the word "evolution" has been included. Maybe Ms Criss should spend sometime worrying about the poor kids that were trapped in the Florida schools that refused to teach evolution until recently. Florida isn't the only State that has balked at teaching evolution.


• Bias in Textbooks


• Civil rights organizations representing broad sectors of communities joined together on Oct. 23 to call attention to incidents of bias-related harassment plaguing California’s public schools.


• Study Finds Racial Bias in Public Schools.

Ms Criss also seems unaware that homeschoolers are a diverse group and that there are many inclusive homeschool groups where homeschoolers associate with homeschoolers of differing beliefs and backgrounds.

However in a home a parent, especially with no education on how to educate, would use only one teaching method.

Ms Criss couldn't be more wrong. Homeschool parents educate themselves on the different teaching methods and use the method that works best for their child. I used different methods with both my children as both children had different learning styles.

how will a child develop his or her socialization skills if they are not exposed to different people? The school environment is much like one's work environment.

Homeschoolers socialize with many different people. They join recreational sports teams, scouts, robotics teams, and many other groups.

The school environment is nothing like the work environment. I don't know of any company that segregates their employees by age.

These children will not have the experience that public school provides, they will not have the experience that unites us citizens and provides us with a common background. They will not get to experience the simple things like go to prom's, participate in sports in which an entire school is benefited, have a school lunch, a lock on their locker, a ride on a school bus, recess, watching for their school to be cancelled on TV from snow days, and all the other little but character building events that take place in a public school students life.

I hate to break it to her but many public school students don't go to proms either. Some homeschool orgainzations have proms, most homeschoolers participate in sports some homeschool groups even have their own sports teams.

Homeschooling is a viable choice and provides a solid education for many homeschooled students. Parents have the right to choose the best educational option for their child, without government interference.

Some People Just Don't Understand Homeschooling or Science

It seems strange that Public School Teachers and Administrators are so busy worrying about homeschoolers. One would think they would have their hands full with the public school students they are failing to educate.

Spunky points out that some people just don't get it in her blog.

And apparently the debate over rather Science (Theory of Evolution) or Religion (Intelligent Design/ my all time favorite The Church of The Flying Spaghetti Monster) should be taught in Science Classes, is alive and well.

One public school teacher had to actually fight to teach SCIENCE in her Science Classroom.

One parent asked how money could be wasted on a subject like evolution: "As budget cuts continuously chip away at our children's future of a good, quality college-ready education," she wrote, "I would think there would be more educational, more worthwhile and certainly more factual learning that could be taught." She requested that her son be permitted to "bide his time elsewhere" when evolution was taught.

Ms. New explained that evolution is so central to biology, the boy would be biding elsewhere all year long. Practically every chapter in her Prentice Hall textbooks "Bacteria to Plants," "Cells and Heredity," "Animals" used evolution to trace the development of life starting with bacteria, green algae and gymnosperms.

Honestly where do these uneducated parents come from (oh, they probably attended PUBLIC SCHOOLS). If Mom wants her son to bide his time elsewhere when Evolution is taught then she she should plan on him bidding his time somewhere other then college. I can assure her Evolution is a key concept of college Biology Classes. And for all you Flying Spaghetti Monster Fans, HIS followers have created the Flying Spaghetti Monster Game.

Related Tags: Homeschooling, Science, Flying Spaghetti Monster, Evolution

Homeschooling does not equal Fundamentalist Christian

First I despise sites that won't let you comment unless you register like Word Press or I would have just commented on this idiotic post on Jewel's SPAM blog.

When homeschool children are taught by their parents about Darwin, they don’t usually get lectures about how his theory of natural selection is the foundation of modern biology. No, they are taught something much different.

NOT ALL HOMESCHOOLERS ARE FUNDAMENTALIST CHRISTIANS AND MANY OF US BELIVE THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION IS CORRECT. I am sick of people like Jewel and Daniel Florien , who wrote the original post Teaching Homeschool Kids About Darwin, trying to lump all homeschoolers together.

Doug Phillips is the President of Vision Forum Ministries, a popular fundamentalist Christian organization that advocates patriarchy, creationism, and homeschooling. He has eight children and encourages couples to have as many as God gives them — he thinks birth control is a sin (see “quiverfull“).

Homeschoolers are a diverse group and we don't all believe the same things. In fact some of us not only believe in birth control we use it.

The Raw Story Gives Homeschoolers A Raw Deal

According to The Raw Story Top US home-school texts dismiss evolution. REALLY!!! What is the top homeschool text?  Homeschoolers are a diverse bunch and I assure you we do not all use the same textbooks. Far from it, the beauty of homeschooling is we can search out the best text to fit our children's needs.

Home-school mom Susan Mule wishes she hadn't taken a friend's advice and tried a textbook from a popular Christian publisher for her 10-year-old's biology lessons.

Mule's precocious daughter Elizabeth excels at science and has been studying tarantulas since she was 5. But she watched Elizabeth's excitement turn to confusion when they reached the evolution section of the book from Apologia Educational Ministries, which disputed Charles Darwin's theory.

As a Homeschool Mother I reviewed each textbook I choose for my children, I didn't just blindly buy a book because so and so said I should. When I asked for advice concerning textbooks I asked people whose educational philosophy was similar to my own. There is no way I would have used Apologia Educational Ministries for anything. And how could Susan Mule not know what was in the book if she was preparing lesson plans for Elizabeth. You don't blindly stumble into a chapter, when you homeschool you prepare for the chapter in advance.

Christian-based materials dominate a growing home-school education market that encompasses more than 1.5 million students in the U.S. And for most home-school parents, a Bible-based version of the Earth's creation is exactly what they want. Federal statistics from 2007 show 83 percent of home-schooling parents want to give their children "religious or moral instruction."

Christian based materials do not dominate the growing home-school market contrary to what  is stated at The Raw Storey. Many homeschoolers choose to buy textbooks from mainstream publishers. The same publishers that furnish textbooks to public schools. Also while 83% of homeschoolers my want to give their children "religious or moral instruction" the 83% are not necessarily Christians; Muslims, Pagans, Buddhist and those of other religions also homeschool and wish to pass their "beliefs" on to their children. Also MANY Christians Homeschoolers do believe in evolution and teach evolution to their children.

"The majority of home-schoolers self-identify as evangelical Christians," said Ian Slatter, a spokesman for the Home School Legal Defense Association. "Most home-schoolers will definitely have a sort of creationist component to their home-school program."

Those who don't, however, often feel isolated and frustrated from trying to find a textbook that fits their beliefs.

First off I doubt the majority of home-schoolers self identify as evangelical Christians. H$LDA has a vested interest in promoting this fallacy. I also fail to see why any homeschool parent should feel isolated or frustrated while looking for a textbook.

Secular Homeschool Curriculum
Saxon Math
I was very happy with Amsco School Publications, Inc. for Science and EMC Publishing for Literature and Language Arts. For those publishers who do not sell directly to homeschoolers most textbooks can be found at the Homeschool Supercenter or Amazon.com.

What another Homeschooling Mom has to say on the subject Homeschooling and Evolution.

Did You Know Evolution Is A Pagan Religion?

Most creationist don't seem to be playing with a full deck, but Dr. Kent Hovind of Pensacola, Florida, takes the cake. For all you REAL scientist out there the good news is Dr. Hovind has a long standing offer of $250,000 for anyone with empirical evidence (scientific proof) for evolution.

If you are interested in hearing Dr. Hovind speak he will be at Southeastern Baptist College (located at 4229 Highway 15 North in Laurel, Mississippi) where he will take part in a free seminar from 6:00-9:00 pm on Tuesday, March 28, 2006. For more info Call 601-426-6346 or email joharris@comcast.net. The public is invited.

Maybe someone should explain to Dr. Hovind the difference between religion and science. There are many Christians who believe the scientific theory of evolution. Our GOD is powerful enough to create the world anyway he saw fit, including using evolution.

Complete and Utter Nonsense

Usually the idea of banning or burning books would have me shuddering in horror. But I would actually be happy to throw this one on a bonfire myself. The Basis of Civilization by James A Vincent is pure claptrap. Here are some of his key points:

He declares that only "Christian Religions" are protected under the U.S. Constitution and maintains that other religions should not be allowed in the United States (especially Islam).

He uses illogical arguments against the Theory of Evolution; anyone with a scientific background would die of laughter after reading this nonsense.

He insists that all allergies are caused by women that don’t breastfeed.

He promotes the teaching of selective mating (whatever that may be) in public schools.

He wants to neuter men and women who have children outside of wedlock.

He calls sexual harassment and affirmative action laws ridiculous.

He maintains that people on Welfare should not be allowed to vote.

He wants the death penalty for drug users, regardless of age.

He insists that God put a curse on Blacks and American Indians, and as a result of the curse their intellectual capacity isn’t as high as other races.

And just when I thought the guy couldn’t make a STUPIDER comment – He insist that the Inca Indians practiced the Christian religion, built temples with baptismal fonts and spoke and wrote ancient Hebrew.

Fredrik deBoer gets it wrong

deBoer seems to have an overly inflated sense of himself; parents aren't suppose to homeschool because it offends his sensibilities. The first mistake deBoer makes is in assuming that all Public Schools are like the public school he attended.

deBoer says: I grew up in a racially and socioeconomically diverse hometown with a similarly diverse public high school, and I couldn’t be prouder or happier to have gone to school there.

Well good for you deBoer I am really happy that you enjoyed your Public School experience that doesn't make it right for everyone. (Sigh) Just because I know you will ask this is the racially and socioeconomically diverse makeup of the school district I live in.

Enrollment by Subgroup 

Female                  307           47% 

Male                     346           53% 

Asian                      63           10%

Black                       94           14% 

Hispanic                  16             2% 

Native American        4             1%  

White                     476           73% 

Multi Racial                0              0%

Poverty Percentage 356             56%  

deBoer also makes the assumption that diversity isn't found inside the homeschooling community. Nothing could be further from the truth there are White, African-American, Hispanic and Native American Homeschoolers (click here to see more info). There are rich, middle-class, poor, single parent and two income households that homeschool. There are straight and gay families that homeschool. Secular, Atheist, Protestant, Catholics and many other religions including Pagans are all represented in the homeschooling community. Pamela J. Stubbart's article The Moral Status of Homeschooling and Public Schooling Motivations was actually reasonable.

why examine the motivations of homeschooling parents any more rigorously than those of parents who choose the prima facie more progressive, egalitarian, and diversity-minded option of public schooling? I grew up attending the public schools in Cobb County, an affluent suburb of Atlanta, Georgia

My parents and those many of my peers chose this district and its schools at least in part to avoid the exposure of their children to socioeconomic diversity, not to pursue it! And due to the religious makeup of the area (i.e., Bible Belt), students attending Cobb County schools were not typically exposed there to any religious diversity, or secular challenge of religion (indeed, this is the district that placed stickers in biology textbooks claiming that "Evolution is a theory, not a fact"). It's easy to assume that those who share our educational philosophies are motivated by sound considerations, and that those who oppose them are motivated by illegitimate ones. But let's not fail to take seriously the multiple motivations upon which parties to all sides of the issue may be acting.

And before we debate the pro's and cons of homeschooling less be clear on what homeschooling is. Homeschooling is;
1. Not a public school choice.
2. Homeschooling is not a government program. It is an education option as separate as non-government funded, private education.
3. Options such as charter schools and public virtual schools are choices which are not independent of public schooling.
4. Homeschooled students are not under federal NCLB requirements, nor are they required to keep state learning standards.

For further reading
 Racism and Homeschooling
 Why Homeschooling Is a Boon to a Liberal Society

The Person Behind the Theory

An exhibit at the Franklin Institute introduces museum visitors to the person behind the theory, Charles Darwin.

Instead of becoming a doctor, Charles Darwin studied to be a clergyman. But his real love was collecting beetles.

This love of collecting led to Darwin's theory of evolution.

Darwin Day

Our homeschool celebrates Darwin Day and studies the theory of evolution. Here are some links and book recomendations to help you with your Darwin Day celebration.



Celebrations

DarwinSBU.Org

Darwin Day Celebration Activities



Lesson Plans

Teachers' Domain

Discovery Education



Charles Darwin

About Darwin

Charles Darwin Naturalist

BBC



Books

Books by Charles Darwin

Gutenberg Project

The Language of God by Francis S. Collins, read my book review here.