Creation by God or gods/godesses is a perfectly acceptable teaching in a class on sociology, religion, mythology, cultural history etc, but not in a science class.  There is simply not one iota of evidence that supports the concept of a special divine origin for life.  In fact, no such concept can exist in science since all scientific hypotheses must be able to be proven false and a supernatural being outside of natural laws CANNOT be proven false.  What we should teach in a science class is the best available explanations we have for the phenomena that we observe.

As far as the Bible in world and US history, you are right it should be taught but you won't like it.  Shall we teach the role of the Bible in anti-Semitism in Europe or in the Spainish Inquisition.  Perhaps you would prefer the use of the role of the Bible in the justification for slavery in the US or Manifest Destiny?  Vis, the Bible has been used for much good hiustory but it has also been used for much evil.  Most of those who so loudly scream for education in the Bible, acutally mean their version.

May 31, 2011 -- 11:23PM, Vistronic wrote:

What is everyone paranoid and afraid of?

Christians are not terrorists.

We're not afraid or paranoid of anything. We just know the difference between science, theology, and mythology. Public high schools already teach Native American origin myths in American Literature class, and oftentimes teach Greek origin myths in the Greek mythology unit in 9th or 10th Grade World Literature. Would you be pleased if English teachers taught a unit on Hebrew mythology? The first three chapters of Genesis would certainly be covered, and students would get the benefit of comparing the themes, dramatis personae, and plot of the first chapters of Genesis with other myths and oral literature such as folk tales, fables, and fairy tales. They would even be able to chart the plot structure of the first few chapters of Genesis according to Freytag's Pyramid and compare it to, for instance, the plot structure of one of Shakespeare's plays or to a Greek myth such as that of "Baucis and Philemon" or "Perseus and Andromeda." I actually think that would be very beneficial for students -- at least then they hopefully wouldn't confuse creationism and origin myths with science and scientific theory.

Jun 1, 2011 -- 8:23AM, amcolph wrote:

Christians are not terrorists.

No, but "Bible-believing" Christians are a pain it the butt.

And there have been Christian terrorists, so you can't say that all Christians are good and loving and kind.  It just isn't so.

And that "Well, they weren't really Christians" thing doesn't fly.  They think of themselves as Christians, representing Christ and doing his work. And so they become your problem.

Look I am for seperation of church and state within reason, but lets look at this case

Appeals court allows prayer at Texas high school's graduation

The  original lawsuit was filed last week by an agnostic family whose son  attends Medina Valley High School in Castroville, about 30 miles west of  San Antonio. The Schultz family said their son would suffer  "irreparable harm" if anyone prayed at the graduation ceremony.

Biery  ruled in favor of the Schultz family and ordered the school district to  remove the words "invocation" and "benediction" from the program of  ceremonies, replacing them with "opening remarks" and "closing remarks."  The judge further ordered that students and other speakers to refrain  from asking those in the audience to "stand," "join in prayer" or "bow  their heads."

"They shall not otherwise deliver a message that  would commonly be understood to be a prayer, nor use the word 'prayer,'"  Biery wrote in his ruling.

Perry called the ruling "reprehensible."

"The  First Amendment prohibits governments from interfering with Americans'  rights to freely express their religious beliefs, and accordingly the  U.S. Supreme Court has maintained that Congress may convene every day  with a prayer," Perry said in a statement.

In addition to the  school district's emergency appeal, the Liberty Institute, acting on  behalf of class valedictorian Angela Hildenbrand, filed an emergency  motion for intervention in the case.

Kelly Shackelford, president  and CEO of the nonprofit organization that champions constitutional  rights, issued a statement following the court's reversal, saying it "is  a complete victory for religious freedom and for Angela."

Ayesha  Khan, an attorney for the Schultz family, had argued that prayer at the  school's graduation ceremonies were not student-initiated, but  government-sponsored, and put pressure on audience members to  participate against their beliefs.

"Those that do not participate get disapproved by the community," she told CNN.

In  dissolving Biery's injunction, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled  that the Schultz family had not persuaded the three-judge panel "that  the individual prayers or other remarks to be given by students at  graduation are, in fact, school-sponsored."

____________________________________

Is this not the correct ruling?

See this

"The  First Amendment prohibits governments from interfering with  Americans'  rights to freely express their religious beliefs, and  accordingly the  U.S. Supreme Court has maintained that Congress may  convene every day  with a prayer," Perry said in a statement.

So congress can but school can not....?