RE: School question
June 21, 2010 at 11:09 am
(This post was last modified: June 21, 2010 at 11:11 am by Harden1313.)
From the wiki:
"The teaching of creation science in public schools in the United States effectively ended in 1987 following the United States Supreme Court decision in Edwards v. Aguillard.[3] The court affirmed that a statute requiring the teaching of creation science alongside evolution when evolution is taught in Louisiana public schools was unconstitutional because its sole true purpose was to advance a particular religious belief.[9]"
So in the late 80's they were still teaching it (if I'm right in my interpretation of this). Seems from the reading that at various times up into the 80's individual states made laws that forced schools to either include it or bar it (like Arkansas). Does this mean that after 1987 it was illegal to teach it in ANY public school? Were their loop holes? Do schools still have the right to vote on it and include it if they wish?
From Religioustolerance.org:
"An Arkansas state law (#590), passed in 1981, mandated the teaching of Creation Science in schools. Equal time was to be given also to evolution. A legal action 1 was mounted (McLean vs. Arkansas, 1981) to overturn the law. Scientists and many main-line Christian Churches were pitted against conservative Christian groups. The law was declared unconstitutional
A similar "Creationism Act" was passed in Louisiana. It required that either both or neither evolution and creation science be taught in the public schools. Some Louisiana parents, teachers, and religious leaders challenged the Act's constitutionality in Federal District Court. They won an injunction which was affirmed by the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. 2 By a 7 to 2 vote, the act was found to violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. constitution. The Supreme Court found:
"...the Act evinces a discriminatory preference for the teaching of creation science and against the teaching of evolution by:
bullet requiring that curriculum guides be developed and resource services supplied for teaching creationism but not for teaching evolution,
bullet by limiting membership on the resource services panel to 'creation scientists,' and
bullet by forbidding school boards to discriminate against anyone who 'chooses to be a creation-scientist' or to teach creation science, while failing to protect those who choose to teach other theories or who refuse to teach creation science.
The Act's primary purpose was to change the public school science curriculum to provide persuasive advantage to a particular religious doctrine that rejects the factual basis of evolution in its entirety. Thus, the Act is designed either to promote the theory of creation science that embodies a particular religious tenet or to prohibit the teaching of a scientific theory disfavored by certain religious sects. In either case, the Act violates the First Amendment"
and another:
"During the mid 1990's, creation science groups started to persuade school boards to give equal time to creation science."
So by this information it seems that creationism was taught intot he 80's and now creation groups are (or at least were) approaching individual school boards to have equal face time in classes. Regardless of opinion or legality I'm curios where this is happening and how recent.
"The teaching of creation science in public schools in the United States effectively ended in 1987 following the United States Supreme Court decision in Edwards v. Aguillard.[3] The court affirmed that a statute requiring the teaching of creation science alongside evolution when evolution is taught in Louisiana public schools was unconstitutional because its sole true purpose was to advance a particular religious belief.[9]"
So in the late 80's they were still teaching it (if I'm right in my interpretation of this). Seems from the reading that at various times up into the 80's individual states made laws that forced schools to either include it or bar it (like Arkansas). Does this mean that after 1987 it was illegal to teach it in ANY public school? Were their loop holes? Do schools still have the right to vote on it and include it if they wish?
From Religioustolerance.org:
"An Arkansas state law (#590), passed in 1981, mandated the teaching of Creation Science in schools. Equal time was to be given also to evolution. A legal action 1 was mounted (McLean vs. Arkansas, 1981) to overturn the law. Scientists and many main-line Christian Churches were pitted against conservative Christian groups. The law was declared unconstitutional
A similar "Creationism Act" was passed in Louisiana. It required that either both or neither evolution and creation science be taught in the public schools. Some Louisiana parents, teachers, and religious leaders challenged the Act's constitutionality in Federal District Court. They won an injunction which was affirmed by the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. 2 By a 7 to 2 vote, the act was found to violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. constitution. The Supreme Court found:
"...the Act evinces a discriminatory preference for the teaching of creation science and against the teaching of evolution by:
bullet requiring that curriculum guides be developed and resource services supplied for teaching creationism but not for teaching evolution,
bullet by limiting membership on the resource services panel to 'creation scientists,' and
bullet by forbidding school boards to discriminate against anyone who 'chooses to be a creation-scientist' or to teach creation science, while failing to protect those who choose to teach other theories or who refuse to teach creation science.
The Act's primary purpose was to change the public school science curriculum to provide persuasive advantage to a particular religious doctrine that rejects the factual basis of evolution in its entirety. Thus, the Act is designed either to promote the theory of creation science that embodies a particular religious tenet or to prohibit the teaching of a scientific theory disfavored by certain religious sects. In either case, the Act violates the First Amendment"
and another:
"During the mid 1990's, creation science groups started to persuade school boards to give equal time to creation science."
So by this information it seems that creationism was taught intot he 80's and now creation groups are (or at least were) approaching individual school boards to have equal face time in classes. Regardless of opinion or legality I'm curios where this is happening and how recent.
