I've said before that if there is going to be a supposed “separation of church and state,” it must go both ways (here). Some folks obviously don't get it. I know they don't want students being taught creation in public schools. OK, I'm fine with that as long as teachers understand that neither should they be allowed to make comments on the students' beliefs. Alas, it doesn't work that way.
A recent example of their glaring double standard is unfolding in Knoxville, TN. The schools there are using a science book called, Asking About Life. Page 319 of the book describes creationism as, “the biblical myth that the universe was created by the Judeo-Christian God in 7 days.” Do you see how that might be offensive?
Never mind that I disagree with the truthfulness of the above statement, it's wrong on a number of levels. First, if this is supposed to be a book about science, why does it even discuss beliefs? Just the title of the book, “Asking About Life” suggests that the goal of the book goes beyond merely discussing science. Some evolutionary apologists have made comments like, “science tells how and religion tells why.” The title of this book seems to contradict that.
Beyond all this, however, there is still the nagging problem of the separation of church and state. If liberals object to a public school teacher endorsing creationism under the umbrella that it would endorse a religious belief, then why are they not equally concerned about using a text book that specifically denounces a religious belief? I ask rhetorically, of course, because we already know why: when liberals invoke separation of church and state they mean to say they want to be free from religion.
Liberals are blind to their own hypocrisy. They are hypersensitive to even the most subtle religious observance – such as a teacher wearing a cross – yet they see nothing wrong with calling a student's religious belief a “myth.” And let's be clear, they specifically see nothing wrong with attacking a Christian student's belief. Had this book made an insensitive comment about a Muslim belief, the book's editor would likely have already been prosecuted for a hate crime.
Kurt Zimmermann, a father in the Knoxville school district, has asked that book be banned due to its bias against Christians. Knoxville County School superintendent, Jim McIntyre, disagrees and refused to remove the book from use. The school review committee agreed with McIntyre though a few did think some of the material in the book was “questionable.” Even so, they agreed to here an appeal from Zimmermann on May 7.
The issue should be cut and dry. Public school teachers, as representatives of the state, are supposed to remain neutral toward religion. They should not endorse a particular religious belief and neither should they condemn one. You would think a school superintendent or the members of the review committee would understand such a simple concept. What part of “prohibiting the free exercise thereof” is ambiguous? Perhaps I'm expecting too much from these school board members; maybe they too are victims of public school indoctrination!
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