Judge dismisses lawsuit over Kansas science standards

The Associated Press

A federal judge Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit alleging that science standards for Kansas public schools promote atheism and violate the religious freedoms of students and parents.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree ruled that a nonprofit group, parents and taxpayers challenging the standards did not claim specific enough injuries from adoption of the guidelines to allow the case to go forward.

The State Board of Education last year adopted standards developed by Kansas, 25 other states and the National Research Council. The guidelines treat both evolution and climate change as key scientific concepts to be taught from kindergarten through 12th grade.

The guidelines replaced evolution-friendly standards that had been in place since 2007, and most board members believed they will improve science education by shifting the emphasis in classes to hands-on projects and experiments. The board sought the lawsuit’s dismissal.

The lawsuit was filed by Citizens for Objective Public Education, a group based in the small, Wichita-area town of Peck.

Read more here: www.kansascity.com...#/tabPane=tabs-dd69ea12-1#storylink=cpy

Citizens for Objective Public Education or COPE website.www.copeinc.org...

Kansas Group Tries To Remove Evolution From Schools By Claiming Science Is A Religion

A Kansas-based group that “promotes the religious rights of parents, children, and taxpayers” is challenging the state’s science standards because they include the teaching of evolution, which the group claims is a religion and therefore should be excluded from science class.

As the AP reports, Citizens for Objective Public Education (COPE) claims that public schools “promote a ‘non-theistic religious worldview’ by allowing only ‘materialistic’ or ‘atheistic’ explanations to scientific questions.” The group argues that by teaching evolution “the state would be ‘indoctrinating’ impressionable students in violation of the First Amendment.”

COPE’s challenge states that the teaching of evolution “amounts to an excessive government entanglement with religion” and violates the rights of Christian parents.

To be honest I don't even remember this making news. If they had won then it would have had far reaching implications. To me it is strange they would have attacked this as if science was religious. Maybe they drank a little too much of their own kool aid. Was this a last ditch effort maybe? Does anyone remember this making news headlines? I wouldn't know I ditched TV a few years ago.(can still get torrents though) At the end of the headline article it says they are reviewing the ruling (cope that is) so this may not be over but I think it is.

Anyway, what do you think ATS are you saddened or happy over it?

Well I'm sorry but there should only be science in schools.

a reply to: Grimpachi

Well, IMO, the decision is sound. I'm sure you are aware that there have been many such challenges in the past and likely there will be many more in the future.

Contributing some considerable amount of humour was the line from COPEs' website, "religiously neutral.". Clearly people are just prepared to make up any old BS line, regardless of how absurd it may be, to try and get their "point" across.

Unfortunately those with a rational mind, IMO, are coming under increasing attack from stupid people and more dangerously from really stupid people who listen to stupid people.

Kind Regards
Myselfaswell

a reply to: Unity_99

And how is the modern evolutionary synthesis not science? It's got more support behind it than pretty much any other scientific theory out there including such things as Germ Theory and the Theory of Gravity.

originally posted by: whyamIhere
The report from only from Democrats in the Senate.

They spent over 80 million and did not interview a single witness.

After 6 years they released it the moment Jonathon Gruber began his remarks.

You know the guy that called Americans too stupid to figure out they are lying.

This partisan report is the last grasp of the Democrats to try to change the subject.

Not defending any torture...But, this old news report is doing exactly what they hoped.

HUH!!!

Could you have possibly posted in the wrong thread?

originally posted by: Unity_99
Well I'm sorry but there should only be science in schools.

Well I agree at least in science class. I have no problem with theology being taught in theology class along side other theologies.


I just found it strange that they would bring a case against the sciences as them being religious.

err..were you being facetious?

Sounds like the entire lawsuit hinged on the assumption that non-religious science is atheistic science. The truth is that religion doesn't even come in to play, which is why its science and not religion. There is no more pro-God than there is anti-God in science, its completely neutral simply because God is not a factor. If a scientist were to approach a subject and make even minor assumptions based on any of the Gods people believe, any results or findings would be tainted and unsound.

Evolution is nothing more than a huge pile of evidence and experimentation that has been tested and retested to confirm its validity. I really wish religious people would stop taking it as an insult to their brand of faith when the evidence discovered contradicts their holy books.

a reply to: Grimpachi

I did sorry...

a reply to: whyamIhere

lol..

It happens. Cracked me up for a sec because I was scratching my head.

I am so glad this was dismissed- and somewhat surprised knowing how right-wing Kansas is.

originally posted by: CB328
I am so glad this was dismissed- and somewhat surprised knowing how right-wing Kansas is.

It might make better news with more punch if higher courts rule differently.

a reply to: xuenchen

I couldn't care less if it made better news but I am wondering why it would be heard in a higher court in your opinion.

People for the American Way (where I first learned about this crazy lawsuit) discovered that COPE is actually following a strategy that was suggested three decades earlier by John Eidsmoe, one of Michele Bachmann's mentors. In his 1984 book, God and Caesar, Eidsmoe argued that attacks on evolution should center on the premise that evolution promotes the "religion" of secular humanism.

www.talk2action.org...

a reply to: Annee

I wonder if that three decades old strategy is part of the wedge strategy that was exposed at trial when they were trying to get ID/creationism into science classes.

originally posted by: Grimpachi
a reply to: Annee

I wonder if that three decades old strategy is part of the wedge strategy that was exposed at trial when they were trying to get ID/creationism into science classes.

I'm just happy most education boards in the south/midwest are starting to take a stand against Creationism as science.

More still needs to be done IMO to keep religion out of public school.

originally posted by: CB328
I am so glad this was dismissed- and somewhat surprised knowing how right-wing Kansas is.

Of course you are. Got to stick it to those dumb religious people.

a reply to: Grimpachi

COPE's website says that only things that can be taught objectively in school should be part of the curicula, I think this is a wonderful idea. It would remove religious instruction completely from schools.

Science is objective, religion is subjective, therefore, only information based on science should be taught in schools, religious instruction should be kept at home or in church.

Now, if only COPE actually fought for what they state that they believe in.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Im not sure how this was worded, and I do agree that there needs to be a lot more "theories" presented along with any popular theories, ie, electric universe, quantum things such as holograms, and various studies and research.

However, the word, "god" needs to not be involved in school settings. And I don't believe parents have the right to send kids to private religious schools because that is brainwashing.

In fact, there should be courses in school developing critical thinking, deprogramming ISMS, and showing metaphors, gnostic thoughts, philosophies, in anything in later grades that is even close to resembling comparative "religion" courses.

what's wrong with promoting atheism? the other side has blanket coverage. fair's fair.