RufusAtticus

http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/met.../25evolve.html

[ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 3/25/03 ]


Evolution critics argue free speech

By PHILLIP TAYLOR
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
* Cobb community page

Two parents told a federal court that Cobb County Schools' defense of
its evolution policy against a lawsuit fails to address the rights of
their children to receive instruction critical of theories about
human origins.

Attorneys for Larry Taylor and Allen Hardage, both fathers of
children in Cobb County schools, filed a motion last week urging the
U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Georgia to allow them
to help the schools fight the lawsuit.

The school district found itself at the center of a national debate
last summer after its school board voted unanimously for a policy
allowing science teachers to include "disputed views" in teachings
about human origins. The board said its purpose was to encourage
critical thinking about evolution while at the same time ensuring
"neutrality toward religion."

School officials placed stickers in high school and middle school
textbooks advising students that evolution was merely a theory and
should be debated.

Jeffery Selman, another Cobb County parent, filed a lawsuit last
August challenging the disclaimers. The lawsuit contends the textbook
advisories serve as "fundamentalist Christian expression" and thus
violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment, which
prohibits government endorsement of religion.

Both Taylor and Hardage in their motion exert First Amendment claims as well.

The motion states that if the court rules in Selman's favor,
information required for a thorough education about the origin of
living things would be censored.

"If the plaintiff is successful, defendants will be forced to censor
speech regarding evolutionary theory that will allow students to
approach this topic with an open mind, and study it carefully and
critically," the motion reads. "This will directly affect the
parental rights and free speech rights of the intervenors."

Glenn Brock, attorney for the Cobb school district, did not return a
call seeking comment.

Michael Manely, Selman's attorney, said he would not comment on the
motion except to say the two fathers possibly could have standing in
the case. He said additional defendants probably would not change the
arguments against Cobb's evolution policy or the textbook advisories.

Albion

I wonder what scientific alternatives to evolution these two fathers have in mind.

Majestyk

Not that I want to give weight to any creationists but the first amendment clause prohibits congress from passing laws establishing relegion. It gets a little murky at the local level.

hezekiah jones

Originally posted by Majestyk
Not that I want to give weight to any creationists but the first amendment clause prohibits congress from passing laws establishing relegion. It gets a little murky at the local level.

Yeah but the 14th Amendment extends the 1st Amendment to state and local governments. (I should say the Supreme Court has extended the 1st Amendment to state and local governments through the 14th Amendment.)

Doubting Didymus

The rest of the world, meanwhile, does not have the protection of a church - state separation clause in our constitutions. We have to rely on outnumbering the idiots. So far so good.

Spaz

The problem here is we have protection but far more idiots that make it difficult and uber idiots like pat robertson that will out right deny that the separation exists.

hezekiah jones

Originally posted by Doubting Didymus
The rest of the world, meanwhile, does not have the protection of a church - state separation clause in our constitutions. We have to rely on outnumbering the idiots. So far so good.

Yep, and a lot of people have argued that the religion clauses in the Constitution are the reasons why we have so many fundie nutcases wandering the streets (and, apparently, trying to hijack local school boards).

Principia

I say let's include a section in the social sciences that promotes critical and careful consideration of the evidence surrounding the historicity of Christ and the inerrancy of the Bible as a historical and scientific text. I'd be willing to trade this in Cobb county in exchange for a few feeble "alternative" views to evolution.

Albion

Yes - let's give equal time to The Jesus Mysteries every time someone mentions the word "Bible." See how they like that. See how far open-mindedness really goes.

HRG

This protection is a two-edged sword. The existence of "officially recognized churches" (not necessarily state churches) has a big inhibiting effect on the more extremist forms of religion (and often on religious belief in general). Think of it as a vaccination with a mild disease to protect yourself against a serious one

And the "recognized churches" (mostly RC and Protestants, European version, but also Sunnis, Buddhists etc.) have nothing against the theory of evolution.

Regards,
HRG.