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Creationist Textbook Stickers Declared Unconstitutional

An anonymous reader writes "MSNBC reports that a judge in Atlanta, GA has ruled that a sticker placed on all textbooks in Cobb County stating that 'Evolution is a theory, not a fact,' is unconstitutional, and ordered that all stickers be removed."

21 of 3,360 comments (clear)

  1. Interesting... by crumbz · · Score: 0, Troll

    but the ruling does not change the fact that evolutionary theory is exactly that... a theory. So is Intelligent Design, which is gaining creedance as an alternative theory.

  2. Wow.... by Artraze · · Score: 0, Troll

    Isn't it amazing how something that doesn't even call evolution wrong could be considered supporting religon? Nevermind the fact that the sticker is completely true, and anyone with half a brain could tell you that. Evolution, as it currently stands is more disproven than proven (as a realistic model has yet to be devised). But I guess the judge is just takeing it on faith.

    Yey secular fanatics! May you one day make the state religion atheism!

  3. Re:goddamned fundamentalists.. by madpanzer · · Score: 0, Troll

    Are you not the same way about your beloved theory?

  4. Re: What? by Theatetus · · Score: 1, Troll

    Laws are a type of theory: the type that can be easily expressed in a simple equation.

    --
    All's true that is mistrusted
  5. Interesting take on reality... by Gleenie · · Score: 1, Troll

    Although I am a creationist myself, I value open-mindedness in education. I do find it interesting that, even though none of them were actually there at the time, the scientific community in general are greatly offended by anyone who suggests that evolution (and likewise, I freely admit, creationism) is unproved and unprovable.

    There's only one way to find out for sure - but unfortunately, though we'll all do it eventually, no-one who has done it is currently available for comment.

    --
    -- Your mother uses Emacs.
  6. Re:Thank God! by j.bellone · · Score: 0, Troll

    Because The South traditionally has a problem with adhering to the rules of seperation of church and state. This is a blatent knock at this; you may just be too religious to see that.

    If this sticker was allowed to stay on books, I would want to see one similar (right next to it) on all textbooks that said: The Bible is only a book, written by man. That's exactly what it is; and it's talking about nothing religious either. But it's making you think it; just like subliminal messages which are illegal.

    --
    I'm f#$king magic!
  7. Re:Yay! by Kleedrac2 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Thank goodness I live in Canada ... apparently stating the truth just became unconstitutional in the states!!

    Kleedrac

    --
    Sure we wang, can.
  8. Extra Extra by Progman3K · · Score: 0, Troll

    Printing the truth is unconstitutional!

    --
    I don't know the meaning of the word 'don't' - J
  9. Re:Which religion? by Transcendent · · Score: 0, Troll

    I give athiests the same respect as I do the people on the 700 Club (see: Religious News)... none.

    Mainly because you *cannot prove* that god/God does not exist, but you argue against religious people like they are the moron.

  10. Re:Thank God! by 955301 · · Score: 1, Troll

    Actually, it's not positive. It's Cobb's government that endorsed and effected this unbelievably dumb sticker idea in the first place. The fact that it took two years to undo the problem and that it will inevitably be appealled makes it all the more sad.

    I live in Cobb county. And after meeting this many road raged, racist, backwards thinking religious couch potatoes, I hope they get what they ask for. Permission to regress to burning eachother at the stake and ignoring the world of thought outside their precious little six-flag-over-Jesus circle.

    And I'm disgraced by those people I know in this county who actually value outside opinions but don't respond to this type of foolishness.

    --
    You are checking your backups, aren't you?
  11. Re:Thank God! by jcknox · · Score: 0, Troll

    This is an excellent point. Why are evolutionsts so defensive about their theory? Is there some dark secret that they don't want us to know? Scientists (and other academics, for that matter) have come up with some seemingly ridiculous ideas in other areas and have been allowed to pursue them to the point that they became mainstream. Deconstruction was once considered ridiculous, now it's the standard in literary analysis.

    These kinds of changes have been stifled in biology, geology, etc. for decades because scientists can't pose anything that undermines evolution without being excommunicated from the field. Yes. Excommunicated. Gee, that's a religious term, isn't it?

    If science is going to be this pure study of what's out there, then it needs to be sincerely open to study of many different ideas. Have you ever honestly looked at the evidence for a global flood of immense proportions? It's scary.

  12. Re:Thank God! by thecsharppro · · Score: 1, Troll

    Why is it sad? All it's saying is to keep an open mind that it's only an unproven idea (I'd say theory, but that'll start another debate on the word usage). I'd have to say that most "Evolutionists" have as closed a mind as us "Jesus Freaks". It's kind of funny how they treat their theory like a religion. I always thought science was founded on observation. As far as I know, no one has actually observed macroevolution.

  13. Re:Yay! by bluekanoodle · · Score: 0, Troll
    From a purely scientific standpoint, many of the teachings of evolution as put forth in High school and even college textbooks, use evidence and theories that have been discredited by the scientific community.

    The fact that many "experiments" that tend to reinforce evolution has been shown to have disproved are still being taught to naive students is enough reason alone to put these stickers on the textbooks.

  14. AIYAH, MUTHAFUCKAZ!#$!!!1!11 by Digital+Avatar · · Score: 0, Troll

    Fuck the creationists! www.mchawking.com, motherfuckers!

    Fucking creationists. Fuck them.

  15. Gov't too anti-religious by Frank+T.+Lofaro+Jr. · · Score: 0, Troll

    Perhaps we should amend the Constitution and only prohibit government from forcing people to profess a belief to avoid punishment.

    Because as it stands, we are removing morality from public life. We are hyper-secularizing the country.

    As for evolution, it is often used not just as a theory, but to "prove" God does not exist, we are just slightly improved MONKEYS (you included!) and we have no soul and that life is just genes and environment and that after death there is permanent lack of consciousness.

    There is no morality, people aren't responsbile (genes and environment are) so we shouldn't put anyone in jail since they aren't at fault for anything.

    The school district should print up new stickers, which explain that they had stickers which added a disclaimer to evolution, and they were ordered to remove them.

    Making a factual statement about a court order HAS to be legal, and people reading it would be inclined to think twice about a theory which the courts prohibited attacks of.

    As for the credibility of evolution without any divine influence, how about I get a few pounds of sand, copper and plastic, and throw it in a pile and see if a Pentium 4 3.0 GHz PC will just evolve out of it. Even if I could wait a billion years, I don't think I'd be successful.

    --
    Just because it CAN be done, doesn't mean it should!
  16. Re:I'm an American... by kherrick · · Score: 0, Troll

    I hope you drop your American citizenship on your way out... PEACE!

  17. Re:I'm an American... by killjoe · · Score: 0, Troll

    Nah keep your american citizenship. Leech off of those motherfuckers in jesusland like they leech off of the northeast and california.

    --
    evil is as evil does
  18. On science and religion. by levin · · Score: 0, Troll

    A lot of non religious people like to belittle others who blindly believe what people with degrees in divinity tell them. These persons get this authority because they blindly believe what people with degrees in chemistry, biology, or physics tell them.

    Sadly, neither of these sets of people are any more enlightened or less gullible than the other. One can be convinced of anything within a reasonable limit because they have faith that what a certain authority tells them is true. The other group can be convinced of anything within a reasonable limit because they have the knowledge that what a certain authority tells them is true. Frankly, unless you independantly confirm what scientists tell you through your own experimentation, you're no better off than someone who believes someone elses interpretation of a religious text. You're possibly even worse off since scientists are more likely to be alive than your average religious figure and consequently more likely to spin the truth a little for personal gain. See also: dog and pony show.

    Let me put it another way: would you consider either of the following people more or less foolish, and if so, who. Person one is someone who believes that something they read in a certain book is probably true without doing any investigation of their own. Person two is someone who believes what they read in a certain book is not only true, but can be proven, and is backed up by several independant, trustworthy, and living persons without doing any investigation of their own. Think about this next time you read a chapter in a math or physics text and instead of getting on slashdot or some other forum and proclaiming the superiority of your beliefs, prove it by backing up what you've read with independent evidence, or better yet, your own experimentation or logical proofs from more fundamental concepts.

    One final thought: just because you don't believe in typical interpretations of religious texts doesn't mean that they don't contain a lot of really good advice. At least take the time to read what these books say before dogging them based on some nut's wacko interpretation of them.

    --

    `which fortune`
  19. Re:5 words... by Forbman · · Score: 0, Troll

    If God created man in its image, then why are there now over 6 billion different images of God right now?

    Why didn't God create the Platypus in its image instead?

    Why, in non-insectoid, non-fish life on Earth, are 4 limbs pretty much the pattern, when 6, 8 or more are good for insectoids?

    Were they created by something else, then?

  20. Re:Thank God! by binary+paladin · · Score: 1, Troll

    "It's a victory for reason over religious mumbo-jumbo."

    Heh. So a sticker that states: "This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered." should be banned and somehow this is "a victory for reason?"

    I don't know who scares me more, Fundementalist Christian freaks or the people in your camp who keep telling yourselves you're "intellectual" and "scientific."

    Evolution is a theory and like EVERYTHING, from theology to politics to science it should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered.

    The Christians cheer when their crap is stuffed down everyone's throats and you cheer when people are silenced. The world's problems are obvious.

  21. 2000th post by Leffe · · Score: 0, Troll

    I win.