U.S. Classrooms Torn Between Science and Religion

Dystopian Rebel writes "A New Jersey public-school history teacher was recorded telling his students that they 'belong in Hell' if they do not accept Jesus. The teacher, who is also a Baptist Pastor, lied later when he was asked by the school principle what he said to the students. Unfortunately for this dodge, a student recorded the teacher's 'lesson'." From the article: "The student and his parents have requested that the teacher's anti-scientific remarks be corrected in open class, and that the school develop quality control procedures to ensure that future classes are not proselytized and misinformed. They have also referred the matter for disciplinary action. No apology has been forthcoming from the teacher or from the school."

Comments

Re:Looney Tunes

[kraut]

> Any loon who tries to tell a bunch of kids that (a) Noah's ark was real and (b) There were dinosaurs on it should have their license to teach revoked.

Doh.. use some common sense. Of course the dinosaurs didn't get on the ark: That's how they becamse extinct! ;)

Re:Which Hell?

[Nicholas Evans]

It's a cold day in Hell, lemme tell ya...

Re:Fortunately

[BSAtHome]

We all go to hell. See Thermodynamics of Hell for a good story. The good point made there is that regardless of which relegion you have, you will end up in hell because each religion claims that their's is the only correct one and the non-believers will go to hell.
Happy to be one who doesn't need a religion to accept to go to hell. Finally a warm place to relax.

Re:This isn't a clash between science and religion

[Coryoth]

So essentially, he still considers moderates to be illegitimate. He is just as much a fundamentalist as his enemies - in his view, you MUST be an atheist or you're "irrational". Just like how the Christian fundies think everyone MUST be a Christian.

Of course atheists haven't resorted to some tactics used by people to proselytize their religion...

[Knock][Knock]
Homeowner: Yes, hello?
Atheist: Hello. Have you considered not believing in God?
Homeowner: Um, I hadn't really -
Atheist: Perhaps you would care to read some of these pamphlets!
Homeowner: That's okay I -
Atheist: They clearly explain the benefits of not believing in God. Not believing in God changed my life, and it can change yours too.
Homeowner: Uhuh, whatever -
Atheist: Don't you see what not believing in God can do for you? If you don't not believe in -
[SLAM!]

Re:This isn't a clash between science and religion

[Abcd1234]

The Earth is filled with custard - lots of it, hot and molten.

What do you mean, you don't think so? Surely a good skeptic should neither believe or not believe in that?

Well, that's a silly example. There's evidence the Earth isn't filled with custard. It has a magnetic field.

*However*, if the earth were filled with *magnetic* custard...

Re:This isn't a clash between science and religion

[langarto]

Of course, you are right. There is also imagined evidence, which is very important!

Re:This isn't a clash between science and religion

[Nefarious Wheel]

Similarly, if I met someone who still believed that disease was caused by demonic possession, I'd mock them, too.

Mock me not! I have seen evidence of this! Someone showed me this little tube I could look through and there they were, swimming around waving their cilia in scandalous and unholy abandon!

Still, they did look a little Noodly, but they weren't the rightsort of Noodly. And there weren't any pirates, even though I was looking through a tube.