Science Textbook Publishers Defeat Texas Conservatives

From Texas Freedom Network:

...Some reviewers had criticized the proposed biology textbooks for failing to include a variety of discredited arguments attacking evolution. For example, reviewers lowered the rating of one textbook because it didn’t include the inaccurate claim that scientists have found no transitional fossils and that “the fossil record can be interpreted in other ways than evolutionary with equal justification.” Another reviewer insisted that all of the textbooks teach “creation science based on Biblical principles” alongside evolution.

Editorial changes from all 14 publishers that submitted high school biology textbooks for adoption this year do not reflect those arguments and beliefs, TFN’s examination shows.

The anti-evolution arguments promoted by the textbook reviewers are based on claims that scientists have shown to be false or simply have no place in a science textbook, said Arturo De Lozanne, associate professor in molecular cell and developmental biology at the University of Texas at Austin.

“From what I can see so far, publishers are resisting pressure to do things that would leave high school graduates in Texas ill-prepared to succeed in a college science classroom,” De Lozanne said. “If we want Texas kids to be competitive nationally, we have to ensure that what they learn in their high school classrooms is based on facts, not ideology. Having said that, it’s remarkable and distressing that some folks are still arguing over what really is established, mainstream science...”

Religious Schools, Tax Dollars & the First Amendment

How a Father Dealt With His Son, the Bully

From the Advocate:  

When traditional disciplinary methods such as grounding and even hard labor had no impact on his son's behavior, Jose Lagares took his son to a busy street corner in Killeen, Texas, Tuesday, and made him hold up a sign that read, "I am a bully. HONK! If you hate bullies."

KCEN reports that Lagares received his fair share of criticism for his decision, which is why he returned to the same intersection Wednesday, carrying his own sign, reading, "I am not sorry!!! Honk 2 Stop Bullying."

Lagares said bullying is a serious issue and that as the parent of a bully, he's committed to putting a stop to his son's behavior. 

"I'm not going to allow my child to be someone else's pain," said Lagares. "We don't need another Columbine … and I refuse for my child to be the cause of that."

Lagares told KCEN that when his son returned to school Wednesday, he apologized, of his own accord, to the student he'd bullied. 

School Allows Prayer Over the Intercom

From Raw Story: 

A school board in Kansas voted this week to allow student-led prayer at all activities, and even went as far as offering the schools’ public address systems for religious use.

According to the Leader and Times, school prayer had not been on the agenda for Monday’s meeting of USD No. 480 board in Liberal, but board member Nick Hatcher brought it up at the last minute.

Liberal High School had banned prayer before football games several years ago over concerns that allowing to students to pray over the intercom system could be construed as the school sponsoring a particular religion, which was banned by the Supreme Court in 1962.

In its 2000 Santa Fe Independent School Dist. v. Doe decision, the Supreme Court specifically ruled that allowing students to use the public address system to pray at football games violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Tulsa, OK Abandons Abstinence-Only "Education"

From Raw Story: 

The school district in Oklahoma’s second largest city has begun to implement a plan to teach comprehensive sex education in its schools. According to Tulsa’s Channel 9 News, the district plans to launch the program in four selected schools, then expand to include the entire district.

Classes will be taught to 7th, 9th and 11th graders at two high schools and two middle schools. Officials said the state’s status as fourth highest in teen pregnancy has spurred educators to abandon abstinence-only education.

“Forty-four percent of students who become pregnant or who are married at that age fail to graduate from high school, and that’s something that affects them for the rest of their life,” said Tulsa Public Schools spokesperson Steve Mayfield to Channel 9.

~

Oklahoma, like many Republican-led states, has no statewide sex ed requirements for students. And like many of those states, Oklahoma is not seeing the steady decline in teen birth rates that states with comprehensive sex ed are enjoying.

The Guttmacher Institute — a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide — released a study September 1 that showed that states without comprehensive sex ed for teens consistently have the highest numbers of teen births per year. 

How Conservatives Smeared A Hero

Arkansas AG Ends Plan to Arm Teachers

From USA Today: 

A plan by a small Arkansas school district to arm 20 teachers and staff with 9 mm handguns has run aground after the state attorney says the program is not covered by state law. 

The Clarksville School District was trying to mount its program using a little-known state law that is meant to apply to licensing private security agencies. 

A state lawmaker requested the opinion a day after The Associated Press reported on a plan by the school district in western Arkansas to use more the teachers and staff as volunteer security guards armed with concealed handguns. 

"Simply put, the code in my opinion does not authorize either licensing a school district as a guard company or classifying it as a private business authorized to employ its own teachers as armed guards," Attorney General Dustin McDaniel wrote.

Something sensible happened in Arkansas? It's pretty much a miracle. 

Arkansas Starts Arming Teachers

The Religious Wrong: Only Christians Can Graduate

Arizona is throwing its hat into the theocracy ring. Arizona House Bill 2467 states the following: 

Beginning in the 2013‑2014 school year, In addition to fulfilling the course of study and assessment requirements prescribed in this chapter, before a pupil is allowed to graduate from a public high school in this state, the principal or head teacher of the school shall verify in writing that the pupil has recited the following oath:

I, _________, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge these duties; So help me God.

Though I'm a Christian, I'm a firm believer in the separation of church and state (for the benefit of both) as prescribed by Thomas Jefferson and the establishment clause of the first amendment to the United States Constitution. This law is a crystal clear violation of that Constitution that has very little chance of withstanding a court challenge.

Church of England To Fight Against Homophobic Bullying

From the BBC: 

[Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby:] "With nearly a million children educated in our schools we not only must demonstrate a profound commitment to stamp out such stereotyping and bullying but we must also take action. 

"We are therefore developing a programme for use in our schools, taking the best advice we can find anywhere, that specifically targets such bullying." 

New proposals before the Synod meeting could see measures to introduce women bishops be adopted as draft legislation ahead of a possible vote in 2015. 

The archbishop, who took up his post in March, has said he wants to see the measure passed as soon as possible.

Even though the Church of England is not changing their teachings on marriage (they are against equality), this effort against anti-gay bullying sets them light-years ahead of most churches in the United States. Here, instead of protecting LGBT students, many religious schools have policies in place that preclude them from seeking help from faculty and staff for fear of expulsion. Even outside of parochial schools, churches, religious figures, and leaders of social conservative groups fight against legislative efforts to protect LGBT students from bullying in public schools.

What the Church of England is doing here is the right thing to do. Would that churches in America would do the same...

UNC-Chapel Hill's Mistreatment of Rape Victims

From Think Progress: 

The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill is now facing a third federal investigation into its sexual assault policies. This time, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating allegations that UNC inappropriately retaliated against Landen Gambill, a sophomore at the university, after she publicly came forward about her rape. 

Gambill was one of several students who filed a federal complaint against the university at the beginning of the year, alleging UNC has created a “hostile environment” for rape victims attempting to report sexual crimes. In February, the sophomore faced an honor code violation that claimed she “intimidated” her alleged rapist by publicly sharing the story of her sexual assault — even though she never named him, simply referring to him as an “ex-boyfriend.” Later that year, even after the male student in question had been found guilty of sexually harassing Gambill, he was reassigned to a dorm building “in close proximity” to hers. 

The new investigation will attempt to determine whether those two actions — subjecting Gambill to UNC’s honor court and moving Gambill’s assailant closer to her — constitute inappropriate retaliation. The honor code charge against Gambill, which could have resulted in her expulsion, has since been dropped.

There's an old saying that goes something to the tune of "It isn't the crime, it's the cover-up." I believe this applies here. I honestly can not even begin to fathom how the university, if the allegations are true, would go to such lengths against a victim of rape. I'm assuming some of these officials have daughters. Chances are that they would not stand for such actions against their own children, so why do it to someone else's? This really goes to show how soulless some people can be, in case what happened at Penn State was not indication enough.

Kansas Schools With Guns Will Lose Insurance Coverage

From USA Today: 

A new Kansas law allowing gun owners to carry weapons in public buildings, including schools, has thrust a major Des Moines-based insurer into the national gun control debate. 

The EMC Insurance Cos. insures 85 percent to 90 percent of all Kansas school districts and has refused to renew coverage for schools that permit teachers and custodians to carry concealed firearms on their campuses under the new law, which took effect July 1. It's not a political decision, but a financial one based on the riskier climate it estimates would be created, the insurer said. 

"We've been writing school business for almost 40 years, and one of the underwriting guidelines we follow for schools is that any on-site armed security should be provided by uniformed, qualified law enforcement officers," said Mick Lovell, EMC's vice president for business development. "Our guidelines have not recently changed."

A Theological School's Message of Inclusion

From The Advocate: 

The Claremont, Calif., school’s Center for Sexuality, Gender, and Religion [part of the Claremont School of Theology] sent all graduates a rainbow tassel in hopes that they would wear it alongside their regular tassel as a symbol of support for LGBT inclusivity. At the ceremony last Tuesday, almost all of them did, center co-director Grace Yia-Hei Kao reports on her Feminism and Religion blog. 

“I was ecstatic to see the vast majority of graduates, as well as the faculty, staff, and other luminaries participating in Commencement eagerly don their rainbow tassels,” writes Kao, who is also an associate professor of ethics at the theological school. Most of those students participating in the first graduation ceremony of a related institution, Claremont Lincoln University, did so as well.

Being a person of faith does not have to mean being anti-gay, despite what some would have us think. 

Illinois Bans Abstinence-Only "Education"

From the Chicago Tribune: 

Illinois public schools that teach sex education will be required to provide information about birth control under a measure the Senate sent to Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday. 

The legislation is a change from current policy, where abstinence is the only requirement for schools with sex ed classes. The measure was approved on a 37-21 vote and needed 30 to pass. 

Supporters argue that abstinence-only education is not effective and students should be taught about other methods of birth control and protection against sexually transmitted diseases. Opponents contend abstinence-only education should remain the norm in schools, saying parents should decide how to educate their kids about sex. 

Sponsoring Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, said the measure still would require schools to teach that abstinence is the only way to prevent pregnancy and disease, while at the same time allowing "students to make healthy decisions for themselves."

Studies have shown that states with abstinence-only education also have higher rates of teen pregnancy and STI transmission. The phrase "abstinence-only education" in and of itself is an oxymoron. How can you call it accurate education if accurate information is purposefully withheld from the students? It's like having a geometry class where you don't talk about circles. 

Public School Has Mandatory Religious Assembly

From Think Progress: 

A high school in central Mississippi finds itself in court after allegedly holding a mandatory religious assembly earlier this month.

~

The first speaker talked about his addiction to pornography. The second speaker talked about issues with his father. The third speaker also talked about problems with his family,as well as promiscuity and suicide. The fourth speaker said he had a great family that introduced him to the church. He said at first he did not think he could measure up to Jesus Christ so he sought hope in “other things.” 

The first speaker said he used to find hope in “cars and clothes.” The second said he “used to find hope in people” and in “other guys.” He looked to these people for “brotherly love” and “fatherly love.” He said he then struggled with suicidal thoughts, and resorted to “cutting himself.” [...] 

About five minutes into the video, Speaker One stated: “But now I find my hope in something that’s more eternal that is not in this world.” 

In turn, each of the speakers explained how turning to Jesus Christ solved their problems and recommended that other people turn to Jesus Christ as well.

Soon after, “the assembly immediately turned into a full-blown lecture on the supposed miracles, powers, and teachings of Jesus Christ and the Church Representative encouraged all students to find sanctity in him,” and no one was permitted to leave. “The School’s truancy officer, Jeff White (“Officer White”), harassed several students who attempted to leave and told them to sit back down,” read the complaint.

The full text of the complaint can be read HERE.

Being Gay At Liberty University

From The Atlantic: 

...It's a typical story, really. Boy meets girl. Girl goes to college. Boy follows her to college. Girl decides to date other boys. Boy decides that's a good idea, and also dates other boys. Like I said, typical. 

No one in my family is a college graduate, so when my girlfriend announced she was going to Liberty, it was just understood that I'd go there, too. My parents were extremely religious, so they liked that Liberty was a Christian school. My dad was actually a pastor. We went to one of those obnoxious churches where people pray in tongues and parade around the sanctuary carrying banners that said "Maranatha." Because this church marched to the beat of its own drum-driven worship music, we thought we were liberal Christians. The irony, though, was that the congregation was incredibly legalistic and nitpicky. If you smoked, you were going to hell. If you drank alcohol, you were going to hell. If you listened to secular music...well you weren't necessarily going to hell, but you were backslidden. You can imagine, then, that even if I felt same-sex desires, I was scared to act on them, let alone think about them. And anyway, I wasn't free to think about my sexuality because I was dating the girl God sent me to marry. 

Of course, that all changed when we got to Liberty and broke up. I was on my own, away from my parents, away from my church, and surrounded by charming Southern gentlemen. Everywhere I turned there were hot guys: in the dorms, in the showers, in the pool, in the gym. They ate with me, and studied with me, and wrestled with me during "Man Games" on Thursday nights. But I wasn't about to make a move on any of them. After all, this was Liberty...

Side-note: it was a little weird reading this story because Liberty University is in my hometown.

Tenn. Republican Lambasted For "Study Or Starve" Policy

The Religious Right: Let The Boys Dance

Two guys want to go to a dance together at a Catholic school. We all know how this is going to go, right? Well think again:

March 27, 2013 

Dear Sisters and Brothers of our McQuaid Jesuit Community: 

Our new Holy Father, Pope Francis, in the homily for his Inaugural Mass, had encouraging and inviting words: "Today amid so much darkness we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others. To protect creation and to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope, it is to let a ray of light break through heavy clouds." 

Darkness and heavy clouds have gathered here at McQuaid recently because of misinformation, fear, misunderstanding, and even anger. That misinformation, fear, misunderstanding, and even anger came about after two of our brothers asked whether they could attend the Junior Ball together. Into the darkness of misinformation, fear, misunderstanding and anger, together with Pope Francis, I invite and encourage each and every one of us in the McQuaid family to be men and women who bring hope to one another. I invite and encourage each and every one of us in the McQuaid family to be men and women who look upon one another with tenderness and love. I invite and encourage each and every one of us in the McQuaid family to open up a horizon of hope, to let a ray of light break through heavy clouds. 

I myself would like to let a ray of light break through by correcting some misinformation. It is simply not true, as was reported and as many seem to have assumed, that a decision had been made by McQuaid authorities not to allow the young men in question to attend the Junior Ball. No decision had been made. 

I would like to let a ray of light enter into the darkness of fear. I, together with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, who in their Pastoral Message, "Always Our Children," ". . . call on all Christians and citizens of good will to confront their own fears about homosexuality and to curb the humor and discrimination that offend homosexual persons. We understand that having a homosexual orientation brings with it enough anxiety, pain and issues related to self-acceptance without society bringing additional prejudicial treatment." 

I would like to let a ray of light enter into possible misunderstanding of the Church's teaching. In that same message, Always Our Children, the Bishops are clear --"Nothing in the Bible or in Catholic teaching can be used to justify prejudicial or discriminatory attitudes and behaviors." The Bishops continue: "It is also important to recognize that neither a homosexual orientation, nor a heterosexual one, leads inevitably to sexual activity. One's total personhood is not reducible to sexual orientation or behavior." In that same message, the Bishops refer to a 1986 Letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which emphasizes that "Respect for the God-given dignity of all persons means the recognition of human rights and responsibilities. The teachings of the Church make it clear that the fundamental human rights of homosexual persons must be defended and that all of us must strive to eliminate any forms of injustice, oppression, or violence against them." 

The Bishops continue, "It is not sufficient only to avoid unjust discrimination. Homosexual persons 'must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity' (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2358). They, as is true of every human being, need to be nourished at many different levels simultaneously. This includes friendship, [brotherhood] which is a way of loving and is essential to healthy human development. It is one of the richest possible human experiences. Friendship can and does thrive outside of sexual involvement." 

Lastly, I would like to let a ray of light into the darkness that anger can bring. Based on the misinformation circulating and a certain misunderstanding of Church teaching, some people began posting prejudicial and humiliating comments in the social media. Speaking or writing or acting out of anger is not usually helpful. Others, however, deeply concerned for the dignity and respect of all persons, wrote thoughtful and encouraging e-mail messages to McQuaid officials. 

In conclusion and in the hope that I and all of us at McQuaid Jesuit will let a ray of light break through the darkness and the heavy clouds that have surrounded us, I have made the decision that, if our two brothers who have asked to attend the Junior Ball together wish to do so, they will be welcomed. 

With this decision I am not contradicting the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church with regard to human sexuality; I am not encouraging nor am I condoning homosexual activity just as I do not encourage or condone heterosexual activity at a dance. I am not contradicting the Church's opposition to the redefinition of marriage. With this decision I invite and encourage us all, as Pope Francis does, to exercise care, protection, goodness which calls for a certain tenderness "which is not a virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness." 

Sincerely in the Lord, 

Edward F.Salmon, S.J. President

I love it when religious groups surprise me, and I love being able to do this feature. Both things happen very rarely. Of course, as he says, Father Solomon is far from waving around a rainbow flag. but at least the boys can go to their dance together.

h/t Gryphen at "The Immoral Minority"

The Uselessness of Abstinence-Only "Education"

Florida GOP Seeks To Breach 1st Amendment

From The Examiner:

At issue is the language of the [Florida] constitution which currently says:

There shall be no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting or penalizing the free exercise thereof. Religious freedom shall not justify practices inconsistent with public morals, peace or safety. No revenue of the state or any political subdivision or agency thereof shall ever be taken from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution.

Republicans would desperately like to change the wording to this:

There shall be no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting or penalizing the free exercise thereof. Religious freedom shall not justify practices inconsistent with public morals, peace, or safety. No individual or entity may be discriminated against or barred from receiving funding on the basis of religious identity or belief.

You will note the language will not be changed to explicitly say "it is legal to spend public money on religious institutions." It adds the word discriminated, which adds no legislative power to the document as discrimination is a subjective term. However, barred is specific. What was illegal before -- spending public money on religious institutions -- will now be legal, if the amendment is passed it will be illegal to make it illegal to stop public money from being spent on religious institutions.