The Livingston Parish School Board will begin exploring the possibility of incorporating the teaching of “creationism” in the public school system’s science classes.

During the board’s meeting Thursday, several board members expressed an interest in the teaching of creationism, an alternative to the study of the theory of evolution, in Livingston Parish public school classrooms.

Benton said that under provisions of the Science Education Act enacted last year by the Louisiana Legislature, schools can present what she termed “critical thinking and creationism” in science classes.

Board Member David Tate quickly responded: “We let them teach evolution to our children, but I think all of us sitting up here on this School Board believe in creationism. Why can’t we get someone with religious beliefs to teach creationism?”

Fellow board member Clint Mitchell responded, “I agree … you don’t have to be afraid to point out some of the fallacies with the theory of evolution. Teachers should have the freedom to look at creationism and find a way to get it into the classroom.”

(source)

This “Science Education Act” is basically a way to legalize a rape of the scientific process to get creationism into schools under the guise of “critical thinking”…  My ass. Basically, it’s a shortcut to give religious mythology a way into the classroom without requiring any evidence, testable theories, peer-reviewed research, or any science at all, actually.

This offense against reason and science reminds me of a similar case of fundamentalist Christians imposing their religious beliefs through school board actions. In Dover, Pennsylvania, the crisis came when Intelligent Design was touted as real science and worthy of special teaching time in the classroom. The court case is spectacular, and a victory for science in schools.

Nova ran a  great documentary piece on the Kitzmiller vs. Dover case. You can watch it all right here:

Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial

Click here to view the embedded video.

So what should happen in Louisiana? Is the Science Education Act something that could be repealed? What will happen to those schools? Will we be able to achieve another Dover victory in Livingston Parish?

Such a great clip. Freedom of religion is for everyone, not just Christians. You’d think this would be a “Duh!” statement, but alas…

This is what it’s like when you teach that believing an illogical and impossible myth by faith is better than observing the real world and not making shit up.

from 'Wonderfully Made' (1967)

I used to think my education about sexuality and reproduction was sub-par, but this woman who wrote in to the advice column Ask Amy takes the cake, cookies, and the whole damn tub of ice cream.

Dear Amy: My husband and I are devout Catholics. We have chosen to protect the innocence of our 7-year-old son by not educating him about the “facts of life” until he hits puberty.

We have told him that the Virgin Mary puts a baby on your doorstep if you pray for one. He is in a Catholic school, so we don’t have to worry about “sexual education.”

My sister knows about our choice, but she does not approve of it. She is pregnant. Recently, she wore a “Baby on Board” T-shirt when visiting.

Our son asked about it, but I did not know what to tell him! What should I do if a problem like this arises in the future?

— Worried Mom

My reaction:

And then I nearly peed myself.

This is ridiculous even for Catholics. This poor child—who will undoubtedly discover the magical powers of his penis before his parents even admit he has one—can only be defined as a victim. His parents’ efforts to shelter him from all knowledge and curiosity will fail miserably thanks to his friends, television, the internet, and print media. They may be Super Catholics™, but they don’t live in a bubble.

I can understand the desire to protect your children from the more crude and basic aspects of life as much as possible, but by blatantly lying about something as obvious as  Mary “the Stork” Mother of Jesus and the fact that babies grow in a mother’s womb they are also killing his trust in them later once he finds out they deceived him. Why should he listen to anything they have to say about sex or the bible when they lie about something so innocent?

One of the main thrusts of Catholic morality is to wait until marriage to have intercourse. If this boy doesn’t learn that babies are a natural consequence of intercourse, he will be even more likely to go out and have sex early on, won’t he? And what a surprise it would be to have a young girl pregnant and the parents hearing their son say, “But I didn’t pray to Mary for a baby. Why did she bring one?”

Don’t even get me started with the mother’s offense at a “Baby On Board” t-shirt.

Oh, but let’s not forget the columnist’s response! Here’s what Amy said:

Dear Mom: You could ask your son’s teachers or clergy for guidance, but because you’re asking me, I’ll respond by asking you: Isn’t an essential element of the drama of Jesus’ birth that he was born of a human mother?

In the biblical version of “Baby on Board,” wasn’t Mary “great with child” when she and Joseph stumbled into Nazareth?

A baby isn’t a newspaper, left on the doorstep by an omnipotent delivery person.

All animals and humans give birth to babies, and even if you don’t want to explain how babies are conceived, it is both truthful and religiously defensible to tell your son that babies grow inside their mother’s bodies (or “tummies”) until they are born. If you want to fabricate the story of how they got there, go for it.

Bravo, and I hope she gets some sense knocked into her.

P.S. The image in this blog post is from Wonderfully Made—an amusing children’s book about families from the point of view of the 1960′s Catholic church. Check it out. Classic gold!

Photo by discoodoni

I feel uncomfortable when it comes to making promises. Saying something like “I can absolutely do that for you.” or “I’ll send that to you ASAP” makes me wary. Why? Because I know myself.

I’m not completely trustworthy, especially when it comes to getting things done. I don’t want to promise anything until I know that I will actually do it and do it on time. Breaking a promise means losing someone’s trust. It also means that I was dishonest (even if unintentionally).

Bigger promises lke “I will always love you” and “I swear I will never ____ again” are obvious trouble-makers. But so many of us say them without worrying if we’ll later break those vows later on. But what if we didn’t promise anything? What would that be like, and would out loved ones have the same confidence and security with us? How would a wedding vow that says “I will try my best to love you for as long as we are compatible” sound?

Lying and promise-breaking also bothered me as a Christian believer. In high school I meditated on the themes of speech, lying, and the power of the tongue. Pardon me for a minute, because I’m about to give you all a little bible study:

• Matthew 12:36-37
• Proverbs 18:21
• Proverbs 19:5
• James 1:26

Yeah, yeah… fiery depths of hell for all liars, blah blah. We got it. But wait. Behind all the “die evildoers” text, I think these verses contain lessons about our speech that people of all religions and non-belief can live by:

• Live with integrity; be trustworthy
• Words have consequences
• Think before you speak

Do you make promises of love and commitment when you know you might not keep them? Do you make promises in general?

Have I got the solution for you!

The Hollow Book Flask Safe
$50.00 from SecretSafeBooks on Etsy.com

The way of salvation…nah.
Comfort in time of loneliness? Nope.
ALCOHOL! Yes! Cheers, mate!

“Help in time of need” indeed!

I wish I knew every one of these people. Hearing others with stories similar to my own helps me feel more connected with the world. If one of you submitted your clips to these compilations, thank you.

Does anyone in the videos share your story? Have you shared how you admitted, decided, or discovered you were an atheist? If you don’t mind sharing a link to your story, please do so in the comments!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

photo by Photo Giddy

What do you think? I’ve embedded the poll here and in the sidebar. Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Soooo correction two days late (sorry, I’ve been busy with a wedding): The embedded poll was shit, so let’s just vote in the sidebar Hopefully that still works. Thanks!

Photo by Dyanna (flickr.com)

Andrew left a thoughtful, interesting comment on my recent post about coming out to my family. I think it’s worth responding to at length, and I’d like you all to chime in if you feel inspired. What do you think about my decision?

Background

The only family member who does not know of my atheism is my brother. I love him very much, and he’s a great guy. I am intimidated, however, by his methods of confrontation, debate, and the tenacity with which he clings to and reveres his doctrines and traditions. He is a passionate conservative, KJV-only, fundamentalist Baptist preacher who loves to evangelize and debate (neither of which I have ever enjoyed).

“Sinning against yourself”

Andrew has this to say about my reluctance:

I can understand your feelings of wanting to keep people in the dark, it is easier to do nothing. My own coming out as atheist prompted a lot of negative comments from my family, but now I am so free! And after a few years have been able to mend fences.

I just want to say that by lying to your brother, you are sinning against yourself. What’s more important, his feelings or your being able to live in an honest, open way without cognitive dissonance?

Gonna be painful tho, I know how hurtful believers can be when they are saving the lost.

-Andrew

Privacy vs. Lying

I hear what Andrew is saying, and I admire him for coming out to his family and working through all of the backlash. I’d like to clarify things just for my own satisfaction:

And after a few years have been able to mend fences.

That’s right. It takes years. It’s like putting off excercising/dieting to lose weight because you know how long it will take to reach your goal and how hard it will be. Sure, it’s worth it to start (the sooner you do it, the sooner it’s over the hard parts). But that’s not what procrastinators do. I’m a procrastinator. I avoid difficult situations and put them off. That’s where I’m coming from.

I just want to say that by lying to your brother, you are sinning against yourself.

If you consider me not telling him about my religious choices as lying, then I can see your point. But I do not think I’m lying at all. If he asks me a question, I answer honestly. Sure, I’m not telling everything and am withholding some pretty key information about my opinions on certain issues, but I don’t think someone is necessarily lying to me if they don’t tell me about the most personal things going on in their lives.

It’s kind of like political discussions. I’m a progressive, and the rest of my blood family are staunch conservatives. If I don’t mention that I’m a progressive, or that I disagree with their views, or shout my opinions to the world… that doesn’t mean I’m lying to them. they may assume I share their views, but I might not.

I may be avoiding difficult situations–and I may be silly and scared of it–but I don’t think I’m doing it in a “sinful” (ugh, that word…) way.

godlessgirl

(GG)

Hey Jesus, I hope you enjoyed your short stay in hell. I'm sure those who burn eternally will appreciate the gracious, leisurely visit.

On 31-1-2010 10:51:25 from HootSuite

godlessgirl

(GG)

Hey Jesus, think you could have been someone else besides a rabbi who teaches in riddles? What do u want to do, weed out the dumb ones?

On 31-1-2010 10:52:46 from HootSuite

godlessgirl

(GG)

Hey Jesus, If you are bodily up in heaven right now, then heaven has to be within the physical universe, right? So how far is it from here?

On 31-1-2010 10:55:09 from HootSuite

godlessgirl

(GG)

Hey Jesus, if we're not 'sposed to put God to the test, he could at least return the favor.

On 31-1-2010 10:57:19 from HootSuite

godlessgirl

(GG)

Hey Jesus, you can tell me the truth--you think the apostle Paul is a douche too, right? right? *nudge*

On 31-1-2010 10:59:04 from HootSuite

I’ll let you know if I get a reply. What would you ask Jesus?