Charles Darwin, Tulsa (12/20/2008 3:40:38 AM)

Mister Dobson, since you want the free exchange of ideas, when may we Pastafarians come to your church and explain the Flying Spaghetti Monster?

IMO, Tulsa (12/20/2008 4:33:08 AM)

Flying Spaghetti Monster?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Is that why they call it higher education?

Dr. Strangelove, Tulsa (12/20/2008 6:14:52 AM)

Good, well reasoned letter.

Brad, Tulsa (12/20/2008 6:22:30 AM)

This is the first time I've seen the article writer reference a TW poster & not the other way around!! (Way to go Charles!!)

droopy, wagoner (12/20/2008 6:43:31 AM)

Good letter Mr. Dobson, pay no attention to the lib-dims, they treat all reason this way.

Charles Darwin, Tulsa (12/20/2008 6:47:10 AM)

droop, "lib-dims?" Time for BYDog to wake up and bark at you.

Popeye, T-Town (12/20/2008 6:56:54 AM)

It's a good letter, reasonable and well argued. In fact today's paper shows that LTTE's don't have to be vapid and moronic; several well written letters were chosen for print.

Now why don't all you folks do what I did and send a subscription to the Tulsa World to someone for a gift? My sister (who moved to Maryland in the late 1800's) is getting three months, delivered to her door in Maryland!

Popeye, T-Town (12/20/2008 7:08:13 AM)

She's a nudist, to this very day!! Argh-h-h-h!!

Charles Darwin, Tulsa (12/20/2008 7:52:03 AM)

Popeye's sister "moved to Maryland in the late 1800's." That's very good, but what's much better is that somebody is soon going to move from Pennsylvania Avenue in the 1600s.

Bville Yellow Dog, Bville (12/20/2008 8:21:21 AM)

Woof.... We Pastafarians being supporters of Intelligent Design are ready and willing to help this effort. The Flying Spaghetti Monster after all was the one who put those fake fossils all around to fool the unfaithful.
Of course we will insist on equal time too. Sauce recipes on every school room wall, monuments to rigatoni on every court house lawn, FSM holiday pageants at every school.
Pls ignore CD thought - he is a member of a heritic basil sect.

Truth Patrol, Tulsa (12/20/2008 8:50:57 AM)

"That's very good, but what's much better is that somebody is soon going to move from Pennsylvania Avenue in the 1600s."

Unfortunately for everyone, whether you think so or not, a crook is moving in on the same day.

KJNOKIE, TULSA (12/20/2008 8:53:20 AM)

Why not teach creationism in school? We have the Judeo-Christian view, the Shinto view, the American Indian view, Hindu view, African and South American tribes' views . . . . Of course Christians only want their view taught. They might be careful what they wish for in getting this law. They may get more than they want.

Proud Muslim, Tulsa: Coolest place in the world (almost) (12/20/2008 9:22:31 AM)

Good letter, Mr. Dobson. I agree.

Bville Yellow Dog, Bville (12/20/2008 9:35:51 AM)

No a crook and war criminal is moving OUT of the White House on 1/20

tsoi, Tulsa Metro Area (12/20/2008 9:37:31 AM)

This bill is useless. Educators are not asking the sort of open ended question that will allow an alternate answer of any kind.

This is just a case of republicans pandering to their religious base.

But here is something I think is more important, one of the most important things we learn in school is the ability to figure out what the answer should be, regardless of how the question is worded. If your teacher is presenting on a subject, you better be able to follow along in that subject, and if they ask you a question, you better be able to assume it is about the subject being discussed. If your answer is off subject, for any reason, the assumption will be that you are not listening.

gadfly, Broken Arrow (12/20/2008 9:45:03 AM)

If the public schools were to teach every creation myth known to man -- and there are thousands of them -- nothing else could be taught in such a class. So to include such myths -- in a science class -- would mean that no science could be taught. But, then, that would be in keeping with God's warning in Genesis: "Man shalt not eat from the tree of knowledge." Translation: The greatest threat to religion is science.

Pat Smith, Duryea, Pa. (12/20/2008 9:54:25 AM)

Sounds like Mr. Nipp's must believe that letters to the editor are just an "Insult to journalism". I need to keep my rights as a Roman Catholic to keep on saying; neither religions nor unions belong in politics.

libdem, (12/20/2008 9:56:40 AM)

tsoi
in public schools you are taught to regurgiatate whatever the teacher has taught from the teachers guide that was subscribed to them. Forget religion or the views against a religion, it is forbidden to have a free or constrasting views of any type. Just follow the same lead as your teachers, like a lemming, and you will get through high school with honors.

Scritchner, Tulsa (12/20/2008 10:03:47 AM)

"Force feeding students the same old material without allowing them to question is not teaching. It is indoctrination. "

Has she heard of Catholicism? Haha

Skeptic, Tulsa (12/20/2008 10:31:44 AM)

Religious beliefs are a choice. They shouldn't be taught in school.

Besides, in future, I don't wish to undergo surgery by a doctor who attended the "2 + 2 = 5, God Told Me So School".

Get a grip christians, your beliefs are a choice, not science.

my view, Sand Springs (12/20/2008 10:34:26 AM)

Republicans pander to their religious base.

Democrats pander to their socialist base.

What's difference?

Skeptic, Tulsa (12/20/2008 10:59:41 AM)

Democrats have evidence

Incredulous, (12/20/2008 11:01:31 AM)

Think madrassas.

Karl, Tulsa (12/20/2008 11:37:08 AM)

There are (at least) two problems with this bill.
1) A lot of it is unnecessary. For example:
"Students may organize prayer groups, religious clubs, "see you at the pole" gatherings, or other religious gatherings before, during, and after school to the same extent that students are permitted to organize other noncurricular student activities and groups. Religious groups shall be given the same access to school facilities for
assembling as is given to other noncurricular groups without discrimination based on the religious content of the student expression. If student groups that meet for nonreligious activities are permitted to advertise or announce meetings of the groups, the school district shall not discriminate against groups that meet for
prayer or other religious speech."

All of that is already guaranteed by the Constitution.

2) Some of it, the meat of it, is, at best, confusing, at worst self-contadictory, disruptive and destructive of good science education. For example:
"Students may express their beliefs about religion in homework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free from discrimination based on the religious content of their submissions.
Homework and classroom assignments shall be judged by ordinary academic standards of substance and relevance and against other
legitimate pedagogical concerns identified by the school district.
Students shall not be penalized or rewarded on account of the religious content of their work."

If assignments are to be judged by ordinary standards in a science class, then how can they expect a religious answer - like God did it - not to be marked as incorrect?
Yet that is what the intention of this section is. This bill intends for students to be able to say "I don't believe in evolution, the bible says ..." and get credit for that answer.
The problem is going to come when a teacher marks the bible answer wrong and the student complains. There will be a lawsuit. The school district will have to spend a million dollars trying to defend an indefensible position (see the Dover trial).

kerugma, Broken Arrow (12/20/2008 11:43:53 AM)

"Those of us who would be in favor of such a bill are not "anti-scientific,"

Amen! That's exactly the point that the atheists and those who look to Sience for their sustanence and salvation need to realize.