4 ms·

Rare look into a bible belt classroom

11 points by georgecmu 16y ago

lukeqsee 16y ago
It's one thing to give both sides a fair hearing. Entirely different to not address science. Whether or not you believe in evolution, it's the popular belief, and on that virtue alone should receive an adequate explanation and hearing. The arguments the students used also showed they have very little idea of correct argumentation. Maybe science isn't all they are lacking in ... And to be fair, I believe in Creation, but that doesn't mean I think what was going on in that classroom to be good. It's unfair to the kids to teach either without proper evidence and backing.
- spamizbad 16y ago
  Creationism doesn't get a say in Science class. It's science class. And lets be honest here: When people talk about teaching intelligent design, or creator origin, or whatever, it exclusively focuses on the Abrahamic idea of the matter, paying no mind to the Dharmic or Taoic ideas on the origin. So not only is it completely out of place, but it's also grossly incomplete, biased, and serves no purpose other than the reinforce our society's dominant religious cultures, rather than to give students a better understanding of the world around them.
  - Tamerlin 16y ago
    It also serves to further the lack of religious freedom in our nation; even though the Constitution grants us that freedom, our own people take it away from each other. We're just less aggressive about it than the catholic church has been during rougher times (e.g. inquisition, crusades).
abstractbill 16y ago
This was merely run-of-the-mill shocking until the very last student spoke.
- btilly 16y ago
  If that shocked you, then you haven't been paying attention to how different different parts of the US are, and how much of the US has never really digested science.
- greyfade 16y ago
  His question is very telling: Most Christian children are brought up without one particular, very salient point being brought up about the religion's origins. That is, nearly everyone in the Bible is not white. That they are, in fact, of Arab or Egyptian descent. "White" people don't even enter the picture until the New Testament. So without this knowledge, kids grow up thinking that Jews were Whitey McWhiterson of Northern Ireland, which is partially reinforced by all of the imagery of Jesus, etc. being of European origin, and the implied racism that often brews in their local community as a result. These kids are implicitly convinced that Adam and Eve were "white," though no one has even suggested the thought. I'm starting to wonder if this is probably where the "white supremacy" ideology comes from. So the kid is not merely misinformed about evolution; he is, in fact, misinformed about his own religion. Oh, the disappointment I feel.
mgrouchy 16y ago
I don't believe in Creation, but my beliefs have nothing to do with it. The main problem with Creation being taught in Science class is that it is not science. If you want to teach Creation, teach it in Religion class.
ary 16y ago
The link title is a bit hyperbolic. Looking into a bible belt classroom is as easy as interviewing (or simply just talking to) current and former students and faculty. Having grown up in the bible belt I can attest to how backwards the approach to knowledge (not just science) is. Critical analysis and logic are far, far down on the totem pole compared to propping up incumbent biases. In fact critical analysis (and I use that term loosely) is often only viewed as valid if it supports a pre-determined viewpoint. This is probably not a surprise to anyone who has spent even a brief period of time in southern US, but it can be easy to forget how much of a real every day occurrence it is.
jackfoxy 16y ago
Isn't there supposed to be some HN standard of keeping the original article's title? What's the justification for changing the post title in this case? EDIT: I don't mean to pick on this poster, I just have been noticing changed titles a lot lately.
- georgecmu 16y ago
  I used the title of the video that the blog post embedded.

11 points by georgecmu 16y ago

It's one thing to give both sides a fair hearing. Entirely different to not address science. Whether or not you believe in evolution, it's the popular belief, and on that virtue alone should receive an adequate explanation and hearing. The arguments the students used also showed they have very little idea of correct argumentation. Maybe science isn't all they are lacking in ... And to be fair, I believe in Creation, but that doesn't mean I think what was going on in that classroom to be good. It's unfair to the kids to teach either without proper evidence and backing.

spamizbad 16y ago
Creationism doesn't get a say in Science class. It's science class. And lets be honest here: When people talk about teaching intelligent design, or creator origin, or whatever, it exclusively focuses on the Abrahamic idea of the matter, paying no mind to the Dharmic or Taoic ideas on the origin. So not only is it completely out of place, but it's also grossly incomplete, biased, and serves no purpose other than the reinforce our society's dominant religious cultures, rather than to give students a better understanding of the world around them.
- Tamerlin 16y ago
  It also serves to further the lack of religious freedom in our nation; even though the Constitution grants us that freedom, our own people take it away from each other. We're just less aggressive about it than the catholic church has been during rougher times (e.g. inquisition, crusades).

abstractbill 16y ago

This was merely run-of-the-mill shocking until the very last student spoke.

btilly 16y ago
If that shocked you, then you haven't been paying attention to how different different parts of the US are, and how much of the US has never really digested science.
greyfade 16y ago
His question is very telling: Most Christian children are brought up without one particular, very salient point being brought up about the religion's origins. That is, nearly everyone in the Bible is not white. That they are, in fact, of Arab or Egyptian descent. "White" people don't even enter the picture until the New Testament. So without this knowledge, kids grow up thinking that Jews were Whitey McWhiterson of Northern Ireland, which is partially reinforced by all of the imagery of Jesus, etc. being of European origin, and the implied racism that often brews in their local community as a result. These kids are implicitly convinced that Adam and Eve were "white," though no one has even suggested the thought. I'm starting to wonder if this is probably where the "white supremacy" ideology comes from. So the kid is not merely misinformed about evolution; he is, in fact, misinformed about his own religion. Oh, the disappointment I feel.

mgrouchy 16y ago

I don't believe in Creation, but my beliefs have nothing to do with it. The main problem with Creation being taught in Science class is that it is not science. If you want to teach Creation, teach it in Religion class.

ary 16y ago

The link title is a bit hyperbolic. Looking into a bible belt classroom is as easy as interviewing (or simply just talking to) current and former students and faculty. Having grown up in the bible belt I can attest to how backwards the approach to knowledge (not just science) is. Critical analysis and logic are far, far down on the totem pole compared to propping up incumbent biases. In fact critical analysis (and I use that term loosely) is often only viewed as valid if it supports a pre-determined viewpoint. This is probably not a surprise to anyone who has spent even a brief period of time in southern US, but it can be easy to forget how much of a real every day occurrence it is.

jackfoxy 16y ago

Isn't there supposed to be some HN standard of keeping the original article's title? What's the justification for changing the post title in this case? EDIT: I don't mean to pick on this poster, I just have been noticing changed titles a lot lately.

georgecmu 16y ago
I used the title of the video that the blog post embedded.