Rou

The Oklahoma House of Reps passed a bill. The State senate has not yet passed it. I hope they never do. The gist of this bill is that if a student expresses an answer that is correct in line with his or her religious beliefs, the answer should be considered correct, even if it is not in line with modern scientific theory.

The idea is that a student can bring discussion of religious ideas up in science class and not be penalized for it. They say it's protect a students freedom of religion and expression. Iffy, but understandable.I disagree, but that's me. However, this bill is so poorly written that it goes further.

A school district shall treat a student’s voluntary expression of a religious viewpoint, if any, on an otherwise permissible subject in the same manner the district treats a student’s voluntary expression of a secular or other viewpoint on an otherwise permissible subject and may not discriminate against the student based on a religious viewpoint expressed by the student on an otherwise permissible subject.

That is worded in such a way that test and homework answers can fall under this bill. That means if a student anwsers "How old is the Earth?" with 6000 years old, the teacher is required to accept the answer as correct.

This bill is EXACTLY what I bitch about so much about not allowing religious ideas to be discussed in science class. Science is about details and correctness. We KNOW the earth is over 4 billion years old. If a student claims it's 6000 years, that answer can and must be considered WRONG. Sorry, them's the breaks.

Moreover, it invalids ANY answer as wrong. You can belief in the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and use pasta-farian answers. As long as you "believe" the answer is correct as a result of a religious belief, it must be accepted. Seriously, have you ever met a teenager who couldn't spit out some bullshit belief that supports his wrong answer? Me either.

School is about correct and incorrect. It's about instilling ideas and methodologies to assist the growth of children into adults. This bill throws all of that away in the pursuit of religious ideology. It's everything that's wrong with allowing religion and public education to mix rolled into one bill.

“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” - Philip K. Dick