A new report titled, Reading, Writing and Religion II, distributed by the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund reveals that publicly funded schools in Texas are teaching from an evangelical, conservative Christian perspective. The study, conducted by Mark A. Chancey who is a Professor of Religious Studies at Southern Methodist University, cites examples of lessons that are rooted in fundamentalist dogma, include instructing children that the Earth is approximately 6,000 years old, Judaism is a “flawed and incomplete religion” and Africans are decedents of Ham who were cursed by Noah, a story that has been used to justify racism in the past.
Other disturbing lessons include:
• The United States is a Christian nation founded on biblical principles
• The Bible is literally true
• Christians will be “raptured”
• Watching an episode of the television series “Ancient Aliens” which is presented as a “historic documentary”
AATTP
I can’t believe that majority Texas school teaches something like this. Christian religion never could accept it. Because for God it’s not important the color of our skin, but to Him what’s important is what we fell, if we really love our brother and how much we help and we forgive other men attacks. God looks only for our heart and He doesn’t mind if we are black or white.
I am sorry for those children who are receiving an inadequate education-they will be fit for basically whatever low level job their parents have.
Don’t mess with Texas; it’s already a mess sufficient unto itself. And to think some of my ancestors went to war to take this mess away from Mexico! What were they thinking?
These schools are violating the Supreme Court decision that public schools are allowed to teach the Bible as literature, but NOT as religion. Parents need to go class action lawsuit ASAP.
“These schools are violating the Supreme Court decision that public schools are allowed to teach the Bible as literature, but NOT as religion. Parents need to go class action lawsuit ASAP.”
The problem is that this is done with the parent, principle, and school board approval. I’ve been there. I had a principle pull me out of class and demand to know why I was teaching evolution to my students. I had to show her the science TEKS that require it. She didn’t want me to do it, but couldn’t say anything since she was constantly harping on teaching the TEKS.
Keep in mind that the report list some 53 school districts out the over 1200 in Texas have this problem. Also, there are numerous school districts where the course is taught correctly.
Instead of writing inflammatory comments, perhaps some other tactics would be more useful. Like contacting the school boards of these districts (with copies to local and national papers) expressing that these are not concepts that can be taught in public schools and mentioning the ramifications of continuing these practices. Remind them that every single court case about such teaching in public schools has been lost by the school district with significant impacts on the financial resources of the district.
Don’t scream at them that they are racist. They know they are and they don’t care. These types of people think that they are fighting to save their cultural heritage and don’t care about equality or ethical, moral or legal behavior. The teachers teaching this way and the schools that allow it would be doing this with or without the ‘legal protection’ enacted by the legislature. The recent Freshwater case in Ohio (Panda’s Thumb has an excellent history of the whole thing) shows this perfectly.
The only thing that will make these school districts act correctly is a court case or national recognition and actual audio or video of these practices. Honestly, a court case would be the only thing that would do it and that would last only as long as the court was watching them.
Yes, fight them, but the best case is that when the kids being taught this leave home and go to university, they will see what the real world is like and (hopefully) will have the moral fortitude to change on their own. Every time that happens, the fundamentalists lose a person and all that persons descendants.
I doubt seriously this book is being used in any mainstream public school district in Texas.
it sounds like a book that a religious affiliated PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL is allowed to use.
I know it’s not in my school’s district. Our school board would toss it in the trash!
What book?
What will all these children do, as adults. in this high tech world? Seems to me Texas in creating generations of unemployable people who will end up as “takers” as they won’t be qualified to hold a job.
You know, thinking that all Texans are ignorant hicks who are Bible thumping fundmentalists is just as bigoted and unreasonable as the material being taught in these classes.
As a former Texas science teacher, I have to tell you it’s freaking hard to teach actual science. Especially when your principle doesn’t even know the standards that you have to teach to. (Which BTW are pretty good science education standards, not perfect, but better than say Oklahoma, Missouri, Georgia, and Louisiana.)
But go ahead, don’t let the people who are trying to make a difference in our state by fighting against an entrenched majority. No, just continue to yell about how stupid the entire state is. It really helps…
We’re not sure who your comment is directed at, but want you to know that we do not think, nor did our article imply, that all Texans are “ignorant hicks who are Bible thumping fundamentalists.” We want nothing more than for Blue Texans to take their state back to something similar to the glory days of Ann Richards. We are only distributing this information to HELP that cause, not hurt it.
Would you mind helping by mentioning in your article that there are only 53 school districts that are doing this out of the 12+ school districts in the state and (as mentioned in the research report) that many school districts are teaching the course correctly?
We as outsiders can’t do anything to fix Texas. Its up to you. Keep fighting the good fight instead of complaining about outsiders who view the morons in your state the exact same way you seem to.
Jamestingle, we don’t think all Texans are ignorant hicks. We just think that the proportion of ignorant hicks to reasonable/intelligent human beings is at an unhealthy level in Texas.
YES! We’ll also raise relocation funding! Head North! :)
Screw you jackasses for suggesting Texas secede. We aren’t going anywhere. And if you think that all Texans are ignorant hicks, then you are just as bigoted as the people that you have a problem with.
You’re own governor has suggested secession- and I agree. Be you’re own “country”- see how Mexico responds. Good riddance to the jackass bigots.
James, I live here too. While I am with you – Texas should not secede, for the “UNITED STATES” sake, and “ALL” Texans are NOT ignorant hicks – if we lined them up, “ignorant hicks” in one line, intelligent thinkers/actors in another, there is absolute truth to which line would be longer. At the head of the line would be our amazingly fantastic and intelligent (sarcasm) own Rick Perry.
Perhaps then you folks in Texas who OPPOSE this sort of madness ought to stand up and yell about it. All we hear outside of your state that makes us suppose you might be reasonable is “Austin City Limits” on PBS. Qui tacet consentit.
We don’t mean you. And no, not every Texan, but far too many.
Please please please secede. We don’t need you and you don’t want us, so why fight it?
Well, you ARE ignorant hicks and Bible thumpers as proven by the laws you pass..
I would take my children out of public schools and teach them at home.
yes me too
Attention Texans: please secede from the US. We already have enough idiots and bigots and it will help to raise the average IQ.
Agree, Perry. And when they leave I’d love to tell them not to let the door hit them in the Tex-ass.
Liberal Atheist living in Houston here. If they secede, can I come live with you? …. Please?
Yes!
If not, you can always become an illegal immigrant. ;)
Please, do so.
And take all those other wingnuts with you…
Hello! I am a born and raised Texan. However, my parents taught me the difference between fact and religion. They taught me that school cannot tell me what religion I am or should be. They taught me that if I wanted to have religion, that was fine, but they did not tell me which religion I ought to be. I was taught about lots of religions. For a little bit, as a young child, I ever swore that I believed in the Roman myths and gods because I heard their names on Sailor Moon. As I got older, things changed. I am a proud atheist. I am rational, and educated. I used to not be alone in being a rational person here. My friends moved away because of reasons in the video. I ask you not to tell us to secede, but for rational people to move back. I ask that then, we vote Perry out! He is the reason for this! He wants to dumb down public schools so that children that can afford it can go to private school and make an elite class! I also remind you that most private schools in Texas are Christian schools. Please, someone needs to save us! it is not a lot of these people’s fault that they are this way either, it is because we are told we are evil if we do not agree. We are told to be scared of Hell. We are told liberals will all go to Hell, so we MUST all vote Perry. I just wanted to use this website as a plea for help, and also to tell you that it is not how you think. People do not choose to be like this, they are brain washed at a young age at home and at schools. We need change but no one will help bring it.