Laramie County GOP adopts platform

CHEYENNE AP) — Laramie County Republicans adopted a platform that called for students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and be allowed to pray in schools.

Also, the platform opposed enacting special laws against so-called “hate crimes,” or crimes motivated by a person’s race, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

The platform was adopted Saturday. It also:

–Urged making English the national language and official language of the state, and closing U.S. borders to illegal crossings.

–Called on the Legislature to define marriage as the union of only a man and woman, and to deny recognition of civil unions.

The subsection on religion states:

Purpose. The standards enable all students to become aware and accepting of religious diversity while being allowed to remain secure in any religious beliefs they may already have.

Method. The standards will be achieved by depicting, when appropriate, the diversity of religious beliefs held in the United States and California, as well as in other societies, without displaying bias toward or prejudice against any of those beliefs or religious beliefs in general.

Applicability of Standards. The standards are derived to a degree from the United States and the California constitutions and relate closely to the requirements concerning the portrayal of cultural diversity. Compliance is required.

1. Adverse reflection. No religious belief or practice may be held up to ridicule and no religious group may be portrayed as inferior.

2. Indoctrination. Any explanation or description of a religious belief or practice should be presented in a manner that does not encourage or discourage belief or indoctrinate the student in any particular religious belief.

3. Diversity. When religion is discussed or depicted, portrayals of contemporary American society should reflect religious diversity.

If you live in any other state, you should research existing laws and standards, including the state code of education and supplementary standards guidelines. If there are diversity requirements, try to leverage them, if there aren’t pressure your state board of education to add explicit protections like this.

One note: sadly the legislature can pass specific laws, like the section in the California Code of Education which states that the Pledge of Allegiance “shall satisfy the requirement” of a daily patriotic activity. Even if it is in flagrant contradiction to another law, the state schools can’t argue or reverse it, it’s got to go to court.

See: California: Pledge Optional

I think we are dealing with a sticky wicket.
Whatever happened to science, english, and math?

If we look at the state mandated standards for public high schools we can get a pretty good overview of the state perspective on expectation for students upon graduation. Surprisingly, it is almost impossible to get specific high shcool curriculums. If we look specifically at Georgia, the subject of the post, it is interesting to see what they require in the core science curriculum for graduation. (http://www.georgiastandards.org/science.aspx). I think any student that achieves that standard (coded SB4 in their system) has enough background in science as well as biology in general and genetics/biochemistry in particular to be able to assess the validity of concepts such as evolution even though I never saw the word in the standards.

I am not aware of any AgnosticMom readers from Georgia. Is there anyone out there? If so, speak up! We can help you locate local humanist organizations out there and the ACLU. You can get involved and be the lifeline from them to AgnosticMom. I’ll post updates about your efforts.

Please tell us if a Georgian is out there and I’ll get in contact with you and hook you up with Fran and local groups.

Civil and moral behavior standards can be taught without religious connotation. Parents are at liberty to indoctrinate their off spring in all manner of religious activity at times other than the 6 or so hours a day they spend in the classroom. And, of course, if they have the means, parents are also at liberty to send their progeny off to private, religious schools.

The drive toward religious teaching in public schools is promulgated by parent’s fear that the efforts to brainwash their kids will be threatened if the little ones were to be exposed (horror of horrors!) to the secular world. Heaven forbid!

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For example, the currently used versions of the Gospels claim writers that the earliest versions didn’t claim. They also were almost positively written later than the deaths of the supposed authors. I doubt they will be teaching that though. And you sure wouldn’t figure it out just by using the Bible.

More specifics on what is and isn’t allowed:

House lawmakers changed the bill by taking out requirements that the New Testament courses document the parables of Jesus and the travels of Paul. The changes, which now must be approved by the Senate, makes no mention of Jesus or any religious leaders.

The proposal also requires that the courses should be taught “in an objective and nondevotional manner with no attempt made to indoctrinate students.”

I had at least one teacher, if not more, in Kansas that testified to the class (casually)about Jesus. If that happened in a completely non-rlated class subject, I don’t have high hopes that believing teachers will be able to stay completely objective.

In addition, even if the teachers don’t spread their faith, students (rightfully) are legally allowed to express their own religious views. These courses can turn into an evangelical tool just by having enthustiastic students in the class.

That being said, I had a great Humanities class in high school that studied world religion, including some of the Bible. I remember my teaching saying how absurd it is to think that the children of Adam and Eve all married each other and had children together without serious problems. Of course, I had a very non-scientific retort that made no sense to anyone but myself and the religious.

I read on a blog somewhere that one of the Georgia lawmakers said in an interview something about how this law is so important because we need to increase faith. The blogger didn’t document any source for it, though, and I haven’t been able to find it myself.

We need to keep our eyes on this situation. I think Hifi’s right. We’re losing ground in a Christian fight to take over the country and we don’t have a battle plan.

I went to a public grade school in Indianapolis back in the 1950s. For 2 or 3 of those years my class (and presumably others) were taken to the presbyterian church adjacent to the school once a week for a religious class. As it happened, that was also the church my family more or less attended. I thought it was cool. However, I dimly remember that there were a couple of kids whose parents objected to this practice. I believe they were catholics. Of course, this made their kids targets. I remember my mother saying in this regard that if those parents didn’t like it, they should send their kids to catholic school. Of course, that is a specious argument. Then as now, public schools should NOT be providing religious training of any kind. For any government entity to mandate bible instruction in its public schools ignores this nation’s diversity, and is an insult to people of non-christian traditions, let alone non-believers. It is sad to be once again reminded that many of our politicians at all levels of government are, essentially narrow minded, ignorant sycophants.

I also remember while attending Indiana University in the early 1970s being in a freshmen level lit class wherein we were obliged to study portions of the King James bible as literature. At that time I had only recently adorned myself in the athiest’s cloak. (How’s that for a turn of phrase, huh?) At first I was taken aback that I would be expected to study the bible in a state university. Happily, however, the professor, Dr. Wertheim, who was of jewish heritage was quick to point out to the class that no religious or moral lessens would be brought to bear on us. We were simply studying the story telling traditions of other cultures which was consistent with other material we were to read. In fact, Dr. Wertheim was the first person in my experience who pointed out some of the contradictions and inconsistencies in the christian bible. While I never discovered whether he was or was not a believer, I suspect he was not. He took some joy in enlightening us about the angry, vengeful, non-forgiving old testament god, and other issues which did not correlate to modern teachings of the supposed kinder and gentler benevolent god who loved us all - sinner and saint alike. He suggested that it was all a load of, well -doodoo.

It can be instructive to study the bible, but not as it is intended by the Georgia legislature.

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