Wednesday, October 2, 2002
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Wednesday, October 2, 2002 |
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Another round in battle for our kids' minds By MONROE ROARK Cobb County, Georgia, is the latest district to stir up controversy over its decision to allow students in its public schools to hear an alternative theory of how we all got here. As a result, "smart" people around the country are weeping and wailing about how those poor children are going to be trailing behind when they get to college, because other kids are being exposed only to "real" science. The media, especially in Atlanta, is holding the Cobb County school system up to ridicule. Radio talk show host Neal Boortz announced last week, "I believe this species evolved. I do not believe this entire ball of wax was made in seven days," as if the very thought of it was beneath the dignity of intelligent people. Actually, Neal, it was six days according to Genesis, but we won't quibble over that. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's editorial page, amid cartoons showing the Cobb County folks just a hair above Neanderthals in development, has contemptuously compared creation supporters to those who would promote the Flat Earth theory. This has been done at least twice in the past year. A bit ironic, since the Bible - the creationist movement's, well, bible - actually says that the earth is round, Isaiah's reference to "the circle of the earth" having been penned some 3,000 years ago. But they thought Columbus was nuts, too, when he read that verse and believed it. So while the Bible stands to this day as having never been proven wrong scientifically, "smart" people around the United States continue to insist that the only way to keep "science" in the classroom and not mix in "religion" is by teaching our children that they are descended from animals. So what is a truly concerned parent to do? Despite the best intentions of a few school boards scattered throughout the land, the only thing they have done for certain is invite more controversy and, ultimately, litigation that will cost their constituents in the long run. It's up to the parents to decide just how important this subject is to them and their children. There are many who have proclaimed in the media that they can be "religious" and still believe in all of the major tenets of evolutionary thought. Parents who realize that their children's futures are at stake need to take a serious look at the definition of "religious." Specifically, if you're talking about the Bible, how can you throw out the first few chapters of Genesis and take the rest of it seriously? It's time to decide once and for all what your children are going to be taught and how much control you're actually going to have over it. If you really want to have the right kind of influence over your children's education, the public school system will always be a source of disappointment to you, no matter where you live. People in the United States of America have the right to believe whatever they wish. If various governmental bodies in this country determine that you cannot have your children taught in a way that reflects your beliefs, then common sense tells me that the only solution is to look outside of government channels for your children's education. If one group of children spends 12 years hearing about how their species was formed at random, and another group hears that each one of them is "fearfully and wonderfully made," how much of a difference will that make? If we as a society teach our children that they are nothing more than animals on the biological chart, can we really hold them accountable when they act like animals? It is the responsibility of parents to make that determination, and if it's important enough, they had better do something about it. As for me, that's why my child will never set foot in a public school. Whatever your decision is, I hope it is reached after a great deal of thought and soul-searching. Your children deserve nothing less. [Monroe Roark's Web address is www.mroark.com.]
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