Congratulations, Texas, you just invited a shit-ton of lawsuits on your government and boards of education. Time and taxpayer money will be WASTED, rather than used to properly educate Texas school children.
Thre sentences, three lies. Stop watering down American history? Denying other religious beliefs and omitting the bad parts is the opposite. Teaching the truth? That's a lie made obvious by the very next sentence. The United States founded as a Christian nation? Messrs Jefferson and Madison would like a word. Texas a Christian state? No matter what their state government says, they are still subject to the First Amendment.
Have the lawsuits been filed yet, or are AU, American Atheists, and the FFRF waiting until the first Bible lesson is taught?
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is already sabre-rattling on this business, except that that's not so much as a threat but as a promise. The FFRF doesn't bluff, and Texas is going to learn very quickly the price for being stupid.
The people behind this lunacy would go out of their tiny little minds at the mere suggestion students would be compelled to read any magic book other than their own. I donβt see how this stands a court test, but then we no longer seem to believe in church-state separation or the rule of law generally. On the plus side, I think there is a pretty good chance this will blow up in their faces as it will generate a lot of law suits and resentment on the part of students. It is never the job of our secular government to back stop Christianity.
I would just love to know what the average person is supposed to take away from that lesson of Judges 19. It has got to be one of the ugliest stories of the bible.
As a foreign observer, brought up in a society far more advanced than the USA I am always amazed by the evidence of brain-crushing idiocy promoted by public officials in your struggling republic. There are times when I feel sorry for you - wishing that the idiot right could treat the enlightened citizens of the US with some understanding and decency. But then your local and national governments do something ghastly and stupid and I am convinced that your republic and country are heading towards madness.
It's been heading towards madness since the New Deal. That's when conservatives and big business started to tap into religion to push back. The result is that Republicans push this nonsense, as well as claiming that Democrats are all anti Christian.
I teach in a Quaker school in New York City. I am an atheist i.e. I donβt believe there are any gods. I have read the Bible. I have read some of the Quran and I went to Hebrew school at one point. I was asked to teach stories from the Bible in line with a curriculum that included the Quran so that children would recognize some of the famous stories. I agree that enforcing religious teaching by the state will reduce the amount of religious people, but this is only a tip of the iceberg piece of the counterrevolution that Christian fascists and reactionaries are imposing on us. Iβm about to turn 80 and I hope I live long enough to see the utter defeat of this aberrant faction. However, Iβm not optimistic at this point.
It's damned weird, but the Texas Lege (as Molly Ivins called 'em) has guaranteed my support (not vote--I don't live in TX any more) for Christian James Talarico for Senate!
Hemant was right when he wrote "if your religion has to be propped up by state mandates, itβs an admission your religion canβt survive on its own." If the people behind this plan really wanted to make a difference then they might want to start with their own house and repent and start working on what it really means to love your neighbors.
When a religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it so that its professors are obliged to call for help of the civil power, 'tis a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one.
That needs to be tattooed on the head of every idiot child legislator who backed this proposal. The sad fact is, I'm not sure any of them would learn from this at all.
They also might want to avoid a certain Thomas Paine as well. What a shame any penalties that are levied on this won't come out of their personal pockets.
This is why I have been saying for Well over a decade that our constitution no longer serves us. We donβt need an establishment clause: we need a strict and specific separation of church and state. We donβt need a second amendment where in half of it can be ignored so that the other half can be elevated to God like status. We need one that says you can carry a gun, but your gun caring can be regulated. We need an established right to privacy, not one implied by search and seizure interpretations. And the electoral college must go.
If the American people do not realize this, then we are just handing power over to the worst people.
That change-of-hands has already happened, as we all well know, and unless we do something about it, the government of the United States will be dismantled to the point where any recovery would have to start from scratch (which, as you suggest, might not be that bad a thing). Thankfully, there is at least SOME degree of blowback against Trump beginning to happen, and resistance to his BS is mounting.
Goes without saying that the midterms coming up are CRITICAL ... but I said it anyway! π€ͺ
And by including a section on human rights, you could put that stupid notion to bed that .... let me see, how did Mr Thomas put it the other day, that 'aliens are not entitled to the protection of the constitution'.
Human rights being universal rights, i.e. rights for every human.
On top of that move to a PR-style voting system and abolish the electoral college.
If I were a 7th grade teacher mandated to include Psalm 23 with Anne Frank's diary, I would make sure the kids got the uncensored version of said diary.
Our children at home will be tutored to read such in an obviously distasteful & parroted manner. You will not foist kkkystyanity down our childrenβs throats.
But will they teach true and factual American history and hold that up to the parts of the Bible that do not applaud that history? Doubt it. How will they reconcile slavery, Jim Crow, the TX lynching ranking, and the Klan history? Will be selective!!
OF COURSE, THEY WON'T! They'll skew the daylights out of it, make sure that the white guys are ALL THE GOOD GUYS, that Christianity defeated slavery (while not mentioning that the bible endorses slavery!), et cetera, et cetera.
Oh, and that Jesus inspired the Constitution, too! π
Racial topics and womenβs rights should create some βinterestingβ dialogue. Same for that old school βCatholic vs. Protestantβ history. They can look at the 1928 election! I bet some βAβ students end up with a βD.β
I retired from teaching in Texas a couple years ago. And I'm really glad I did. What this same bunch has done to the social studies curriculum is even worse than the Bible readings.
Congratulations, Texas, you just invited a shit-ton of lawsuits on your government and boards of education. Time and taxpayer money will be WASTED, rather than used to properly educate Texas school children.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!
πβπππ ππππ πππ£ππ‘ππ£ππ πππππ π‘βππ ππ πβπ‘ ππππ’π‘ ππππππ‘πππππ‘πππ, π‘βπ πππ π πππ ππ πππππ: πππ₯ππ π‘βππππ πΆβπππ π‘πππππ‘π¦ ππ π‘βπ ππππ¦ ππππππππ π‘βππ‘ πππ‘π‘πππ .
Lying liars for Jesus lying again.
βππβππ πππππ π‘π π π‘ππ π€ππ‘πππππ πππ€π π΄πππππππ βππ π‘πππ¦. ππβππ πππππ π‘π π‘πππβ π‘βπ π‘ππ’π‘β. ππ’π πππ‘πππ π€ππ πππ’ππππ ππ π πΆβπππ π‘πππ πππ‘πππ, πππ πππ₯ππ ππ π πΆβπππ π‘πππ π π‘ππ‘π.β
Thre sentences, three lies. Stop watering down American history? Denying other religious beliefs and omitting the bad parts is the opposite. Teaching the truth? That's a lie made obvious by the very next sentence. The United States founded as a Christian nation? Messrs Jefferson and Madison would like a word. Texas a Christian state? No matter what their state government says, they are still subject to the First Amendment.
Have the lawsuits been filed yet, or are AU, American Atheists, and the FFRF waiting until the first Bible lesson is taught?
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is already sabre-rattling on this business, except that that's not so much as a threat but as a promise. The FFRF doesn't bluff, and Texas is going to learn very quickly the price for being stupid.
They should include the Penguin Atlas of World History in the curriculum, it would be of much greater benefit!
Penguins are crap at history. They only things they can discuss reliably are fish and ice.
This made me laugh, thank you.
PS The book is good, it's really good.
Glad to havecontributed to your mirth quotient.
Some are remarkable good at the history and affairs of Burma.
Burmese penguins are the worst!!
Frauds, every one of them.
They make nice TV decorations.
They can do a few more things:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWMnNoHshRA
:-)
The people behind this lunacy would go out of their tiny little minds at the mere suggestion students would be compelled to read any magic book other than their own. I donβt see how this stands a court test, but then we no longer seem to believe in church-state separation or the rule of law generally. On the plus side, I think there is a pretty good chance this will blow up in their faces as it will generate a lot of law suits and resentment on the part of students. It is never the job of our secular government to back stop Christianity.
The bible imparts wholesome family values to children.
https://ibb.co/MDGPKw4B
I would just love to know what the average person is supposed to take away from that lesson of Judges 19. It has got to be one of the ugliest stories of the bible.
That god loves us?
ππππ
"god loves us" Religion, George Carlin was right! π
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoYyiNRtMEE
βGod has a plan for you.β
βGod doesnβt give you more than you can handle.β
βSometimes God says No.β
Also, what was the concubine wearing? Huh, did she invite it?
As a foreign observer, brought up in a society far more advanced than the USA I am always amazed by the evidence of brain-crushing idiocy promoted by public officials in your struggling republic. There are times when I feel sorry for you - wishing that the idiot right could treat the enlightened citizens of the US with some understanding and decency. But then your local and national governments do something ghastly and stupid and I am convinced that your republic and country are heading towards madness.
It's been heading towards madness since the New Deal. That's when conservatives and big business started to tap into religion to push back. The result is that Republicans push this nonsense, as well as claiming that Democrats are all anti Christian.
I teach in a Quaker school in New York City. I am an atheist i.e. I donβt believe there are any gods. I have read the Bible. I have read some of the Quran and I went to Hebrew school at one point. I was asked to teach stories from the Bible in line with a curriculum that included the Quran so that children would recognize some of the famous stories. I agree that enforcing religious teaching by the state will reduce the amount of religious people, but this is only a tip of the iceberg piece of the counterrevolution that Christian fascists and reactionaries are imposing on us. Iβm about to turn 80 and I hope I live long enough to see the utter defeat of this aberrant faction. However, Iβm not optimistic at this point.
It's damned weird, but the Texas Lege (as Molly Ivins called 'em) has guaranteed my support (not vote--I don't live in TX any more) for Christian James Talarico for Senate!
I sent his campaign $25. Naturally I get asked for more every day. I spread a couple hundred bucks around to senate campaigns that might be winnable.
Hemant was right when he wrote "if your religion has to be propped up by state mandates, itβs an admission your religion canβt survive on its own." If the people behind this plan really wanted to make a difference then they might want to start with their own house and repent and start working on what it really means to love your neighbors.
The evangelicals know they're losing the long game, and they're desperate to have government step in on their behalf.
When a religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it so that its professors are obliged to call for help of the civil power, 'tis a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one.
Benjamin Franklin
That needs to be tattooed on the head of every idiot child legislator who backed this proposal. The sad fact is, I'm not sure any of them would learn from this at all.
The only thing they will learn is to limit mentions of Mr Franklin in the curriculum.
They also might want to avoid a certain Thomas Paine as well. What a shame any penalties that are levied on this won't come out of their personal pockets.
I always thought Texans were a bit retarded. You know: canβt remember the constitution etcβ¦..
Just like some people living in Kentucky where Dumb Idiot Ken Ham sets up his anti-science shop at.
There are over thirty million people here in Texas and you're paining with a very broad and insulting brush.
Just the ones who make the rules, mate. Who the shoe fitsβ¦
About par for the course. Bottom feeder state.
This is why I have been saying for Well over a decade that our constitution no longer serves us. We donβt need an establishment clause: we need a strict and specific separation of church and state. We donβt need a second amendment where in half of it can be ignored so that the other half can be elevated to God like status. We need one that says you can carry a gun, but your gun caring can be regulated. We need an established right to privacy, not one implied by search and seizure interpretations. And the electoral college must go.
If the American people do not realize this, then we are just handing power over to the worst people.
That change-of-hands has already happened, as we all well know, and unless we do something about it, the government of the United States will be dismantled to the point where any recovery would have to start from scratch (which, as you suggest, might not be that bad a thing). Thankfully, there is at least SOME degree of blowback against Trump beginning to happen, and resistance to his BS is mounting.
Goes without saying that the midterms coming up are CRITICAL ... but I said it anyway! π€ͺ
And by including a section on human rights, you could put that stupid notion to bed that .... let me see, how did Mr Thomas put it the other day, that 'aliens are not entitled to the protection of the constitution'.
Human rights being universal rights, i.e. rights for every human.
On top of that move to a PR-style voting system and abolish the electoral college.
7π‘β πΊππππ: πβπ πβππβπππ'π ππ πππ (π΅πππ ππ ππ ππππ , πΆβπππ‘ππ 23) πΎπππ π½ππππ ππππ πππ: π»πππππ€ π΅ππππ/πππ πππ π‘πππππ‘ (πβππ ππ πππππ’πππ ππ πππ π πππ πππ πβπ π·ππππ¦ ππ π πππ’ππ πΊπππ ππ¦ π΄πππ πΉππππ)
If I were a 7th grade teacher mandated to include Psalm 23 with Anne Frank's diary, I would make sure the kids got the uncensored version of said diary.
The one without the Gannet?
Question - how old are 7th grade students? 13 or thereabouts?
There are definitely bits in the diaries which I'd leave for older pupils.
Our children at home will be tutored to read such in an obviously distasteful & parroted manner. You will not foist kkkystyanity down our childrenβs throats.
πΌπ ππππ πππ£ππ‘ππ£ππ π‘βπππ ππππππ‘πππ¦ π΅ππππ πππππππ π€πππ πππππ‘π ππππ πΆβπππ π‘ππππ , π‘βππ¦ βππ£ππβπ‘ ππππ πππ¦πππ ππ‘π‘πππ‘πππ π‘π π€βππ‘ πππ‘π’ππππ¦ βππππππ π€βππ π¦ππ’ππ ππππππ πππ πππππ’πππππ π‘π ππππ π‘βπ ππππ ππππ‘ππππππ¦ πππ π‘πππ ππ πππ£ππ‘πππππππ¦.
Which is why the cherry-picked passages won't be taught critically.
And reading THE WHOLE BIBLE will be strongly discouraged. "Oh, it's not really necessary. We've found the parts that are most important."
Uh-huh, SUUUUUUURE you have, said the spider to the fly.
But will they teach true and factual American history and hold that up to the parts of the Bible that do not applaud that history? Doubt it. How will they reconcile slavery, Jim Crow, the TX lynching ranking, and the Klan history? Will be selective!!
π΅π’π‘ π€πππ π‘βππ¦ π‘πππβ π‘ππ’π πππ ππππ‘π’ππ π΄πππππππ βππ π‘πππ¦...?
OF COURSE, THEY WON'T! They'll skew the daylights out of it, make sure that the white guys are ALL THE GOOD GUYS, that Christianity defeated slavery (while not mentioning that the bible endorses slavery!), et cetera, et cetera.
Oh, and that Jesus inspired the Constitution, too! π
Racial topics and womenβs rights should create some βinterestingβ dialogue. Same for that old school βCatholic vs. Protestantβ history. They can look at the 1928 election! I bet some βAβ students end up with a βD.β
I retired from teaching in Texas a couple years ago. And I'm really glad I did. What this same bunch has done to the social studies curriculum is even worse than the Bible readings.
This sounds interesting, I'd be interested to hear a bit more about your experiences.
Thank you.