Here's a good editorial from the Edmond Sun regarding the Oklahoma House of Representatives recent passage of House Bill 2211. For those that don't know a thing about the bill, here is a good synopsis from the editorial:
The bill requires public schools to guarantee students the right to express their religious viewpoints in a public forum, in class, in homework and in other ways without being penalized. If a student's religious beliefs were in conflict with scientific theory, and the student chose to express those beliefs rather than explain the theory in response to an exam question, the student's incorrect response would be deemed satisfactory, according to this bill.
The school would be required to reward the student with a good grade, or be considered in violation of the law. Even simple, factual information such as the age of the earth (4.65 billion years) would be subject to the student's belief, and if the student answered 6,000 years based on his or her religious belief, the school would have to credit it as correct. Science education becomes absurd under such a situation.
Oh yeah, here are some quotes from Sally Kern regarding the bill. I found them at NewsOK.com. They are a few weeks old.
"We are a religious nation," said Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City. "We have a deep religious heritage."
But Kern said some Oklahoma school districts are not allowing voluntary religious expression by their students for fear it may violate legal guidelines concerning the separation of church and state.
"There is abuse going on in our schools," she said. "There are some problems with some school districts not allowing voluntary religious expression."
Hmnn. Call me crazy, but I'm not too sure that I'd vote for any bill that Sally Kern seems to enthusiastically support. But then again, as the recent immigration bill, property tax records and decision to not censure Ms. Kern seem to indicate, our state legislators don't seem to be the brightest people. That's why I expect that our Senate will probably pass the bill and that Governor Henry will get real drunk and sign it. And when that happens, I'll be really pissed off. And I won't be pissed off that our state passed a law that seems to overstep the amazing thing we have in our country called the "separation of church and state." I'll just be pissed off that the law didn't exist while I was high school!
Seriously, if HB2211 was a law when I roamed the halls of Putnam City West, I probably would have become a Rhodes Scholar and been pals with that smart Corbin Humble kid instead of harboring the stolen 6X9's and Kicker 15s that my friends Josh and Isaac stole from cars in Bethany. I would have been a damn genius. Just think of how easy all those science tests would have been if you could get away with religious answers:
Q: What is the Scientific Method?
A: Something Gary England created on his day off.
Q: How was the universe created?
A: Gary England got bored.
Q: What type of molten rock is expelled by a volcano during an eruption?
A: Clark Matthews Rockets.
Q: What is the seventh day?
A: Friday Night in the Big Town!
(Yeah. That last one isn't a science question. It's not really even a question. It's a fact.)
