NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2015/06/12
Submitted by Peter Burns on Fri, 2015-06-12 13:57.
National Center for Science Education
(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)
Dear friends of NCSE, A new statement on climate change: the Clergy Climate Letter. The latest development in the creationist lawsuit against the NGSS in Kansas. And the death of Alabama's antiscience bill.
THE CLERGY CLIMATE LETTER Over one hundred clergy -- including leaders of Christian, Jewish, Unitarian, and Humanist groups -- have endorsed a new Clergy Climate Letter. The letter, modeled roughly on the pro-evolution Clergy Letter Project (which boasts over 13,000 clergy), was vetted by leaders from many denominations. The initial signers come from twenty-six states and four countries. The letter reads: *** We, the undersigned clergy and leaders from diverse denominations and philosophical traditions, believe that the scientific consensus about human-caused climate change demands response on the part of the communities we serve. Concern for our fellow humans and for the countless members of our global ecosystem -- whether we call it "creation care," "stewardship," or by some other name -- is common to all our traditions. As leaders within our religious and ethical communities, we believe that the teachings and ideas that guide our actions comfortably coexist with the discoveries of modern science. Human-caused climate change is a scientific truth that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny. Our beliefs and traditions compel us to accept the scientific truth and resist efforts to obscure or deny it. Humanity is conducting an unprecedented and possibly irreversible experiment on our planet, and our descendants will be living with the consequences of this experiment for centuries to come. Scientific knowledge and our faiths and philosophies can work together to heal this world. *** Ann Reid, NCSE's executive director, explained: "The National Center for Science Education has always worked across religious boundaries to build support for science and science education, and this project is no different. Climate change is a scientific matter, but clearly raises profound spiritual and moral questions. This letter's signers can be a vital resource for people trying to understand the implications of the science for their own lives." Clergy who support the letter are encouraged to register their endorsement at clergyclimate.org. For information about the Clergy Climate Letter, visit: http://clergyclimate.org/ KANSAS ANSWERS COPE AGAIN "Kansas education officials deny standards they adopted for teaching of science in public schools endorse what critics say is ... 'a non-theistic religious Worldview,'" reports the Topeka Capital-Journal (June 8, 2015), discussing a brief submitted by the defendants-appellees in COPE et al. v. Kansas State Board of Education et al. As NCSE previously reported, after the Kansas state board of education voted to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards in June 2013, a lawsuit attempting to undo the decision was filed, alleging that the NGSS "will have the effect of causing Kansas public schools to establish and endorse a non-theistic religious worldview." The lead plaintiff is COPE, Citizens for Objective Public Education, a relatively new creationist organization founded in 2012. But its leaders and attorneys include people familiar from previous attacks on evolution education across the country, such as John H. Calvert of the Intelligent Design Network. In December 2014, the lawsuit was dismissed, largely because the plaintiffs lacked standing to assert any of their claims, failing to establish any of the three relevant requirements for standing: injury, causation, and addressability. But COPE swiftly appealed the dismissal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. In its brief, filed on March 20, 2015, COPE contended that the dismissal was erroneous because it failed to take into consideration all alleged injuries, to recognize that the injuries were particularized, concrete, and imminent, and to comport with controlling legal precedents from the Tenth Circuit and the Supreme Court. In their brief, filed on June 8, 2015, the defendants-appellees primarily focused on the issues of standing, but pointedly insisted, "Contrary to Plaintiffs' claims, the Science Standards do not address religious questions such as the existence of a god or gods ... Plaintiff's description of the Science Standards as 'atheistic' is a gross mischaracterization." For the story in the Topeka Capital-Journal, visit: http://cjonline.com/news/2015-06-08/kansas-education-board-defends-science-standards-performance-expectations For NCSE's collection of documents from the case, visit: http://ncse.com/legal/cope-v-kansas-state-boe And for NCSE's previous coverage of events in Kansas, visit: http://ncse.com/news/kansas ANTISCIENCE BILL DIES IN ALABAMA Alabama's House Bill 592 died in committee in the Alabama House of Representatives on June 4, 2015, when the legislative session ended. The bill would have encouraged teachers and students to "debate the strengths and weaknesses of the theory of evolution in public schools across Alabama," reported the Anniston Star (May 7, 2015). As NCSE previously reported, the bill identified "biological evolution, the chemical orgins of life, and human cloning" as topics likely to "cause debate and disputation," and in effect would have allowed teachers to present whatever they pleased about such topics --while preventing educational authorities from intervening. But judging from a statement of the bill's lead sponsor, Mack Butler (R-District 30), evolution was the primary target of HB 592. Raw Story (May 7, 2015) noted that Butler explained on his Facebook page that his bill would "encourage debate if a student has a problem learning he came from a monkey rather than an intelligent design!" A columnist for the Montgomery Advertiser (May 8, 2015) argued, "The goal of Butler's bill ... was to make it OK for some two-bit religious zealot posing as a biology teacher to fill kids' heads with debunked and ridiculous ideas. ... [T]his bill, should it pass, will open the door to giving religious ideas the same standing in a classroom as scientific theory." Alabama's House Bill 592 was the most recent antiscience bill introduced in a state legislature in 2015, following Indiana's Senate Bill 562, Iowa's House File 272, Missouri's House Bill 486, Montana's House Bill 321, Oklahoma's Senate Bill 665, and South Dakota's Senate Bill 114. All seven bills are now dead. For Alabama's House Bill 592 as introduced (PDF), visit: http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/ALISON/SearchableInstruments/2015RS/PrintFiles/HB592-int.pdf For the articles in the Anniston Star and Raw Story, visit: http://www.annistonstar.com/news/lawmaker-says-bill-would-open-debate-on-science-of-evolution/article_de49bc20-f50b-11e4-9ca0-c7b78560df12.html http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/alabama-lawmaker-my-bill-protects-kids-from-learning-they-came-from-a-monkey/ For the column in the Montgomery Advertiser, visit: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/opinion/columnists/josh-moon/2015/05/08/biology-classes-stick-evolution/26989223/ And for NCSE's previous coverage of events in Alabama, visit: http://ncse.com/news/alabama WHAT'S NEW FROM THE SCIENCE LEAGUE OF AMERICA Have you been visiting NCSE's blog, The Science League of America, recently? If not, then you've missed: * Emily Schoerning contemplating bacterial antibiotic resistance: http://ncse.com/blog/2015/06/evolution-right-gut-0016422 * Ann Reid debunking the supposed omnipotence of viruses: http://ncse.com/blog/2015/05/misconception-monday-viruses-are-not-omnipotent-part-1-0016408 http://ncse.com/blog/2015/05/misconception-monday-viruses-are-not-omnipotent-part-2-0016409 * Josh Rosenau discussing record-setting baseball performances and extreme weather: http://ncse.com/blog/2015/06/do-steroids-lead-to-more-home-runs-0016420 And much more besides! For The Science League of America, visit: http://ncse.com/blog Thanks for reading. And don't forget to visit NCSE's website -- http://ncse.com -- where you can always find the latest news on evolution and climate education and threats to them. -- Sincerely, Glenn Branch Deputy Director National Center for Science Education, Inc. 420 40th Street, Suite 2 Oakland, CA 94609-2509 510-601-7203 x303 fax: 510-601-7204 800-290-6006 branch@ncse.com http://ncse.com Check out NCSE's new blog, Science League of America: http://ncse.com/blog Read Reports of the NCSE on-line: http://reports.ncse.com Subscribe to NCSE's free weekly e-newsletter: http://groups.google.com/group/ncse-news NCSE is on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter: http://www.facebook.com/evolution.ncse http://www.youtube.com/NatCen4ScienceEd http://twitter.com/ncse NCSE's work is supported by its members. Join today! http://ncse.com/join
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