paleonet Good news for evolution and science teaching

From

Date
Reply-To

ATHEISTS HAIL COURT DECISION AFFIRMING GOOD SCIENCE
TEACHING, REMOVAL OF ANTI-EVOLUTION TEXT BOOK STICKERS

American Atheists, a nationwide First Amendment watch dog group, hailed a decision today by a federal judge ordering a suburban Atlanta school district to remove stickers it had inserted in biology textbooks disclaiming evolution, and calling it "a theory, not a fact."

US District Judge Clarence Cooper wrote, "By denigrating evolution, the school board appears to be endorsing the well-known prevailing alternative theory, creationism, or variations thereof, even though the sticker does not specifically reference any alternative theories."

"The court rightly recognized that the disclaimer stickers were a shabby promotion of pseudo-science and Christian fundamentalist fantasy," said Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists. "The school system tried to 'spin' their actions as a demonstration of tolerance, but in fact it was an attempt to promote religious beliefs and religious accounts of how the universe began."

Dave Silverman, Communications Director for American Atheists, said unlike creationism the Biblical account of human origins found in Genesis, evolution is supported by an enormous and growing body of scientific data.

"Everything from the physical sciences, including geology, physics, astronomy and biology show that human origins are rooted in complex evolutionary processes. It's bad science, and bad public policy, to ignore the facts in favor of promoting a religious agenda, especially in public school science classes."

"We need more science in our schools, not less," added Mr. Silverman.

(AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for Atheists; works for the total separation of church and state; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.)