Christian group sues university
I want all my ID-buddies, all Creationist commenters, all Discovery Institute fellow-travelers to read the following article.
“Oh, no, we’re not trying to impose our ideas. Heaven forbid. We’re just good old scientists in white lab coats struggling to advance the frontiers of knowledge. We have no political or religious agenda.”
A group representing California religious schools has filed a lawsuit accusing the University of California system of discriminating against high schools that teach creationism and other conservative Christian viewpoints.
The Association of Christian Schools International, which represents more than 800 schools, filed a federal lawsuit last week claiming UC admissions officials have refused to certify high school science courses that use textbooks challenging Darwin’s theory of evolution. Other rejected courses include Christianity’s Influence in American History.
According to the suit, the Calvary Chapel Christian School in Murrieta was told its courses were rejected because they use textbooks printed by two Christian publishers, Bob Jones University Press and A Beka Books.
Wendell Bird, a lawyer for the association, said the policy violates the rights of students and religious schools. ”A threat to one religion is a threat to all,” he said.
UC spokeswoman Ravi Poorsina said she could not comment because the university had not been served with the suit. Still, she said the university has a right to set course requirements.
“These requirements were established after careful study by faculty and staff to ensure that students who come here are fully prepared with broad knowledge and the critical thinking skills necessary to succeed,” Poorsina said.
Blogger “Questionable Authority” found the Bob Jones University “Christian science” textbooks through BJU Press “look inside this book feature” and has published some excerpts:
Biology for Christian Schools is a textbook for Bible-believing high-school students. Those who do not believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God will find many points in this book puzzling. This book was not written for them.
…
The people who prepared this book have tried consistently to put the Word of God first and science second…If…at any point God’s Word is not put first, the authors apologize.
…
The same encyclopedia article may state that the grasshopper evolved 300 million years ago. You may find a description of some insect that the grasshopper supposedly evolved from and a description of the insects that scientists say evolved from the grasshopper. You may even find a “scientific” explanation of the biblical locust (grasshopper) plague in Egypt. These statements are conclusions based on “supposed science.” If the conclusions contradict the Word of God, the conclusions are wrong, no matter how many scientific facts may appear to back them.
Here is a screen capture of another page, entitled “Facets of Biology: How God Communicates to Man”
Here it is, scientific biological “fact,” per this “textbook:”
God walked and talked with Adam in the Garden of Eden. The Bible records that God spoke to some people directly and to others in dreams. Sometimes He sent angels.
And when a highly-regarded, respected university, the University of California, requires something better than this for academic credit, the ID’s take it to court.
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