West Virginia Student Helps Pass Bill to Teach Intelligent Design: 'This Is a God-Fearing State'

[Michie]

For years, teachers have been limited in teaching students about the Creation of the universe. That included staying away from Intelligent Design, considered taboo due to its ties to the Bible. One West Virginia high school student felt that was unfair and helped draft a bill allowing West Virginia teachers to cover "scientific theory," which includes intelligent design.

Sixteen-year-old West Virginia high school student Haden Hodge was just 14 when he decided to help his teachers increase the scientific theories they could include in lessons on how the world came to be. While the so-called Big Bang and evolution made the list, the theory that perhaps God supernaturally created the universe and humanity did not.

"So I think a lot of it was fear. They were just afraid if a student asked a question like that and they answered it truthfully, then they were afraid of anything that could happen to them with their jobs or in their personal life or anything like that," Haden told us. "And like I said, with that science teacher, he was afraid to even have conversations like that and I thought, 'This needs to change. He needs to feel like he can talk about this without any fear of losing his job,'" Haden said.

Continued below.

West Virginia Student Helps Pass Bill to Teach Intelligent Design: 'This Is a God-Fearing State'

For years, teachers have been limited in teaching students about the Creation of the universe.

www2.cbn.com

 

[iluvatar5150]

For years, teachers have been limited in teaching students about the Creation of the universe. That included staying away from Intelligent Design, considered taboo due to its ties to the Bible. One West Virginia high school student felt that was unfair and helped draft a bill allowing West Virginia teachers to cover "scientific theory," which includes intelligent design.

Sixteen-year-old West Virginia high school student Haden Hodge was just 14 when he decided to help his teachers increase the scientific theories they could include in lessons on how the world came to be. While the so-called Big Bang and evolution made the list, the theory that perhaps God supernaturally created the universe and humanity did not.

"So I think a lot of it was fear. They were just afraid if a student asked a question like that and they answered it truthfully, then they were afraid of anything that could happen to them with their jobs or in their personal life or anything like that," Haden told us. "And like I said, with that science teacher, he was afraid to even have conversations like that and I thought, 'This needs to change. He needs to feel like he can talk about this without any fear of losing his job,'" Haden said.

Continued below.

West Virginia Student Helps Pass Bill to Teach Intelligent Design: 'This Is a God-Fearing State'

For years, teachers have been limited in teaching students about the Creation of the universe.

www2.cbn.com

The more bogus stuff other states wanna teach their kids, the easier time my kid will have rising to the top.

 

[A_JAY]

SB280 as amended:
§18-5-41a. Allowing discussion of certain scientific theories.

No public school board, school superintendent, or school principal may prohibit a public school classroom teacher from responding to student inquiries or answering questions from students about scientific theories of how the universe and/or life came to exist.”

 

[The Barbarian]

However, the first Amendment does prohibit teaching religious doctrines in public schools. Since the Dover Trial, establishing that ID is a religious doctrine, it has been illegal for any public school employee to teach it to children.

That's the law.

 

[RileyG]

Hmmmm.,,.I’m not sure how I feel about this.

 

[A_JAY]

"No public school board, school superintendent, or school principal may prohibit a public school classroom teacher from responding to student inquiries or answering questions from students about scientific theories of how the universe and/or life came to exist.”


In looking at this new law it shouldn't really give followers of intelligent design (a type of creationism) much comfort. It allows responding to student inquiries only. The law responds to "scientific theories". One valid response from the teacher could be "I don;'t believe this is a scientific theory. Talk to your pastor."

This law does not give any comfort to teachers who might want to teach Intelligent Design because nowhere in West Virginia law does it define "scientific theory," or mandate curriculum change or mandate "teaching" those theories.

 

[The Barbarian]

This law does not give any comfort to teachers who might want to teach Intelligent Design because nowhere in West Virginia law does it define "scientific theory," or mandate curriculum change or mandate "teaching" those theories.

Yes. And it doesn't overrule the Constitution. What the legislature wants, is to put out a vague directive that would allow teachers who want to impose religion on their students an excuse to do so.