Mississippi Atheists

Letter on MS Senate Concurrent Res. 505

2012-01-09T05:53:00.001-06:00

In the interest of doing what we can to stop our state's Senate Concurrent Resolution 505, Mims has shared a letter he wrote to his representative and a few key senators. With his permission, I am posting the letter below. Hopefully, it will serve as a model for additional letters.

Dear Senators Brown, Moran, and Fillingane, and Representative Crawford:

As the Chair of the Senate Rules Committee, as my State Senator, as the author of CR 505, and as my State Representative, I want to express my opposition to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 505.

This Resolution establishes a government committee aimed at forwarding a Judeo-Christian prayer and ministry. This is a direct violation of the U.S. Constitution's Establishment Clause as elucidated in the First Amendment. It is an affront to all non-Judeo-Christian residents of this State. It is an affront to rigorous social science research, all of which shows a negative correlation between the depth of a society's religious beliefs and the health of that society. Mississippi is the most pious of the fifty United States, and also leads in almost every negative social parameter, from teen pregnancy rates to crime rates to mortality rates to high school drop out rates to violence against women rates to divorce rates to poverty rates to obesity rates...I could go on and on.

Meanwhile, the only parameter which correlates positively with a healthy, prosperous, happy community - a high level of education - is ignored as we cut our education budget. Recent studies have shown that early education, specifically pre-K education, has a tremendous influence on positive social outcomes. I suggest that you do not spend a dime of state money or a moment of legislative time on activities which do not have a positive influence on Mississippi citizens, and do everything you can to promote education, from early education through university studies.

I know Jackson. You can walk easily to a venue from the state capitol to any number of religious institutions that can assuage any spiritual travails you may be feeling. You can also easily walk to an educational institution in need of help from the state in providing a good education for its young citizens. The same is true for almost every municipal or county seat of government in our state. I ask you to get your priorities straight and do what will really move our state forward.

Sincerely yours,

Mims H. Carter

Pass Christian

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

How Many Mississippians Ever Hear About the Problem of Evil?

2011-09-16T06:28:00.001-05:00

Over and over, I am reminded that Mississippi is not exactly a hotbed of education and critical thinking. It is a fair assessment. Each semester, I encounter a shocking number of college undergraduates who have never heard of philosophy and have no idea what it is. If they are lucky enough to have a good professor in their introductory psychology course, they are usually exposed to some material on critical thinking, and yet, classic subjects like the problem of evil can be escaped altogether unless they opt for a philosophy course. And can you guess what students can take in place of philosophy to meet the same requirement? If you guessed religion, you were right.

In spite of all this, I have a hard time imagining myself giving up. If we keep asking questions, more of our Christian neighbors may realize that their pastors do not have any answers. If we are willing to discuss our atheism openly and explain why we do not share the religious beliefs of the majority, we provoke thought and model the application of reason. If we reach out to the youth to demonstrate that it is quite possible to live one's life without gods, we leave a lasting influence.

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

Bastrop High School Goes Ahead With Graduation Prayer

2011-05-21T08:10:00.001-05:00

In spite of Damon Folwer's brave efforts, the advice of an attorney the school consulted, and a prior agreement to cancel plans to pray, prayer did in fact occur at the Bastrop High School graduation ceremony last night. Here's the video:

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

Louisiana High School Student Ends Graduation Prayer

2011-05-19T09:35:00.001-05:00

Something will be different about the graduation ceremony tomorrow night at Bastrop High School in Louisiana. Prayer will not be part of the ceremony.

According to the Bastrop Daily Enterprise, an atheist student emailed the principal to complain about prayer taking place at a public school graduation. He indicated that he would contact the ACLU if the school proceeded with the planned prayer.

Evidently, the principal consulted an attorney and realized that the school had no legal ground upon which to stand. They agreed to cancel the prayer.

I'd like to make two observations here. First, schools are supposed to model appropriate behavior for their students. Continuing to engage in an illegal practice simply because nobody has complained about it yet is unacceptable. Second, this shows that even a single atheist can make a difference. If we want to change our world for the better, we must find a voice. Kudos to this atheist student for doing just that.

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

Education News: Budget Cuts and No Condoms

2011-03-09T07:17:00.001-06:00

I've got a couple bits of education news from our state today, and neither are especially positive.

First, the controversial plan of state Republicans to count $65 million in federal money as part of the state's education funding has been approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee. This ends up having the effect of a cut to K-12 education in our state since less state money will be allocated. For those following this issue, the bill involved in HB 1494.

Second, our House sent their sex education bill (HB 999) to Gov. Barbour, who is expected to sign it. The bill allows Mississippi school districts to choose one of two sex education curricula for their schools: abstinence only or what is being called "abstinence plus" (i.e., abstinence plus information on contraceptives). The bill also prohibits teaching children about the proper use of condoms.

If teen pregnancy statistics suggest nothing else, it is that abstinence is unrealistic. I guess we'll just have to hope that individual districts make the right choice.

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

Louisiana High School Student Takes Stand Against Creationism

2011-02-24T04:50:00.001-06:00

As far too many adults in Louisiana seem determined to push their fundamentalist Christianity on the state's children, it has fallen to a high school student to fight for reality-based science education. Zack Kopplin, a senior at Baton Rouge Magnet High School, is at the forefront on efforts to repeal the Louisiana Science Education Act (LSEA). Passed in 2008, the LSEA encourages public school science teachers to include creationism in their classes.

It is great to see that efforts are underway to repeal this absurd law. We are facing similar legislation here in Mississippi, and while efforts to derail it have been successful so far, I will be surprised if we do not see it return.

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

Mississippi's Student Religious Liberties Act of 2011 Dies in Committee

2011-02-20T11:30:00.001-06:00

Remember the Student Religious Liberties Act of 2011? When we called for action from those wanting to protect reality-based science education in our state, SB2151 had been referred to the Senate Education Committee. I am pleased to report that SB2151 has died in committee.

I will be surprised if it doesn't return in the next legislative session, but at least we can enjoy a bit of a reprieve for now.

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

Mississippi State Senators Respond on SB2151

2011-01-29T08:19:00.001-06:00

I emailed the members of the Senate Education Committee using the contact information I posted here about the Student Religious Liberties Act (SB2151). This bill is very similar to legislation that has been passed in other states, and it seems to me that it was designed to make it easier to get creationism in the classroom. I hope I'm wrong about that, but that is how it strikes me.

I took care in writing my email so as to make it as polite and inoffensive as possible. I asked them to oppose SB2151 because I was concerned that it would be detrimental to science education in our state and that it represented a church-state violation. I kept it short and was sure not to include any inflammatory language.

Two senators responded to my email right away. After some deliberation, I've decided not to identify the senators here or to quote their responses verbatim. I will instead attempt to paraphrase what they said.

One senator seemed genuinely angered by my email in a way I was not expecting to see from an elected official. In his terse response, he chose to ignore the concerns I had raised and instead accused me of wanting students to do nothing more than memorize content instead of his or her own beliefs. I re-read my email multiple times and could find no connection between what I said and what he accused me of saying.

The really disappointing part of his email was that he seems to think that education should be about what a student believes about the facts presented in class rather than knowledge, understanding, or application of the facts themselves. That someone with such a perspective on education sits on the Senate Education Committee in our state is troublesome to say the least.

The second response was more thoughtful, even though it also disagreed with me. This senator pointed out that similar legislation has not only been passed in other conservative states but has also survived court challenges. In his opinion, my concerns were excessive because the bill allows teachers to evaluate student work based on academic standards. Thus, students in a biology course would still be expected to learn evolution because it was part of the curriculum. If they did not demonstrate adequate understanding of the material, writing about religion was not going to help them.

Based on these responses, it seems likely that this bill will pass in Mississippi sooner or later. I am still not convinced that it is not an attempt to get more religion in our schools. But I suppose we will find out.

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

Action Alert: Student Religious Liberties Act (SB2151)

2011-01-22T09:44:00.001-06:00

Big thanks to Oliver for the post about the Student Religious Liberties Act of 2011. This is not one we can afford to ignore, as it would be devastating to science education in our state.

Who Should You Contact?

It appears that the bill has been referred to the Senate Education Committee. Therefore, I suspect that is who we should plan to contact first. Here is what I could find about the membership of this committee:

Videt Carmichael, Chairman

Gray Tollison, Vice-Chairman

Members: David Blount; Hob Bryan; Terry C. Burton; Doug E. Davis; Merle Flowers; Alice Harden; David Jordan; Tom King; Chris McDaniel; Bennie L. Turner; Michael Watson; J. P. Wilemon, Jr.; Lee Yancey

How Do You Contact Them?

Here is the contact information for all Senators. It should be fairly easy to write, email, or call each of the senators on this committee and explain why this bill should be allowed to die in committee. In fact, I'll make it even easier. Here are the email addresses for everyone on the committee that has one (two members do not):

vcarmichael@senate.ms.gov, gtollison@senate.ms.gov, dblount@senate.ms.gov, tburton@senate.ms.gov, mflowers@senate.ms.gov, aharden@senate.ms.gov, djordan@senate.ms.gov, tking@senate.ms.gov, cmcdaniel@senate.ms.gov, bturner@senate.ms.gov, mwatson@senate.ms.gov, jwilemon@senate.ms.gov, lyancey@senate.ms.gov

You can simply copy and paste this into your preferred email program. If you receive a reply, please let us know so we can share the news here.

Thank you for your help.

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

A Reasonably Secular Graduation in Mississippi

2010-12-17T07:11:00.001-06:00

I have written here before about the absurdity of sectarian prayers at the graduation ceremonies of the state university where I work in Mississippi. After sitting through such a ceremony in the Spring of 2009, I decided that I had finally reached my breaking point. It was time to do something. I contacted the Freedom From Religion Foundation to ask about my options. They were very helpful, but in the end, their intervention did not prove necessary. I was overjoyed to find that a handful of my fellow co-workers, including more than a few theists, who felt similarly. We decided to take action.

A few of us wrote to the president of our university and other administrators. Yes, this was a big risk. That we could have sued if we had been fired was small consolation. It was not an easy thing to do, and I'd be lying if I said I lost no sleep over it.

But it worked. At the Fall ceremony, there were no sectarian prayers. No clergy were invited to speak. Yes, the commencement speaker still mentioned Jesus for no apparent reason, reminding us that our work is not finished. But at least it was done in a fairly minor way that did not come across as university sanctioned. Overall, I have to say that it was a big improvement over anything I have seen yet at graduation. It was a reasonably secular graduation, and it happened in Mississippi.

Was it worth the risk? Time will tell, but I can say one thing: this was the first graduation ceremony I have attended in Mississippi during which I did not feel like an outsider.

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

Subverting the American Family Association's Bigotry

2010-07-30T06:37:00.003-05:00

I subscribe to the online American Family Association newsletter. If you are from Mississippi, you are probably familiar with the AFA. They have a radio station which is very popular among our devout christian fellow citizens. Very much in the James Dobson, Jerry Falwell version of good old time religion. The reason I subscribe to their newsletter is that it is always good to see what they are taking seriously. I learn from this site much earlier about issues affecting my world than I would from mainstream media or even the non-religious cyberverse. The AFA is the organization behind the referendum to get human life declared as starting at conception, for instance. I found out about this campaign first on the AFA website.

Their latest campaign involves a university student in Georgia, a good christian young woman who has views on homosexuality informed by her faith. Views she has voiced in her counseling classes. Yes, she is a counseling psychology major with religiously informed, negative opinions on homosexuality. The Augusta State University faculty decided she could not graduate holding such without having some interaction with actual homosexuals, in order to find out what their life is like, and recommended she take part in some sensitivity exercises about homosexuality before she became eligible to graduate. They did not say she had to change her views; they just said she had to have some contact with the homosexual community before she graduated. She refused.

The AFA was outraged. They claim this impinges on her rights to her religion. They have one of those links you can click on and send a form letter to the Georgia State Board of Regents to express your displeasure at the Augusta State University's infringement on the young woman's freedom of religion. I clicked on this link, wiped out the text of the AFA's form letter, and put in my own text supporting the ASU's position. I stated that this woman had a right to her religious beliefs, but beliefs are not facts. I said that it is comparable to allowing a pharmacist to refuse to fill a prescription for a legal, prescribed contraceptive to a woman because it violates his or her religious beliefs. Health providers have to separate their religious beliefs from their legal obligation to provide appropriate health care to their clients, or we will have real problems.

I can't tell you how much fun it is to use their contact information to subvert their message. I am even listed as a pastor on their website (I am the one and only ordained minister of the First Church of the All-To-Human Revelation), so I have some juice. The First Church of the A-T-H Revelation is a church I started as a project for a religion class I took as an undergraduate at Western Michigan University studying under the remarkable Dr. E. Thomas Lawson. I used the seminar on Rationality and Religion I was taking to recruit members to my church. We met weekly at our class, and later at a two-for one special at a local bar, to establish that the congregation met weekly and consisted of at least twelve people. That made my church official in the eyes of the State of Michigan. I even performed a wedding ceremony. The couple I married in 1978 are still happily married, enviously wealthy, with five wonderful children. You could say I quit the marriage biz while I was ahead.

The Revelation of my church was that we are all alone in a big, cold, uncaring universe, and our only chance of surviving is to take good care of each other, because no big sky-daddy is out there to take care of us.

Check out the AFA and subvert their message. It is fun.

Mims

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

Evolution is Taboo in Mississippi

2010-07-16T10:17:00.001-05:00

I had an interesting conversation with a woman who moved to Mississippi within the last few years and is still struggling to adjust. She's teaching an undergraduate course at a state university and was surprised to observe such negative reactions from the students to the subject of evolution. I thought I'd mention this here because I'm not convinced that most people realize what a problem this is in our state, even at the university level.

We all know that red states where evangelical fundamentalist Christianity reigns supreme often struggle with evolution in junior high and high school. It should not surprise us one bit that these problems continue at the university level. And yet, I continue to be shocked and disappointed that higher education does not necessarily have an easier time dealing with such topics.

The idea that a college professor might not feel safe discussing evolution in a university classroom is appalling. But doing so can bring direct confrontation from students, complaints by students and their parents to university administrators, poor course evaluations, and other negative outcomes. We'd all like to assume that university administrators and department chairs would protect faculty in these situations, but this does not always happen.

What this means is that the religious delusions of a loud minority has the power to harm the education other students receive. This is unacceptable.

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

Health Care: Another Reason to Invest in Education

2010-06-13T10:45:00.001-05:00

Imagine that your family physician retires and you are on the search for a new doctor. You want someone you can trust, and if you are anything like me, you value professional competence above all else. Your search is not going to be easy. According to Mississippi Public Broadcasting, our state now has the lowest number of health care professionals per capita than any other state in the U.S.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that an important part of the problem relates to Mississippi's refusal to adequately fund education. And medical education provides what should be cause for widespread concern. Mississippi universities are at a serious disadvantage when it comes to recruiting and retaining quality faculty. And too many graduates simply leave our state for better pay and a higher quality of life elsewhere. Over time, this erodes our health care system.

This is just another example of how our unwillingness to adequately fund education hurts all of us.

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

More Mississippi Bigotry

2010-05-04T05:34:00.001-05:00

In a recent post about Arizona's despicable "show me your papers" law, the Good Atheist wrote:

You get the impression sometimes that there really is two Americas: one where the values of liberty, religious and ethnic diversity, the rule of law and a sense of fair play still reigns supreme, and one where bigotry, homophobia, xenophobia, rigid religious dogmatism and “safety” rules the day.

He's right. After all, we live in the second of these Americas. Remember the Constance McMillen story and how it exposed the religiously-motivated bigotry and hatred in our state? It seems that we have another example. The Jackson Free Press is reporting that the Wesson Attendance Center (Copiah County) removed any trace of a lesbian student from their 2010 yearbook.

H/T to Dispatches From the Culture Wars

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

Action Alert: Oppose House Bill 586

2010-01-16T09:47:00.001-06:00

I received the following today from the National Center for Science Education:

Dear Mississippi members of NCSE,

We thought you would like to know about a proposed bill which has just been introduced in the Mississippi legislature by Rep. Gary Chism [R-District 37]. House Bill 586 has been referred to the House Education Committee.

HB 586 would require local school boards to begin every high school biology course with a lesson on human evolution. However, the bill mandates that such lessons "... shall not evidence bias through selective instruction on the theory of evolution, but rather, shall have proportionately equal instruction from educational materials that present scientifically sound arguments by protagonists and antagonists of the theory of evolution."

The bill provides no indication of how to define or recognize "scientifically sound arguments", but is clear in requiring equal time for "educational materials" [also undefined] from both supporters and opponents of evolution. Since there are no "scientifically sound arguments" against evolution which have been presented or accepted by the scientific community, it seems clear that any arguments against evolution presented in such a lesson are very likely to be the sort of religiously-based ones which creationists put forward. Thus this bill could easily have the effect of opening science classrooms to the presentation of those particular religious views which reject evolution.

Last year Rep. Chism introduced a bill which would have required biology textbooks in Mississippi to include an evolution disclaimer similar to that mandated in Alabama. At the time he was quoted in the "Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal" as saying "Either you believe in the Genesis story, or you believe that a fish walked on the ground."

To read the full text of HB 586, see:
http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2010/html/HB/0500-0599/HB0586IN.htm

NCSE has a news story about this bill here:
http://ncse.com/news/2010/01/antievolution-legislation-mississippi-005283

If you should want to contact your representative or members of the Education Committee about HB 586, the following may prove useful.

A roster of House members, with contact information:
http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/members/h_roster.pdf

A list of House committees with their members:
http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/htms/h_cmtememb.xml

To track the status of HB 586 [or any other bill]:
http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2010/pdf/lookup.htm

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

Louisiana Policy May Allow Creationism in Science Class

2010-01-07T10:39:00.001-06:00

Americans United for Separation of Church and State is asking the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to reconsider plans to adopt a policy that favors creationism through "supplemental materials" for use in public school science classes.

"It's obvious what's going on here," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "Louisiana elected officials are once again trying to undercut the teaching of evolution and slip creationism into science classes. This effort must fail."

According to Americans United, the policy provides a loophole through which creationist doctrine may enter the public school classroom. Not surprisingly, the legislation was supported by Christian extremist groups such as the Louisiana Family Forum, an affiliate of Dobson's Focus on the Family.

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

Anti-Intellectualism Affects Quality of Education

2010-01-06T07:49:00.001-06:00

I have been reading Susan Jacoby's The Age of American Unreason, and while I am really enjoying it, I also find much of it very depressing. The role of anti-intellectualism in undermining education is quite clear, both historically and in modern times. Moreover, it is clear that anti-intellectualism varies considerably from region to region.

Mississippi leads the U.S. on many indicators of religiosity, and those of us who live here know that it is not just some abstract form of religion that pervades our culture but evangelical fundamentalist Christianity. Thus, it seems reasonable to speculate that our state would come out near the top on a per capita measure of biblical literalists. Is it any wonder that our educational system is in shambles?

Jacoby's book is helpful in understanding the historical factors which led to widespread anti-intellectualism in the South, and it is worth noting that she does not consider fundamentalist Christianity to be the only cause. Regardless of the causes, it is clear that public attitudes toward education play a role in public attitudes toward funding education.

When I see that our governor is advocating even larger cuts to education, I am outraged. Part of this comes from my understanding of the utility of education in lifting people out of poverty and combating the many other social ills which plague our state. Part of my reaction comes from the idea that one does not improve a seriously failing system by cutting the budget even further. Part of it comes with my amazement that our elected officials are placing their own job security above the good of our state by refusing to raise taxes to support public education. And yes, part of my reaction comes from my belief that anti-intellectualism is playing a role here.

Undoubtedly, a strong and adequately funded system of public education is essential for Mississippi if we are to have any hope of advancing our position on the many lists of social ills. But this need seems to be so intertwined with the pervasive anti-intellectualism in our area that I'm not sure they can be meaningfully separated. We need a cultural shift in how education is valued.

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

Public vs. Private Schools in Mississippi

2009-12-29T09:17:00.001-06:00

I was hoping that those of you in Mississippi who have school-age children (or children that were once school-age) might be able to provide some information that would be of use to those with young children now who are beginning to consider the educational options in our state. As we all know, our state's public education system is notoriously bad. As a result, I see many parents who can afford it send their children to private schools. Of course, this usually means religious schools. How did you make this decision?

I know that the idea of an atheist sending his or her children to a private religious school may seem odd at first, but I wonder if it might actually make sense in our state. Given the near universality of evangelical Protestant fundamentalism, I can't help thinking that the public schools might feel even more religious than some of the private Catholic schools. Of course, I am just speculating here and would be very interested to hear from parents with experience in this area.

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

Musings on Education in Mississippi

2009-09-14T09:30:00.000-05:00

Image by John Edwards 2008 via Flickr

One of the things I've been wondering about our state recently is the root of the hostility to education. I don't mean the politics involved or even the reluctance to properly fund it - these are problems in many areas. No, I mean the public attitudes toward the importance of education and the pride some people seem to take in their lack of formal education. I don't have any answers, but I will offer a tentative guess about one possible factor.

I wonder if at least some of the hostility to education in Mississippi is that it is perceived as a condemnation of who we are. If education is thought to be merely a way into making us more like people outside of Mississippi, it seems reasonable that it might trigger a negative emotional reaction. Nobody likes to be told that they are deficient in some way. Could promoting the value of education be interpreted by some as just such an insult?

I'm not suggesting that your average Mississippian takes pride in ignorance. Some certainly do, but I'm not suggesting that this is widespread. I just wonder if anything that triggers latent feelings of inferiority (e.g., describing our system of public education as "failed") might prompt defensive and even hostile reactions that make it difficult to solve the problem.

In the university environment, I have certainly encountered hostility and anti-intellectualism from students. It is generally presented as close-mindedness to new ideas (e.g., evolution) and seems to have a component of fear. Some students have expressed their perspective that they view higher education as nothing more than a ticket to a high-paying job and that they have little interest in learning anything. It seems like they are afraid that learning might lead them to change their worldview, something that some clearly find unacceptable. Naturally, this poses a great obstacle for some students, including some who would probably thrive if they could overcome their blocks.

What helps to keep me going are the handful of students who genuinely want to learn and who are able to break through the various barriers which restrain them. Unfortunately, it seems that many of them have no intention of remaining in Mississippi when they graduate.

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

Mississippi Higher Education in Trouble

2009-07-24T09:17:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

This rant has been brewing for some time now, but I can't say that I've gained much clarity or perspective yet. I'm still too mad. Maybe this will be cathartic, and if not, maybe it will at least be informative to others.

Higher education in the state of Mississippi has long been subpar and about to get worse as a result of sweeping budget cuts brought on by our faltering economy. Prior to the pending cuts, our plight was already notable.

Professors at Mississippi's public universities are paid less than the southeast regional average.
Mississippi universities are notorious for hiring their own graduates, a practice most universities avoid because in tends to prevent the infusion of new ideas.
Faculty at research-extensive universities have higher teaching loads than those at most research-extensive universities in other states.
Higher education is one of the last priorities for legislative funding in our state in that it is generally the last area of the budget to be considered.
Mississippi's universities routinely admit students who are ill-prepared for higher education and would never qualify for admission in other states.
Faculty and staff at Mississippi's public universities do not receive yearly cost-of-living increases in pay, a common practice in most other states.

Collectively, these factors produce low morale, frequent turnover, and impaired productivity among staff and faculty. Students suffer, and so do the communities which would benefit from what healthy universities offer. The economy of our state is affected, as employers who need educated employees are going to look elsewhere.

In this context, the University of Southern Mississippi has announced plans to cut an additional $10-$12 million. Because the university already operates on a shoestring budget and the IHL board will not allow a tuition increase, the only way to accomplish these cuts is to eliminate entire programs (including some undergraduate majors) and fire faculty and staff. Despite the positive spin university PR officials are going to try to put on this, the reality on the ground is that these cuts are going to devastate an already impaired system.

As we eagerly await economic recovery, we seem to be doing everything we can to postpone it. Gutting our universities is not going to make it any easier to improve Mississippi's economic plight; it will keep is stuck in this hole even longer. Anyone who wants to see Mississippi's economy improve should be demanding that our state legislature funds education in our state.

Some say that this is just a temporary fix and that any programs that are shut down now can simply be reopened once we are out of the recession. Unfortunately, that is not how it works. Effective programs take many years to build, and few accrediting bodies are going to want to take a chance on an institution with this sort of history. These decisions, once implemented, are not going to be easy to reverse.

The only conclusion I am able to draw from all of this is that education is not valued in the state of Mississippi. I suppose that should not come as much of a surprise. After all, a blog like this probably wouldn't be necessary in an area that was serious about education. But surprising or not, it still stings.

Subscribe to Mississippi Atheists

Understanding What is Wrong With Mississippi's HB 25

2009-02-10T06:04:00.002-06:00

Image via Wikipedia

The following thoughts on Mississippi's latest anti-evolution bill, HB 25, were contributed by J, a Mississippian with ties to both Ocean Springs and Jackson. Since I have little doubt that HB 25 will be the last time we are forced to defend science education in our state, I remain interested in posting statements like this here so that they will be a resource the next time we must go through this. Besides, I don't think I could possibly improve on J's analysis of what is so wrong about this bill and similar efforts.

AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO INCLUDE CERTAIN LANGUAGE EXPLAINING THAT EVOLUTION IS A THEORY IN THE INSIDE FRONT COVER OF CERTAIN PUBLIC SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

This bill's introduction follows the tried and failed method of attempting to obfuscate the different meanings of the word ‘theory.’

The word ‘theory’ has many meanings, including: systematically organized knowledge; abstract reasoning; a speculative idea or plan’ or a systematic statement of principles

As expected, the authors left out the definition of ‘theory’ in science. A scientific theory is an overarching explanation of a body of scientific facts and verified hypothesis capable of being tested and falsified through the hypotheses generated from it. This definition may seem a bit cumbersome for high school and middle school students. However, it is imperative that they know that a scientific theory is an explanation of verified facts. It must be differentiated from the everyday usage of ‘theory’ as an educated guess.

This textbook discusses evolution, a controversial theory some scientists present as a scientific explanation for the origin of living things.

The Theory of Evolution is not a controversial theory among scientists, as only 0.14% of all scientists in fields relevant to Evolution, earth and life sciences, do not accept evolution. The use of the phrase ‘some scientists’ is misleading in that it suggests that there is not a preponderance of scientists that accept evolution.

No one was present when life first appeared on earth.

Presence at the occurrence of an event is irrelevant and another misleading ploy, implying that if something is not directly observed, it is somehow unverifiable. Many aspects of science cannot be directly observed, such as atoms, viruses, and the Earth’s core. Either way, the Theory of Evolution does not deal with the origin of life. That would be the realm of abiogenesis.

Evolution refers to the unproven belief that random, undirected forces produced living things.

Evolution refers to the change in genetic frequency of a population of organisms over time due to mutation, reproduction, and natural selection. While a part of this may be seemingly random, such as mutation, the evolutionary process is not at all random. Its non-randomness is evidenced by natural selection. Natural selection is the mechanism whereby environmentally favorable heritable traits in an organism become more frequent in successive generations.

There are many topics with unanswered questions about the origin of life which are not mentioned in your textbook, including: the sudden appearance of the major groups of animals in the fossil record (known as the Cambrian Explosion); the lack of new major groups of other living things appearing in the fossil record;

The two bolded phrases seem to be in direct opposition. I imagine they are referring to differences in the rate of new ‘groups’ of organisms evolving over time. This is not a valid criticism of the Theory of Evolution, unless the authors are suggesting that the environment, thus natural selection, only changes at a constant rate. The evidence of ice ages and warm periods provides the evidence for invalidating this criticism.

The Cambrian Explosion was a period about 540 million years ago that lasted anywhere from 5-40 million years. A 5-40 million year period is not a short time for the evolution of organisms, as many of the more difficult complexities, such as eukaryotic cells, were overcome long before.

The statements are also misleading in that they do not give a definition for ‘major groups’ of animals. Without specifying if a ‘major group’ is a phylum, class, order, etc. the term is meaningless. All of the phyla of plants appeared after the Cambrian Explosion. The major classes of kingdom animalia, such as mammalia, reptilia, aves, and insecta did not evolve until after the Cambrian explosion.

the lack of transitional forms of major groups of plants and animals in the fossil record;

This is most assuredly false. There are numerous publications and online science websites that enumerate the thousands of transitional forms between organisms.

and the complete and complex set of instructions for building a living body possessed by all living things.

This “claim” does not make sense. For an organism to live, it must posses the necessary genetic code to build and support the various parts that make up that organism. Simple Mendelian genetics demonstrates how each organism receives a complete set of instructions from its parent organism.

Study hard and keep an open mind.

Of all the scientific theories, why exactly are our legislators singling out the Theory of Evolution? Why not point out that all of science has areas that require more study? I would imagine this is due to the dangers some people perceive the Theory of Evolution poses to their religious beliefs. Every argument calling the Theory of Evolution into question in this bill can be easily found on numerous religious websites.

By pasting a sticker that only calls into question the Theory of Evolution on the inside cover of science books we are implying to our students that every other theory or piece of information in this book is correct and does not need to be questioned. Again, everything in a science book should be approached critically, including the Theory of Evolution.

To the authors of this bill, ask yourself this question, “Why am I writing legislation that singles out the Theory of Evolution for criticism amongst all of science’s theories?” and answer honestly.

NCSE Needs Help to Defend Science Education in Mississippi

2009-02-07T11:02:00.001-06:00

As you will see from the message below, the National Center for Science Education needs the help of Mississippians to protect science education in our state. HB 25 was probably only the first step in a series of coordinated attacks on reality-based education in our state. I am going to contact them today and make sure I'm on their mailing list.

Dear NCSE supporter,

Hello! I'm a staffer from the National Center for Science Education. I'm writing to you because you've shown considerable interest in defending good science education in the past. In the near future we will be starting an email list to discuss threats to Mississippi science education, and to help coordinate responses. We would appreciate your involvement if you have time and interest.

As you probably know, state representative Gary Chism has introduced House Bill 25, which would require Mississippi public school textbooks to carry an antievolution "disclaimer" similar to that mandated in Alabama.

House Education Committee chairman Cecil Brown has told concerned citizens that he expects the bill to die in his committee; this has been the fate of several other anti-evolution bills over the last few years. However, Rep. Chism claims to be "testing the waters" for yet another bill next year, which will support the teaching of "the strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory."

Moreover, Mississippi lawmakers this winter have introduced no less than four identical copies of the "Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act" (such as HB 159 and SB 2054) in each chamber of the legislature.

These bills do not specifically target evolution or science education, but are likely to make it more difficult to evaluate the academic work ofstudents who plead religious motivations.

Similar bills in other states have attracted concern from science teachers' organizations. In this legislative climate, the House Education Committee may find it more difficult to guard against attacks on good science education.

If you would like to be on our mailing list, please let me know. And if you intend to write or speak in defense of teaching evolution, we would be happy to assist you in any way we can.

--
Anton Mates
Public Information Project, National Center for Science Education 420 40th
St. #2 Oakland, CA 94709-2509
510-601-7203
www.ncseweb.org

Status of Mississippi HB 25

2009-01-20T06:19:00.000-06:00

Image via WikipediaIt looks like there have been no updates to the status of House Bill 25 since we posted that it has been referred to the Education and Judiciary A committees. Despite unofficial reports from the Education Committee chair, Rep. Brown, that the bill would die in committee, we have heard nothing official. I suppose that means that the we should keep up the pressure until we have confirmation that the bill has in fact died. It would be good to have at least a couple letters in the Clarion-Ledger. Does anybody know whether they have already printed letters on HB 25? I know we've had a couple letters printed in the Sun Herald and a couple in the Hattiesburg American.

Opposing HB 25: Letter in the Hattiesburg American

2009-01-16T13:00:00.000-06:00

As outrage over HB 25 continues to spread across Mississippi, we have another letter. This one comes from the Hattiesburg American as was written by Julie Shedd. Not only can you recommend this letter by visiting the paper's website, but you can also contribute to what I suspect will be a lively discussion in the comments. I've included the full letter below.

An open letter to Mississippi lawmakers

By Julie Shedd • January 15, 2009

Respectfully, sirs and madams: Are you trying to make Mississippi the state with the least well-educated and most helpless population in this country?

Last week we learned that due to disastrous and disproven abstinence-only education, we have the nation's highest rate of teenage pregnancy. Now we have House Bill 25, which aims to place stickers on science textbooks questioning the validity of evolutionary theory.

Current challenges to evolutionary theory are not based on science. They are based on religious beliefs and the ideas of so-called "think tanks" such as the Discovery Institute, which studies the pseudoscience of "intelligent design." Therefore, they have no place in science classrooms, let along our public school system.

I could go on an infuriated rant, but instead, I'll take apart some of the stickers' claims.

"The word 'theory' has many meanings, including: systematically organized knowledge; abstract reasoning; a speculative idea or plan; or a systematic statement of principles. Scientific theories are based on both observations of the natural world and assumptions about the natural world. They are always subject to change in view of new and confirmed observations."

Here we have the first refuge of the ignorant-of-evolutionary-science. In science, "theory" has only one meaning. It denotes a hypothesis which has been tested so often and in such varied ways that it can be relied upon.

Yes, the theory can change if new scientific observations are made. That's the beauty of science. This does not mean that every challenge to a theory can be taken seriously.

"This textbook discusses evolution, a controversial theory some scientists present as a scientific explanation for the origin of living things."

This theory is not controversial; at least, not among those who have a working knowledge of the theory. And if the phrase "some scientists" refers to "the vast majority of reputable, knowledgeable scientists," then sure, "some scientists" are behind it.

"No one was present when life first appeared on earth. Therefore, any statement about life's origins should be considered a theory."

Incorrect. Mere statements about life's origins should be considered ideas, or at best, hypotheses. As stated above, theories have been tested.

"Evolution refers to the unproven belief that random, undirected forces produced living things. There are many topics with unanswered questions about the origin of life which are not mentioned in your textbook, including: the sudden appearance of the major groups of animals in the fossil record (known as the Cambrian Explosion); the lack of new major groups of other living things appearing in the fossil record; the lack of transitional forms of major groups of plants and animals in the fossil record; and the complete and complex set of instructions for building a living body possessed by all living things."

Scientific theories are often not complete explanations of everything that ever happened. Yes, there are unanswered questions. There are billions of years of history behind us, after all. At least two of these claims, however, have been reliably disproven.

First of all, the common creationist/"intelligent design" claim that we have no transitional forms. We have thousands of them. Ever hear of Archaeopteryx? Visit a museum. Secondly, the issue of a set of instructions: There is none. Why would there be? Living beings are not transistor radios or IKEA bookshelves; they do not come with instructions.

"Study hard and keep an open mind."

That's not easy to do when you're closing it for me.

People who take issue with evolution usually do not have a complete knowledge of how evolution works. (A good layman's overview can be found at http://www.toarchive.org/faqs/evolution-fact.html.)

Mississippi's children will carry this incomplete knowledge with them if this sort of thing is what we teach them. Without understanding evolutionary theory and other scientific concepts, we are set up to remain not only the poorest and most pregnant state, but also the least-educated.

People: Please follow the lead of other states in this matter and do not support this bill. Debate it if you must (preferably in church, which is where the anti-evolution debate belongs), but please, allow your children to learn.

Opposing HB 25: Another Letter in the Sun Herald

2009-01-16T05:40:00.001-06:00

Image via WikipediaThe Sun Herald printed another letter to the editor regarding HB 25, the anti-evolution bill that would require erroneous disclaimers on textbooks in which evolution was mentioned. Even if HB 25 ends up dying in committee, it is great to see that the people of Mississippi are being exposed to accurate information about evolution. I have included the full text of the letter from Clay LaHatte below.

Evolutionary theory does not address ‘life’s origins’

Regarding Mississippi House Bill 25, on placing a message that “evolution is a theory” in school textbooks: We have been through this before (Georgia), and such a measure will eventually be struck down. Please, let us put a stop to this now, and not waste additional taxpayer dollars on a fruitless, and entirely religious-based cause.

Indeed, there is a theory that attempts to explain the facts regarding species evolution. However, evolutionary theory in no way attempts to explain origins of life, as is mentioned in HB 25. That mention is a clear mistake, or misrepresentation. In other words, it is wrong. Evolutionary theory does not address “life’s origins.” Evolutionary theory informs us as to how species change over time, and how new species emerge through that change. The ultimate origin of life is not a part of evolutionary theory.

Did you know … gravity is also a theory, yet we don’t see groups “warning” people about that one (however, for an example of how silly this kind of thinking can be, see “Intelligent Falling”). Also, education makes use of a theory (Instructional Theory). Probability is also a theory. Etcetera. So, to be fair, students must also be “cautioned” about all of these theories that are associated with teaching and with what is being taught. To single out evolution is a clear attempt to insert religious thinking and biases into classrooms, and such an attempt will and should fail.

Religion is a private matter, and is not in any way a part of scientific learning.

Please, let us not waste any more of my and your tax dollars on this issue. Please, let us not make Mississippi look more foolish than it already does.

Clay LaHatte

Vicksburg