The top conservative activist on the powerful Texas Board of Education, who rejects evolution and has pushed for a revisionist right-wing U.S. history curriculum, is on the way out, after a moderate candidate defeated him in a tight primary last week.posted by delmoi at 1:08 PM on March 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
the fact remains that the United States is still today a Christian country founded on Christian values
Wouldn't it be interesting if we never had separation of church and state in America and rabid fundies had to tithe to a liberal, mainline protestant church like the Episcopal Church?
managed to cut Thomas Jefferson from a list of figures whose writings inspired revolutions in the late 18th century and 19th century
"Public education has always been a battleground between cultural forces; one reason that Texas’ school-board members find themselves at the very center of the battlefield is, not surprisingly, money. The state’s $22 billion education fund is among the largest educational endowments in the country. Texas uses some of that money to buy or distribute a staggering 48 million textbooks annually — which rather strongly inclines educational publishers to tailor their products to fit the standards dictated by the Lone Star State. California is the largest textbook market, but besides being bankrupt, it tends to be so specific about what kinds of information its students should learn that few other states follow its lead. Texas, on the other hand, was one of the first states to adopt statewide curriculum guidelines, back in 1998, and the guidelines it came up with (which are referred to as TEKS — pronounced 'teaks' — for Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) were clear, broad and inclusive enough that many other states used them as a model in devising their own. And while technology is changing things, textbooks — printed or online —are still the backbone of education."*posted by ericb at 2:29 PM on March 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
“The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.” -- Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard's Almanack, 1758John Adams:
“Lighthouses are more helpful than churches.”
“I have found Christian dogma unintelligible. Early in life, I absenteed myself from Christian assemblies.”
“The divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity.”Thomas Jefferson:
“But how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed.” -- John Adams, letters to family and other leaders 1735-1826
“Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burned, tortured, fined, and imprisoned, yet we have not advanced one inch toward uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half of the world fools and the other half hypocrites.” -- Thomas Jefferson, Notes on VirginiaJames Madison:
“The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as His father, in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter.” -- Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Adams, April 11, 1823
“In no instance have . . . the churches been guardians of the liberties of the people.”Abraham Lincoln:
“Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise.” -- James Madison, April 1, 1774
“My earlier views of the unsoundness of the Christian scheme of salvation and the human origin of the scriptures have become clearer and stronger with advancing years, and I see no reason for thinking I shall ever change them.” -- Lincoln in a letter to Judge J.S. Wakefield, after the death of Willie Lincoln"The founding fathers were a mixture of deists, Christians, and possibly one atheist. Assigning beliefs to the founding fathers collectively, however, is a difficult task. As a group, the founders stopped short of religious establishment because of their own diversity and experience with state sponsored religion in Europe. However, they broadly recognized a 'Creator' or 'Nature’s God' without ascribing to one particular religion. Their belief systems were products of ancient philosophy, the Enlightenment, and the Reformation. Their diverse beliefs, however, refute any exclusive claim to one religion or belief system." *
“He was an avowed and open infidel, and sometimes bordered on Atheism...He went further against Christian beliefs and doctrines and principles than any man I ever heard.” -- John T. Stuart, Lincoln's first law partner *
Chorusposted by Decimask at 3:38 PM on March 12, 2010
'cuz you can't buy a dildo in Texas
We don't touch ourselves down there round here, ya' hear?
And it says so in the Bible that a vibe'll leave you liable
For a prison term of twenty-seven years
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posted by parmanparman at 12:47 PM on March 12, 2010 [1 favorite]