Loch Ness monster-creationism-ACE curriculum

[mirele]

being taught in public schools?

I wish I was lying. As part of Louisiana's awful experiment in education, the state is going to fund schools that use the ACE/School of Tomorrow curriculum, and it teaches this crap as Gospel truth.

Loch Ness monster cited by US schools as evidence that evolution is myth

By CLAIRE MCKIN

Published on Monday 25 June 2012 14:05

THOUSANDS of American school pupils are to be taught that the Loch Ness monster is real – in an attempt by religious teachers to disprove Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Pupils attending privately-run Christian schools in the southern state of Louisiana will learn from textbooks next year, which claim Scotland’s most famous mythological beast is a living creature.

Thousands of children are to receive publicly-funded vouchers enabling them to attend the schools – which follow a strict fundamentalist curriculum.

The Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) programme teaches controversial religious beliefs, aimed at disproving evolution and proving creationism.

Youngsters will be told that if it can be proved that dinosaurs walked the earth at the same time as man, then Darwinism is fatally flawed.

Critics have slammed the content of the religious course books, labelling them “bizarre†and accusing them of promoting radical religious and political ideas.

One ACE textbook called Biology 1099, Accelerated Christian Education Inc reads: “Are dinosaurs alive today? Scientists are becoming more convinced of their existence.

“Have you heard of the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland? ‘Nessie’ for short has been recorded on sonar from a small submarine, described by eyewitnesses, and photographed by others. Nessie appears to be a plesiosaur.â€

Another claim taught is that a Japanese whaling boat once caught a dinosaur.

One former pupil, Jonny Scaramanga, 27, who went through the ACE programme as a child, but now campaigns against Christian fundamentalism, said the Nessie claim was presented as “evidence†that evolution could not have happened.

There's more at the link: http://www.scotsman.com/news/odd/loch-n ... -1-2373903

I am so mortified.

ETA: Updated topic head because I know we have some ACE/School of Tomorrow grads who read here and I want to know if you guys read this stuff!!!

[icecreamycakeycake]

no.no.no. There are no words.

[Minerva]

Please tell me this is a joke.

[Conuly]

What's sad is that they think this is a good argument.

EVEN IF Nessie were real (which is extraordinarily unlikely, but let's run with it) and also a dinosaur, that'd mean jack shit for Darwin.

Wow, some dinosaur is so perfectly adapted to Loch Ness that it's lasted for a very long time! And we care because...?

Please tell me this is a joke.

Oh, no, I've definitely seen this (very stupid) argument before.

[mirele]

Apparently ACE curriculum has now been approved as equivalent to the Cambridge International A-Level standard by an educational agency (Naric) in the UK. Remember, this is the same curriculum that says the Loch Ness monster is real.

Just dropping this here...Jonny Scaramanga (mentioned in the first article) is on it.

http://leavingfundamentalism.wordpress. ... nt-agency/

[mirele]

Apparently ACE curriculum has now been approved as equivalent to the Cambridge International A-Level standard by an educational agency (Naric) in the UK. Remember, this is the same curriculum that says the Loch Ness monster is real.

Just dropping this here...Jonny Scaramanga (mentioned in the first article) is on it.

http://leavingfundamentalism.wordpress. ... nt-agency/

[kunoichi66]

Apparently ACE curriculum has now been approved as equivalent to the Cambridge International A-Level standard by an educational agency (Naric) in the UK. Remember, this is the same curriculum that says the Loch Ness monster is real.

Just dropping this here...Jonny Scaramanga (mentioned in the first article) is on it.

http://leavingfundamentalism.wordpress. ... nt-agency/

Head. I'd like you to meet desk.

*crash*

[Angri-la]

You know those things you read while you are still half asleep, and you question if you are still dreaming? This is like one of my horrible fundie dreams, except I know I am awake, as I never have headaches in my dreams. Wow. The stupidity burns.

[mirele]

You know those things you read while you are still half asleep, and you question if you are still dreaming? This is like one of my horrible fundie dreams, except I know I am awake, as I never have headaches in my dreams. Wow. The stupidity burns.

Yeah, I have a headache too this morning. Not going to blame it on "the stupidity burns," but it can't be helping.

[Visionoyahweh]

But....doesn't bigfoot support the idea of human evolution?

[Angri-la]

Yeah, I have a headache too this morning. Not going to blame it on "the stupidity burns," but it can't be helping.

Oh, no, the headache stands alone in telling me I am awake. The stupidity is just burning my brain sponge; I should remember not to post before full caffeination. I seriously had to come back and check this thread to see if I read it right. Sadly, I did.

The chance of it happening is small, due to the insular worlds the fundies travel in, but I picture the day I overhear someone spouting this as Truth at a job or in public, well, I just won't be able to be polite and not admit to eavesdropping.

[doggie]

It's sad how badly they really need to prove creationism. When you are that desperate you are in some pretty sad shape.

[Conuly]

But....doesn't bigfoot support the idea of human evolution?

"If evolution is real and we all came from monkeys, why is Bigfoot still walking around? Can't answer that, can you? Huh? Huh, smart guy?"

[BravaAmica]

What. The. Fuck. Is LA TRYING to come across as ignorant and backward?! Or are they in a race to the bottom with Alabama?!

[FlorenceHamilton]

So a creature for whom there is no proof of existence is proof of the existence of creation as stated in the bible? Huh?

Since all we have is a picture that has already been admitted to be a scam and a bunch of verbal accounts, then we have no evidence at all that even if there is an unusual creature living in the loch it is a dinasaur. We have absolutley no tissue or fossils of any kind to assess what sort of animal it may be.

We are doomed. Really. We are going to watch our world go back into the dark ages and the scary thing is that those who are forcing the process actually have all of the tools to know better.

[pixydust]

I love cryptozoology, but there is no way on earth that I would tell my kids that the Loch Ness monster (or any of the other cryptos) are real as a form of education (we have talked about it, but theu know that no matter how much mommy likes this stuff, it probably isn't real).

WTF people? You can't give something that has no proof it exists as fact!!!! What's next, the Easter bunny?!

[ThisOlGirl]

I love cryptozoology, but there is no way on earth that I would tell my kids that the Loch Ness monster (or any of the other cryptos) are real as a form of education (we have talked about it, but theu know that no matter how much mommy likes this stuff, it probably isn't real).

WTF people? You can't give something that has no proof it exists as fact!!!! What's next, the Easter bunny?!

The Easter Bunny is something made up by those ebil Pagans. Next up will be Bigfoot, the Chupacabra, the Jersey Devil, and the Mothman--they're totes real.

[Glass Cowcatcher]

Hahahahah!!

...oh, wait, they're serious. O.O

I don't want to live here any more.

[dawn9476]

Jindal has also expanded the voucher program so more parents can send their kids to religious schools. He wants to turn LA into a state of stupid bible thumpers.

[Hevcoh]

But Nessie is real!

OK, maybe not, but ifd she was, wasn't her existence more of a prove of evolution and adaptability than disproof?

[Sola]

You know what pisses me off too? There are some schools here in the UK, funded by the tax payer no less, which are now using that damn curriculum.

Because of the way the rules have relaxed about faith schools and state funding, several new schools have opened up around the country, and several of them are fundamentalist Christian. Quite a few of them are using ACE and are using government funds to indoctrinate children with that bullshit.

[Swamptribe]

Ok, it's only fair. Can we also watch Xena and Hercules for Ancient History?

[Coconut Flan]

Years ago the fourth grade social studies curriculum talked about going to grocery stores or similar places and handing out religious tracts. Does anyone know if that is still in there?

[pixydust]

But Nessie is real!

OK, maybe not, but ifd she was, wasn't her existence more of a prove of evolution and adaptability than disproof?

But see, you're thinking...you aren't supposed to do that!

[mirele]

Years ago the fourth grade social studies curriculum talked about going to grocery stores or similar places and handing out religious tracts. Does anyone know if that is still in there?

You might want to ask Jonny Scaramanga. He's been buying PACEs and looking at them. His blog is here: http://leavingfundamentalism.wordpress.com/