Archive for the ‘Character’ Category

Merry Christmas!

So, I haven’t blogged in a while–sorry!  But with it being Christmas, and having a little time on my hands, I thought it might be fun to pick this up again, but in an unlikely place.  Please accept this article as my Christmas present to all who care to read it.

As you may know, I’ve been dual-employed for the past many months as a public school teacher and as a part-time pastor/preacher.  My school employer asked me to handle “character education” in addition to teaching 5th grade language arts and social studies.  When we arrive back to school after the winter break, our character education focus for January will be “Tolerance”.  A few days ago, the Duval County Public School System web site provided me a link to an article titled “Being ‘Tolerant’ About Creationism” by Sean Price.

After reading his article, I felt compelled to respond and include all of you.  So, sit on something comfortable, read his article and my response below.  (I sent him the response at noon on 12/23…he has not yet posted it to the “Tolerance” site.)

Mr. Price, I am a Christian and a Creationist.  I have a master’s degree, am a public school teacher, and I am in charge of character education at our school.

Let me start by saying I’m sure you never expected for someone like me to even read your article.  However, I have and I find it both condescending and ironic.  I’m not sure who has linked ignorance and poverty to people who believe in Creationism, but I’d really love to see that research!

If one only casually studies the history of education in America, they would be confronted with the fact that Christians founded many of the educational institutions and continue to educate millions of people worldwide every year.  And should you question the quality of their education or be tempted to label it as “ignorance”, examine the facts and do the research.  Take a good look at parochial, Catholic, and Evangelical Christian Schools–are their SAT scores lower or higher than their public school counterparts?  Do a lower percentage of students at Creation-teaching schools go on to colleges and universities?

The irony of your article is that Secularists have won the day in the public education arena and yet you are still whining about not having 100% compliance.  The irony of your article is that had it not been for tolerant Creationists, you would not have the voice you now have.  So the tables have turned and the majority (by a margin of 3%) believes in Evolution over Creation.  The question for you should now be, “Who is failing?”

Since Evolution (in the vast majority of public schools, colleges, and universities) is and has been the ONLY scientific perspective taught for the last 40+ years, and you have only managed to win by a margin of 3%, how successful do you suppose you have been?  If your science is so unquestionable, so convincing, so irrefutable, why have you not convinced 97%?  I guess battling the ignorant, impoverished Creationists is a job too difficult for the largest and wealthiest public education system in world history!

One final thing…Creationists are not your real enemy, Evolutionists are.  I have studied in public institutions and private ones long enough to know Evolutionists don’t always agree with themselves.  Furthermore, how often have the text books been changed because Evolution Scientists got it wrong or simply falsified “evidence”?   Do you remember “Nebraska Man” or “Piltdown Man“?  In the late 1980′s while at a Christian university some of the hoaxes of Evolution were exposed to me using Time Magazine and other secular periodicals. I then matriculated to a state university where the biology texts were teaching “Piltdown Man” as scientific fact.  When I questioned the professor about what everyone else had accepted as a hoax, he dismissed me and quickly defended his belief and the text much like a Christian would a Bible.  I have since encountered similar resistance to honest discussion among many of the Evolutionary scientific community.

Most Christians are tolerant of Evolutionists as long as they are honest about their science and their agenda.  And herein is the rub: When you guys are honest, it comes off with the same intellectual superiority and condescension with which you wrote this article.

Mr. Price, what if the shoe was on the other foot; would you want your “tolerance”?

Toby

Language Arts Teacher

Character Ed Director

Jacksonville, FL