RMOLLISE wrote:
"Culturally sensitive" in what way? How? And don't discount this. How
many people thought the Scopes trial had settled the evolution debate
80 years ago?

As I note in another reply to your post, looking deeper into this, it
turns out that Representative Warren Chisum has not made any public
criticism of the heliocentric theory. As a Young Earth Creationist, he
denies the Big Bang, and he happened to cite something he saw on a web
site that *elsewhere*, in a portion he likely had not read, took a
position against Copernicus.

I suspect the current controversy will wind up giving birth to a new
"urban legend".

In the case of evolution, what I mean by culturally sensitive is this:

Textbooks will teach evolution, not creation or "intelligent design".

But while they will present the facts and arguments in favor of
evolution, and they will not present any disclaimers which imply a
lack of credibility to evolution, or credibility for creationism, and
they will not "teach the controversy" when there is no real
controversy...

they _will_ disclaim teaching any conclusions about the actual origin
of life.

We are teaching you the allegations of certain scientists about the
origin of life.

You will be examined on your knowledge of these allegations.

We will not say how likely we think these allegations are to be true.

We will not say why we do not take the time to teach you about other
ideas concerning the origin of life.

You will be left free to draw your own conclusions in this matter.

While we may believe these allegations to be very credible, and
therfore worthy of inclusion in the curriculum, we respect your
freedom to believe that we are mistaken, and so we shall word all our
examinations so that you can get a perfect score without uttering the
slightest abjuration or contradiction of the least verse of Genesis.

Those of you who are Creationists, therefore, cannot complain that we
are persecuting you, and pressuring you to deny your faith. The rest
of the students can get a big laugh at the hypocrisy of the adult
world, and the level of stupidity it sometimes has to show respect to.

The Creationists should get what the First Amendment demands they are
owed... but nothing more. I would even say they deserve it.

John Savard