@TheMiddleWay Do you tell your students that God is not real?

@TheMiddleWay

Well, yes and no. Depends on the circumstance.

"Our Establishment Clause jurisprudence provides that, in addition to having a secular purpose and not having the primary effect of advancing or hindering religion, state policies or actions must not foster excessive government entanglement with religion. See Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602, 612–13, 91 S.Ct. 2105, 29 L.Ed.2d 745 (1971). Although the Lemon test has been criticized, it has not been overruled. However, the Court appears to have modified the test somewhat in Agostini v. Felton, 521 U.S. 203, 234, 117 S.Ct. 1997, 138 L.Ed.2d 391 (1997), which instructs us to focus on the question of whether the challenged action can reasonably be viewed as a governmental endorsement of religion. Under this jurisprudence, courts have not only struck down school-sponsored religious activities and official endorsement of religion, see, e.g., Lee v. Weisman, 505 U.S. 577, 112 S.Ct. 2649, 120 L.Ed.2d 467 (1992) (prayer at graduation ceremony); Wallace v. Jaffree, 472 U.S. 38, 105 S.Ct. 2479, 86 L.Ed.2d 29 (1985) (moment of silence), but they have also held that public school officials have the authority to prevent teachers from giving students and others the impression that the school prefers a particular religion, or religion in general, see, e.g., Helland v. South Bend Community School Corp., 93 F.3d 327 (7th Cir.1996); Peloza v. Capistrano Unified School District, 37 F.3d 517 (9th Cir.1994). Thus, schools may direct teachers to “refrain from expression of religious viewpoints in the classroom and like settings,” Bishop v. Aronov, 926 F.2d 1066, 1077 (11th Cir.1991); indeed, schools have a constitutional duty to make “certain ... that subsidized teachers do not inculcate religion,” Lemon, 403 U.S. at 619, 91 S.Ct. 2105."

Marchi v. Bd. of Coop. Educ. Servs. of Albany, 173 F.3d 469, 475 (2d Cir. 1999)

@TheMiddleWay
A science teacher can teach science as a set of facts supported by voluminous evidence. And he/she can point out that where religion contradicts science, there is a glaring lack of evidence to support the religious position. The teacher can do this, but there will be push back from religious students, parents, and administrators. They will do their best to get that teacher out of the classroom. And they will play dirty.I know whereof I speak; I have first-hand experience of this.

@TheMiddleWay
You taught physics...did you teach Darwinian evolution?

@TheMiddleWay
Did the biology teacher in your school actually teach evolution as hard fact, or did he/she soft pedal the issue? I have seen (known) biology teachers who actually believed in Creationism, and taught that Darwinism is "just a theory." I have also seen biology teachers gloss over evolution, hurry through it in fear of student/parent reaction. As for dealing with bad behaviors, I agree that there are methods available. And these often include getting parents and administrators involved. But if you do not have their support, those methods are of little value.

@TheMiddleWay
Oh do not worry my friend, I take your point. I taught high school science for 20 years. I know that as scientists we must always leave the door to change unlocked and open at least a crack. But sometimes there comes a point where the evidence is so overwhelming that we can safely say that a question is settled. The shift from geocentrism to heliocentrism was somewhat halting at first, but now no one (no serious person) argues that we may someday find that the universe revolves around the Earth. And so it is with evolutionary theory and plate tectonics. The evolution of hundreds of macro species has been measured in real time. Likewise the movements of tectonic plates. On these issues we have moved from the realm of guarded confidence into plain certainty. Failure to accept these facts in the interest of keeping up the appearance of scientific integrity is akin to stubbornly clinging to religious dogma. It's time to move on.

@TheMiddleWay You have done well, I think. Most students and parents don't care whether evolution is true or not. They just want to drop their kid off at school for most of the day.
The city of Rome, Ga. (USA)(I think in the 90s) had a sticker placed in each Biology textbook that stated: "Evolution is only a theory". The stickers were later removed by court order.
When I was teaching Biology, I had a student come to my desk and ask me if I was an atheist. I replied that I do not believe there is a God that watches everything we do every day and rewards or punishes us for everything we do.

Well said, my friend..

Bloody peasants!!

@Paul4747 wealthy peasants in the US apparently. [weforum.org]

Yes he knows all to well just like he knows he’s AG for the people of the USA and not just Trump’s personal AG

Billy Barbell ! Lol

To prison!!!

@TheMiddleWay There isn't anything wrong with being militant.

@TheMiddleWay
I tend to agree. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. The problem though, is that the religious are largely impervious to reason. For them, belief trumps facts. It's sort of a Catch-22.

@TheMiddleWay
Pointing out that there is no evidence to support a belief is not a bullshit argument. It's actually pretty powerful when you think about it.

@TheMiddleWay
I never said the religious belief was wrong. It was enough to point out that it was not supported by evidence. And I did insist that the Earth really is 4.5 billion years old, and that humans share common ancestry with apes, and that the first humans evolved only about 200,000 years ago. These are facts, and that is how they should be taught. To do otherwise would be a disservice to the students. IMHO

@TheMiddleWay
Let's be clear: Christianity is not one belief, but a set of beliefs. The question of the existence of a deity cannot be settle empirically. But the age of the Earth and the origin of species can. And have been. And there is no "middle way" through that. It is what it is, to borrow biblical phraseology.

That’s right. Sick psychopath and narcissist. Worst combo

The problem with the Attorney General is that critical thinking skills are anathema to him, just like all the other cognitive skills.

Religions can (and have) incorporate immoral behavior in their moral codes (i.e. institutionalized mistreatment of women, acceptance of slavery, etc). The Divine Command Theory defines whatever God commands is moral even if the commandment is murder, rape, child abuse, etc. Someone who declines to follow through on what God commands from them would be considered to be immoral.

@RussRAB
I think that twisting of morality is what led Christopher Hitchens to write, "Religion poisons everything!"