The terror of religious authority

Discussion in 'Religion Archives' started by Godless, Apr 24, 2002.

  1. Godless Objectivist Mind Registered Senior Member

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    I've done a little reasearch this fine evening look at what i've encountered:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/audiovideo/programmes/correspondent/newsid_1879000/1879407.stm

    Bare with me it's not only the Catholics:

    http://www.affirmation.org/article05.htm

    Heck it's not only priests just when we thought we could trust our police officers:

    http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/reuters20020318_384.html

    To tell ya the truth fokes I've got no children however I love dearly my girlfriends kids, and care for them even more so after loosing their father recently last year. It troubles me that their mom is a Catholic, however we can't judge all priests. But the doubt is planted, and we are so watchfull over the kids now.

    Can we trust the goverment with our kids?

    I don't think so, not in education we've all seen the recent removal of teaching the theory of evolution, deemed to be some form of religion, and now this:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/education/newsid_1668000/1668522.stm

    Our educational system is failing? I wonder why?, when the church steps in the classroom there's only one objective, make dumb asses of the kids so they can belive in god!!!!!.
    Discoruage them from asking questions which the glergy can't answer, make them believe with out evidence on creationism, omit evolution from public education, (wait, that's allready been done!!)
     
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  3. Xelios We're setting you adrift idiot Registered Senior Member

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    Religion needs to back off.

    So simple I bet even Loone could understand it.
     
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  5. Raithere plagued by infinities Valued Senior Member

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    It's worse than you think.

    TMSS Studies results, US rankings:

    Math
    Grade 4 - 12th
    Grade 8 - 28th
    Grade 12 - 19th (Some countries that did better in grade 8 did not participate in the grade 12 test)
    Grade 12 Advanced Students - 15th (Again, some countries that did not participate)

    Science
    Grade 4 - 3rd
    Grade 8 - 17th
    Grade 12 - 16th (Some countries that did better in grade 8 did not participate in the grade 12 test)
    Grade 12 Advanced Students - 16th (Again, some countries that did not participate)


    Although Kansas reversed it's 1999 decision to remove evolution from science classes:

    "In addition to scaling back evolution, the final version (of Kansas's new science standard) carefully omits any mention of the age of the Earth or universe."

    "Kansas’s state board has conspicuously taken no stand on how or whether evolution of life should be taught in the schools. "

    "Every biology textbook in Alabama, for instance, comes with a disclaimer pasted inside the front cover that says in part, “No one was present when life first appeared on earth. Therefore, any statement about life’s origins should be considered as theory, not fact.”"


    How about a gallup poll from 2001?

    "According to the study, the most notable increases between 1990 and 2001 are beliefs in psychic or spiritual healing (up 8 percent to 54 percent); haunted houses (up 13 percent to 42 percent); communication with the dead (up 10 percent to 28%); and witches (up 12 percent to 26 percent)."


    Some other studies, by the NSF, indicate:

    In 1995, only 9 percent of respondents could successfully define a molecule. That percentage rose to 11 percent in 1997 and to 13 percent in 1999.

    In 1999, 29 percent of the respondents could define DNA, up from 21 percent in 1995 and 22 percent in 1997. Undoubtedly, this growing awareness of DNA is attributable to heavy media coverage of the use of DNA in crime-solving and in advancements in the field of medicine.

    The percentage of those able to define the Internet increased from 13 percent in 1997 to 16 percent in 1999.

    In the 1999 survey, 21 percent of the respondents provided good explanations of what it means to study something scientifically. About one-third answered the experiment questions correctly, including being able to say why it was better to use a control group. More than half (55 percent) of the respondents answered the four probability questions correctly.

    About one-half or fewer of the respondents knew that:

    The earliest humans did not live at the same time as dinosaurs.
    Electrons are smaller than atoms.
    Antibiotics do not kill viruses.
    Lasers do not work by focusing sound waves.
    It takes the Earth one year to go around the Sun.


    Please reread that last one.
    Less than half of the people questioned knew it takes the Earth a year to go around the Sun!

    I could go on and on and on… but I'm weeping too much to keep typing.

    ~Raithere
     
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2002
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  7. Adam §Þ@ç€ MØnk€¥ Registered Senior Member

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    Damn. This is the world's largest economy you're talking about? A place I would expect decent schooling?
     
  8. Godless Objectivist Mind Registered Senior Member

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    The problem is deeper than you think!!

    Quote Adam: "Damn. This is the world's largest economy you're talking about? A place I would expect decent schooling?"

    The US is the largest consumer in the world, however we'r not the largest producer of goods in the world.

    Take an American senior, and his education is at the level of an 8th grader in Japan!!. When students reach college, there have been problems of tremendous portion on the legal field, i.e., a senior student graduates from high school with the reading level of a 3rd grader!!. Some graduates don't even know how to fill out an employment application, parents of this poor children have sued the schools and won!!.

    I once heard of a case of a kid who didn't know how to fill out an employment application, sued his high school district for 30 million dollars. (this is before the no-pass, no play was instituted) Americans love their sports, so when talented athelites couldn't keep up with their academics teachers simply passed them anyway, pressured by athelitic coaches.

    College proffesors claim that high school teachers are not teaching these kids anything, high school teachers claim that kids don't know anything when they reach the high schools therefore blaiming elementary school teachers, and so on.. The US army spends millions of dollars in resources teaching thier younger soldiers simple math and writing skills. It has been geting better though, however kind of late when there is a large population in the US of english speaking adults which are illiterates, and know very little math skills. And these are the poor dumb asses putting idiots in public office!.

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    My Case, I droped out of high school at 18, I was only a softmore, the oil-field work was a boom, that paid plenty of money I went for it!!, after several years, the job ended, I've been working odd jobs, ever since!. I went to college, only for several semesters, I don't own a degree in anything. If I seem smart for my educational background, is that I do love to read, I'm self tought in philosophy, psychology, and recently computers, no one tought me how to run this thing!. My objectives I plan to study computers, and start getting my certifications in IT. The problem was I never knew what I really wanted to do. And that seems to be a problem many seniors have in high school, the economy forces some younger people to seek employment rather than an education.

    Even when the mony is available for education, many feel or want independence from parents, so they rather work.
     
  9. Adam §Þ@ç€ MØnk€¥ Registered Senior Member

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    I never knew what I wanted to do either, regarding working careers. I could never say "I want to be a lawyer" or "I want to be a fireman". I dropped out of high school to join the navy, then completed high school after leaving the navy. And now I'm studying computers.
     
  10. Ekimklaw Believer in God Registered Senior Member

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    post resurrection

    Since we're busy reviving old dead posts... here's one! I've set the WAYBACK MOE-Sheeen for April 23rd. That's about FOUR months ago! W O W !!

    Remember how much fun you had?


    -Mike
     
  11. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

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    holy indian white cow

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    we live in a world of idiots


    I'm shocked as I write
     
  12. ~The_Chosen~ Registered Senior Member

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    Yea it's sad alright. 75% of high school graduates that make it into college drop out of college.

    And the percentage is EVEN LOWER for high school students to actually ATTEND COLLEGE.

    Sad indeed, Hawaii has a D- education report on all their public schools.

    But their private schools rank the top in the nation. Thank God I went to a religious private school.

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  13. Godless Objectivist Mind Registered Senior Member

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    Just today...

    At work, I questioned a kid who looks as if he graduated two years ago, we were talking about space, when I mentioned the big-bang theory, he didn't have a clue of what I was talking about, he asked another older guy, who mentioned that the big-bang theory took place in the early 60's!! LOL.

    I looked in amazement. Whaaaatt?.

    So I says to the younger guy, it's like I'm speaking Japanese, and you haven't got a clue of what I'm talking about.

    Yet this two fools sit and pray before they eat!!.
     
  14. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

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    Artificial Intelligence is no match for human stupidity

    damn
    people are stupid

    atleast we are here in some kind of a sanctuary although we get our share of arrogant believers also
     
  15. Tiassa Let us not launch the boat ... Valued Senior Member

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    37,884
    Right, Godless

    Yeah. Sure thing. There's a no-brainer. The sorry-ass state of public education is obviously religion's fault, and has nothing to do with the corporate model nickel-and-diming education to death?

    Classroom overcrowding is obviously a problem of religious people. God forbid that students should have adequate access to their teachers. It's in the Bible, I think.

    Corporations put money down for foodservice in schools--will your child's diet become subject to Kraft Foods' bottom line? Goddamn religious people with their dietary laws! How dare they make salsa a vegetable. Just because the Bible and the Rg-Veda both say so doesn't make it real, right?

    The state legislature of Louisiana once tried to make pi = 3.000, in order to improve math scores among public school students :bugeye: . F@cking religious people. I'm almost positive that one is in the Bible.

    We spent a billion dollars on stadia in Seattle at a time when people were refusing schools basic operating funds. I believe the logic behind Safeco Field and Seahawks Stadium was that they were not expenditures per se but "investments" that would show a financial return. Schools do not show financial returns. Somehow, I'm sure this funding mess is the fault of the religious people.

    But it's the American school system. It's underspent, it's underpaid. It's not enough of a financial return. What do you know? Let's string up those religious folk!

    You know, sometimes I think there must be a God if only to explain the depths to which human silliness will stoop.

    Good topic, Godless.

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    thanx,
    Tiassa

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    Last edited: Aug 22, 2002
  16. ~The_Chosen~ Registered Senior Member

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    Right on Tiassa

    I guess no one saw the irony in this comment I made?

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    It's the goddamn religious people's fault!
     
  17. Godless Objectivist Mind Registered Senior Member

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    The Chosen....

    Yes I did, however not worthy of mentioning. I too went to a good Catholic school.

    When a young boy in South America Venezuela. My place of birth, my mother placed me in a Catholic school, Till my mom met my step-father of which he started me in an English education here in the states.

    Here in this country I went through a Christian School, in Arizona.
    After that it was a public shool, after been cought with a joint, it was Military School. LOL.

    So basically what I'm trying to say, is that private schools in The US are much superior than what public education. And if that's the case that you yourself went through a religious school, it's not so much of the school, or it's domination, but the fact that "it was a private school"
     
  18. Godless Objectivist Mind Registered Senior Member

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  19. ConsequentAtheist Registered Senior Member

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    In my opinion, as an atheist of some 4 decades, it's best to leave such hyperbole to quack evangelists. The obvious problem with demonizing "the church" and railing against its "only one objective" is that there are endless counter-examples. The sober rejection of God(s) leaves no room for casting theists as devils.
     

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