By any reasonable definition, Ohio Governor John Kasich is in a dogfight in his race for a second term. Most polls show Democratic challenger Ed FitzGerald closing in on Kasich. In light of this, I have to wonder what some of Kasich’s buddies in the state legislature were thinking when they recently began a push to allow the teaching of creationism and its bastard child, intelligent design, in Ohio’s science classrooms.
A provision in a bill that would repeal Common Core standards in Ohio that went little-noticed until recently would require the state’s science standards to “prohibit political or religious interpretation of scientific facts in favor of another.” One of the bill’s sponsors, Republican state representative Andy Thompson, told The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer that this provision would require teachers to present both sides of a political and scientific debate. It would also give districts considerable latitude in teaching religious interpretations of scientific issues. In essence, this provision would open the door to Ohio’s kids being fed pseudoscience. Besides creationism, it would open the door to questions about whether dinosaurs walked the earth alongside humans.
When the National Council for Science Education got wind of this, it hit the ceiling and with good reason. Apparently, Thompson doesn’t understand that there are certain issues in science on which there is no other side. The overwhelming scientific consensus, supported by scads of evidence, is that dinosaurs died out millions of years before the first humans even appeared. Moreover, creationism and intelligent design are as far from being scientific as you can get. When you get right down to it, all both concepts do is say, “Well, God created it that way,” and dress it up in scientific language. The NCSE is urging Ohioans to write their state representatives and urge that the provisions opening the door for “nonscience” to be cut out of the bill.
Granted, there’s no guarantee that this bill will become law. State House Speaker William Batchelder told The Columbus Dispatch that it’s still up in the air whether the bill will pass. Kasich himself has let it be known he supports Common Core, though he’s stopped short of threatening to veto the bill if it hits his desk. I have to wonder–does Kasich know that this bill would allow pseudoscience to be taught under the guise of equal time?
I first learned about this unbelievable story from Patheos’ Michael Stone, who echoes Lawrence Krauss’ claim that teaching creation in science class amounts to child abuse. I wouldn’t go quite that far. I will say, though, that the mere fact this provision is in this bill is an embarrassment to both Ohio and the nation.
Let us know your thoughts at the Liberal America Facebook page. Sign up for our free daily newsletter to receive more great stories like this one.
Darrell Lucus,?also known as Christian Dem in NC on Daily Kos, is a radical-lefty Jesus-lover who has been blogging for change for a decade. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook.
