MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2009
By: Representative Chism
HOUSE BILL NO. 25
AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO INCLUDE 1 CERTAIN LANGUAGE EXPLAINING THAT EVOLUTION IS A THEORY IN THE 2 INSIDE FRONT COVER OF CERTAIN PUBLIC SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS; AND FOR 3 RELATED PURPOSES. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 5 SECTION 1. The State Board of Education shall require every 6 textbook that includes the teaching of evolution in its contents 7 to include the following language on the inside front cover of the 8 textbook: 9 “The word ‘theory’ has many meanings, including: 10 systematically organized knowledge; abstract reasoning; a 11 speculative idea or plan; or a systematic statement of principles. 12 Scientific theories are based on both observations of the natural 13 world and assumptions about the natural world. They are always 14 subject to change in view of new and confirmed observations. 15 This textbook discusses evolution, a controversial theory 16 some scientists present as a scientific explanation for the origin 17 of living things. No one was present when life first appeared on 18 earth. Therefore, any statement about life’s origins should be 19 considered a theory. 20
Evolution refers to the unproven belief that random, 21 undirected forces produced living things. There are many topics 22 with unanswered questions about the origin of life which are not 23 mentioned in your textbook, including: the sudden appearance of 24 the major groups of animals in the fossil record (known as the 25 Cambrian Explosion); the lack of new major groups of other living 26 things appearing in the fossil record; the lack of transitional 27
H. B. No. 25 *HR07/R105*
09/HR07/R105
PAGE 2 (RKM\HS)
ST: Education; require disclaimer in textbooks
regarding the teaching of certain theories.
forms of major groups of plants and animals in the fossil record; 28 and the complete and complex set of instructions for building a 29 living body possessed by all living things. 30 Study hard and keep an open mind.” 31 SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 32 and after July 1, 2009. 33
Evolution disclaimer
January 23, 2009 · 1 Comment
Categories: Uncategorized
1 response so far ↓
rebeldds // January 24, 2009 at 11:16 pm
As my young children work their way up the evolutionary chain of public schooling, I have become aware that it matters little what is actually in their textbooks.
I thought that when my children started elementary school, they should respect and believe what their teachers told them. High school and college would be soon enough for critical thinking and healthy skepticism.
However, when one child came home asking incredulously, “Can you believe that there are scientists who are so stupid that they believe humans came from monkeys?” I quickly realized that it’s never to early to start teaching our children to think for themselves.
I was not so concerned that this teacher’s religious beliefs bled over into her classroom as I was about her apparent lack of understanding of evolutionary theory in general.
While I find the notion of a sticker for our textbooks harmless, I actually wish there was some sort of sticker that we could affix–maybe to their foreheads–that would encourage our children to “study hard and keep an open mind.”
Catherine J Mincy, DDS
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