Alan Leshner, the chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, has weighed in on the forced resignation of former TEA Science Curriculum Director Chris Comer.
In a Waco Tribune-Herald editorial, Leshner expressed shock that Comer was removed from her position because she was caught doing her job.
As Texas prepares to reconsider what youngsters statewide should know about science, the forced ouster of Science Curriculum Director Chris Comer, apparently for standing up for the integrity of science education, was both shocking and sad.
Leshner went on to argue that evolution and religious belief need not be seen as incompatible.
In a free country, there's room for both religion and science. The scientific acceptance of evolution is compatible with the religious views of many Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu followers.
As geneticist Francis Collins, an evangelical Christian and director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, has said: "Faith is the way to understand questions that science can't answer, like 'Why are we all here? Why does it matter? Is there a God, and does he care about me?'"
As geneticist Francis Collins, an evangelical Christian and director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, has said: "Faith is the way to understand questions that science can't answer, like 'Why are we all here? Why does it matter? Is there a God, and does he care about me?'"
Stand Up for REAL Science strongly agrees with the take-home message of Leshner's editorial:
The curriculum in science class must stick to science.
Science educators cannot be expected to remain neutral regarding efforts to insert nonscientific "criticisms" of scientific theories into public school science classrooms.
posted by Jeremy Mohn
