Texas to Ban Critical Thinking That Challenges Religon?

The Texas GOPs platform has made some interesting changes. The platform calls for the banning of critical thinking. This is being done as it is felt it inhibits people and challenges their core religious views. This could have a major impact on education in the state:


thediplomat.com...

reply to post by travis911


No surprise. America in general needs to get over its religious problem, religion is the only thing holding us back as a species

reply to post by travis911


I thought all religious folk were incapable of critical thinking anyway? Oh this is for religions naysayers, nevermind

From the article:

The platform states, “We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that…have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs…”

From the actual PDF:

Knowledge-Based Education – We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.

Seems to me, the article only quoted what they wanted us to see. The two statements are not equal!

The link to the actual PDF is in the article.

Texas to Ban Critical Thinking That Challenges Religon?,

Read the original information. It certainly does NOT look like that to me at all.
Looks like the quoted article is just biased and misquoting the original information.

reply to post by travis911


Dr. John W. Traphagan's agenda is clear. He wishes to breed ignorance of true things and he is a a prime example of someone who is afraid of those who are smarter than he is. He wants to protect his religious beliefs so much that he will say anything to get in with bed with america's bible belt and crusade for the death of freedoms of speech and thinking.

It's a sly war that has been pursued for over many decades, with large amounts of money been backed to install this kind of noose on education and the american way of life. They are trying to produce their own version of what 'Gods Kingdom' should be and it is a power trip for the good doctor and those who wish the same.

I could not agree more with a total ban on "critical thinking" !

You can blame all this on the pope.

If he had had any sense at all, he should have burned Galileo at the stake when he had the chance.

This "science and critical thinking stuff" has no place in the classroom !!!

The Republican party is fully insane. They have given up any hope of becoming normal and gone headlong into religi-tard mode.

I know a lot of people will argue about their own beliefs and say that their party is just trying to stand up for whats right, but they are ignoring the potential outcome of their way of thinking. There are consequences to making your own religious values control young minds so you feel better about what they are taught. It is a lie. You can lie to kids all you want and make them pass your tests, but eventually they will lash out and find the truth in spite of you.

I know this firsthand since I was raised Catholic and later was goaded into becoming a born again Christian. Guilt is a powerful weapon and they wield it like a sword. One of the first things I realized after becoming "Born again" was that the people around me were mostly using me for their own benefit. I was constantly being told I needed to do this or that for others in the church because they were Christians. They used me up and eventually I began to see through their BS.

The day I decided to quit and actually lost all hope in God was the day I was in church with my wife and a couple in front began "Speaking in tongues". It seemed awfully convenient that the woman was the one babbling and her husband was the only person who could translate the message God was giving the church. Penn and Teller would have laughed their asses off, but everyone in the church was impressed and saying praise Jesus etc.

I decided I could not support this obvious treachery any longer. I stood up and left. The "Door man" tried to stop me, but I pushed right past him and didn't look back. I have no sympathy for those who are starry eyed followers of scam artists like this. I can see their true intentions now as easy as I see light outside.

So the Republican party thinks this is what our children need. They think the values instilled in them because of the religious teachings will fix our country. They think Roe V Wade is wrong and needs to be reversed even though there are studies linking the drop in crime directly to abortion due to unwanted babies not being born. The unwanted babies grow up to become criminals and the crime rate goes up. Our prisons are already past capacity which is why all the drug offenders are cheap labor for the new scam: Private Prisons.

If the Republican party wants to be the religious party good for them. I think there are enough people who are not Christians who will tell them to stick it. I doubt Muslims or Jews will vote Republican much less any Atheists or non denominational people. The problem is that we have a 2 party system and they can get control and pass laws because of it. If it was a simple majority and not a vote along party lines things would be different.

This is a perfect example of why we need separation of church and state. Making the children do what we say because we know what is best for them is a worn out rhetoric. I grew up hearing that BS. Every time I asked a tough question they would make fun of me or belittle me until I quit asking. That is the old way. The new way is to allow children to form a real set of tools to understand things for themselves and make up their own mind about what they have learned. It is really hard to be objective when you are not allowed to see both sides equally.

Having religion in public schools is simply insane. Having a religious school is fine and the tuition is higher because they have a tough curriculum and higher standards. They also teach their version of the bible and their own religious values which they deem important for young minds and that is fine. I applaud parents who send their children to a Catholic school because those kids will be smarter than their counterparts in public school. I know because I went to a Catholic school and then a public high school. I also got my Bachelor from a Catholic university.

Military schools are similar to Catholic schools in their requirements and difficulty. That does not mean all kids should be Catholic or go into the military. The Republican party would be fine with all children being taught their version of the bible because they are right, according to them, and there can be only one highlander.

Just to clarify for those who will attack Obama thinking it will hurt my feelings, I am not Democrat or republican so crank that tired old ploy right up. I am not religious or Atheist. I don't believe in God, the Devil or the Easter Bunny. I do not support any groups. I am a free thinker who uses critical thinking every day. I am capable of anything I set my mind to because of that ability. Religi-tards are not because they are limited to what they can think and their beliefs get in the way of facts.

There is no place in our government for religion. It is a personal choice for parents to make their children believe what they want. It should never be left to our public schools to teach it.

Originally posted by hdutton
I could not agree more with a total ban on "critical thinking" !

You can blame all this on the pope.

If he had had any sense at all, he should have burned Galileo at the stake when he had the chance.

This "science and critical thinking stuff" has no place in the classroom !!!

Did I detect a note of sarcasm there?

Actually, the quote from the article is just a partial quote from the pdf. They used an ellipsis (...) to show that some words of the original quote are missing. I do this all the time, providing the original meaning is not lost. I don't see that adding in the additional words changes the meaning at all.

The GOP in Texas opposes critical thinking... I suspect they don't want schools teaching science facts that may challenge the students' religious beliefs.

I give one crafty dude a "member applause" for this post.

reply to post by onecraftydude



you had me at "religi-tard".

Bless you sir. Enjoy the view outside of the cave they built. I agree with you entirely. I was raised RC. I was always in trouble in religion class because I couldn't shut up with the questions. I would have accepted lies since I didn't know better, all I got was a big "shut up" in the end.

I became more vocal than their wildest nightmares. I am very adversarial when I see you decide for me. I think it has benefited me in a world of lies and corruption where a voice of reason becomes the voice of "the enemy".

Well, then I am the enemy of deception and lies. "Who do you say that I am?"-JC.

It is nice to see people wake up. I hope you still have a place in your life for spirituality and a hearty dose of True God.

In any event. Be well you and rock on.

To me this article means that the schooling system cannot intentionally try to create thinkers that use logic and facts to purposely slam religious beliefs. We have a freedom of religion in this country so this just reinforces that freedom. If we make a bunch of educated intelligent people to fight religion than we are actually interfering with peoples freedom of religion and freedom to raise their children the way they desire to. This is a good law, it stops the creation of super atheists.

I have no problems with religions unless they force their beliefs on others. I believe in scientific research but also know if science is left to go into power over everyone it will be worse than any religion ever was. Power corrupts people and power creates evidence to reinforce it's policies. Science is not immune to the influence of power. Checks and balances are needed in society. Look at history to get verification of what I see, history is littered with how advancements in science's technology have created problems in the world. Technology may have advanced but mankind has not advanced that much. Power rules.

There is a small portion of the Republican party core in Texas that are frankly nut balls. These people really believe they need to turn Texas into a Theocracy. A state where their particular flavor of Christianity is the law and anything else will be met with harsh penalties. Anything that challenges their beliefs needs to be outlawed.

Thankfully, they are a minority, but sometimes they gain power with the help of Rick "Good Hair" Perry. As we saw with the textbook fiasco. Where people that believed humans coexisted with dinosaurs stripped out things such as Thomas Jefferson's intellectual contributions to the early United States.

I wish I wasn't so easily confused. I thought the source information made it clear that Higher Order Thinking Skills was the name of a program, not what was being taught. There is no evidence that anyone is opposed to critical thinking, just the HOTS program. The omitted portion of the quote indicates that HOTS is OBE v.2.

I'm a little surprised that so many ATSers think Republicans are for banning thinking in schools. I'd hate to think that there is such ingrained disrespect for any group that an ATSer would ignore evidence and reason if it meant making that group look bad.

reply to post by travis911


for a clearer understanding of who and what's really behind this:

Conservative Southern Values Revived: How a Brutal Strain of American Aristocrats Have Come to Rule America.
America didn't used to be run like an old Southern slave plantation, but we're headed that way now. How did that happen?

Christians will do anything to impose their religion on people.

They must be fought any way they can.

This is the very essence of why I seek to keep religion out of schools, because they will try to dominate everything they can to impose religion on to people. Religion was not meant to be imposed on to people.

In short, these people are the very Pharisees that Jesus opposed, and will oppose again when he comes back.

reply to post by onecraftydude


OH, NO !!!

Not from me !

Sarcasm would tend to note someone ingauged in, or atleast capable of, critical thinking.

It would be very misleading to even infer that I would be guilty of either.

reply to post by BIHOTZ


excellent post back at one crafty dude......What is your opinion on the verse, "come out of Her, my people" ? I'm heavy into that one this last couple of years.....
I'm curious about that one....

reply to post by travis911

This is ludicrous!

Thought police? How do you effectively keep a person from thinking of an alternate viewpoint? Mind Control, anyone? Perry is a religious nutcase if you ask me, and I wonder sometimes about the Texas legislature.

Originally posted by GBP/JPY
reply to post by BIHOTZ

 

excellent post back at one crafty dude......What is your opinion on the verse, "come out of Her, my people" ? I'm heavy into that one this last couple of years.....
I'm curious about that one....

edit on 19-7-2012 by GBP/JPY because: (no reason given)

My guess is that you are feeling helpless to change things and you feel your country is at risk of being consumed by fire as the verse alludes to in Revelations 18:4. I would have to agree with you about that.