Loch Ness Monster used to debunk evolution in state-funded school



It sounds like a hoax, but it's apparently true: The Loch Ness Monster is on the science class syllabus for kids at Eternity Christian Academy in Westlake, Louisiana.

As reported by the Herald Scotland (which must track all Loch Ness-related news), a school that will receive tax-payer dollars, will teach kids that the mythological sea creature is real in order to debunk the theory of evolution. So pay attention: That will be on the test.

Eternity Christian Academy uses the fundamentalist A.C.E. Curriculum to teach students "to see life from God's point of view."

According to the Herald, one textbook, Biology 1099, reads, "Are dinosaurs alive today? Scientists are becoming more convinced of their existence. Have you heard of the 'Loch Ness Monster' in Scotland? 'Nessie' for short has been recorded on sonar from a small submarine, described by eyewitnesses, and photographed by others. Nessie appears to be a plesiosaur."

Starting in the fall, thousands of schoolchildren will receive publicly funded vouchers to attend private schools, some of which are religious. Religious schools in Louisiana will receive public funding as part of a push from Louisiana's governor, Bobby Jindal, to move millions of tax dollars to cover tuition for private schools, including small bible-based church schools. Money will fund schools that have "bible-based math books" and biology texts that refute evolution.

At Eternity Christian Academy, pastor-turned-principal Marie Carrier says that the her first through eighth-grade students learn at their own pace from Christian workbooks. The beginning science text explains "what God made" on each of the six days of creation. Evolution is not taught.

Carrier said, "We try to stay away from all those things that might confuse our children." She hopes to secure enrollment of 135 voucher students for the 2012-2013 school year. According to the website Salon, the school currently has just 38 students.

Whether this gambit will help move Louisiana from the bottom of math and science rankings in the country is unclear. A 2011 study of how well primary education prepares students for engineering careers had Louisiana third from the bottom, with only West Virginia and Mississippi performing worse.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/loc...-190816504.html

I'd , if it wasn't so depressing.

God forbid their children be confused now instead of later.

Is this the same Loch Ness Monster that was a wooden head glued to a toy submarine, or am I thinking of a different one?

When will people realize that belief does not equal fact, and therefore it is incorrect to tell children that something based entirely on speculation is true?

Unfortunately if people say some things long enough, then it is seen as truth more than fiction.

True, that's how Christianity spread.

Neither does the latest theories proposed by Hawking et al... concerning the creation of the cosmos make it fact..since they have no absolute proof that certain conditions they propose did occur at the moment of creation...but since Hawking and his colleagues while undoubtly brilliant are considered more knowledgable than the rest of us..then what they say must be fact and true....and must not be questioned.

Many very sane people, including my friend's mother say there they have experienced paranormal activity despite that there is no consensus within the scientific community to seriously study the matter but there is more than enough evidence for the mainstream scientific communtity to take it more seriously.

Whatever lurks down in Loch Ness, Lake Champlain, etc... no one knows for certain but there is clearly evidence that something or a group of some unknown marine lifeform exists.

Of course! And fairies! And leprechauns! And crop circles! If enough people believe it, it must be true!

What they're doing is actually good. They keep these kids ignorant, then when they finally go out into the world and learn about things for themselves, they see what a sham the whole thing is.

Most of what are considered mere myths and legends have a ring of truth Foob...so I wouldn't simply disregard them so casually as you flippantly do.

The legend of Nessie and Champ just to cite a couple of examples date back in oral tradition over multiple generations among the local aborginal americans and scottish/pictish people.

Are you implying that the local indigenous american people and scottish locals just decided around some campfire to make up the stories long ago?

Are you implying that fairies and leprechauns are real? While we're at it, how about the Greek Gods? The Norse Gods? Dragons? Centaurs?

I'm saying that Loch Ness is a finite area. Plenty of people have been over it with scientific equipment, and not found a thing. Legends are just that, stories that get embellished over time. Yes, people sat around campfires telling stories.