Tuesday, January 19, 2010

University Can Reject High School Christian Courses

A federal court ruling in California has struck a blow for scientific knowledge and rational thought by finding that the University of California does NOT have to accept high school course credits for courses taught at Christian schools. No doubt, the Christianists will cry that they are being victimized and subjected to religious discrimination. Of course, the claims will be false (like most else this folks peddle) and the schools will remain free to teach whatever fairy tales they want. Just don't expect legitimate institutions of higher education to recognize religious indoctrination as substantive course work. If parents want to squander their money and send their children to the Christianist equivalent of a madrasas, that's their option (and their stupidity). But just maybe, some of them will wake up to reality and strive to get their children educated as opposed to indoctrinated. Here are some highlights from the Pew Forum:
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The University of California has the right to reject courses taught at Christian high schools, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday (Jan. 12). Calvary Chapel Christian School in Murrieta, Calif., and the Association of Christian Schools International claimed the university's review policy was unconstitutional because it refused to certify courses that taught creationism and other beliefs.
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"The district court correctly determined that UC's rejections of the Calvary courses were reasonable and did not constitute viewpoint discrimination," the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled. Students from private schools must meet certain high-school requirements before they are eligible to apply to an undergraduate campus of the University of California.
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The court ruled that evidence in the case failed to show that the university was discriminating on the basis of religion. "UC's policy and its individual course decisions are not based on religion, but on whether a high school course is college preparatory," the three-judge panel ruled.
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In my personal view, subjecting children to religious based propaganda and indoctrination which has no basis in object reality and which is directly contrary to legitimate scientific knowledge borders on a form of child abuse.

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