Recently, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal signed into law a voucher program allowing state educational funds to be used to send students to schools run by religious groups. The plan is set to be a model for the nation, with Mitt Romney's education policies calling for the adoption of similar school choice schemes across the country.
And so far, things have been going swimmingly. Thousands of students are set to enroll in private Christian academies, where they can learn about dinosaurs (more appropriately called Jesus Horses, I believe) such as the Loch Ness monster and their relationship to evolution. It's complicated.
But one Louisiana legislator has noted a wrinkle in the state's plan to subsidize the teaching of the most backward elements of the One True Faith…
Rep. Valarie Hodges, R-Watson, says she had no idea that Gov. Bobby Jindal's overhaul of the state’s educational system might mean taxpayer support of Muslim schools.
"I actually support funding for teaching the fundamentals of America's Founding Fathers’ religion, which is Christianity, in public schools or private schools," the District 64 Representative said Monday.
"I liked the idea of giving parents the option of sending their children to a public school or a Christian school," Hodges said.
Hodges mistakenly assumed that "religious" meant "Christian."…
"Unfortunately it will not be limited to the Founders' religion," Hodges said. "We need to insure that it does not open the door to fund radical Islam schools. There are a thousand Muslim schools that have sprung up recently. I do not support using public funds for teaching Islam anywhere here in Louisiana."
I blogged about this last month, but I just wanted to say that it's high time the Democratic Party stood up and thanked the GOP for taking all those dumb Dixiecrats off their hands.
Just think. If it hadn't been for selfless Republicans wooing those crazy people, the Democrats would still be stuck with them. Now, instead of solidly Democratic, the South is solidly Republican.
It's time the Democratic Party said "Thank-you!"
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6 comments:
Maybe we need to start Atheist Academies and get in on that funding bandwagon?
For a "skeptic" you sure invest a fervently faithful amount of trust in monopolies of truth, violence and authority. This makes it impossible for me to take any other applied "skepticism" you put fourth seriously.
I wonder if Rep. Hodges has ever studied what "the American Founding Fathers' religion" actually was?
See: http://www.theology.edu/journal/volume2/ushistor.htm
"Many well-meaning Christians argue that the United States was founded by Christian men on Christian principles. Although well-intentioned, such sentiment is unfounded. The men who lead the United States in its revolution against England, who wrote the Declaration of Independence and put together the Constitution were not Christians by any stretch of the imagination."
Heh, heh. That would get their panties in a knot, wouldn't it, Jim?
Of course, that would also give the impression that atheism is just another religion, which is not just wrong but something those people want to believe anyway.
Yes. In fact, Tony, it's even easier than that. The Treaty of Tripoli, which was passed unanimously by the United States Senate and signed by President John Adams in 1797, states that "the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion."
You really can't make it any plainer than that, can you? That was only eight years after the U.S. Constitution went into effect. I think they knew what they'd intended.
Maybe you don't understand what skepticism is, Anonymous.
You seem to be confused about the separation of church and state, too. After all, you're free to teach your kids whatever crazy thing you want, just not in the public schools.
The separation of church and state means that you can't use the government to push your own particular religious beliefs. At the same time, however, other people can't use the government to push their religious beliefs. See how that works?
Obviously, you're still perfectly free to push your pet religious beliefs - just on your own time and on your own dollar. Why is that so hard to understand?
And given that these people are trying to segregate their children away from other influences, I'd say that it's you who puts his faith in "monopolies of truth, violence and authority." After all, no one on my side is trying to keep parents from teaching their children whatever silly thing they want. It's a free country.
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