Republican Todd Thomsen, a member of the House Education Committee and the chair of the House Higher Education and Career Tech Committee has intorduced a bill to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The text of House Resolution 1014 follows:
AS INTRODUCED
A Resolution expressing disapproval of the actions of the University of Oklahoma to indoctrinate students in the theory of evolution; opposing the invitation to Richard Dawkins to speak on campus; and directing distribution.
WHEREAS, the University of Oklahoma is a publicly funded institution which should be open to all ideas and should train students in all disciplines of study and research and to use independent thinking and free inquiry, not indoctrinate students in one-sided study and thinking; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Zoology at the University of Oklahoma has, as evidenced on the departmental homepage, been framing the Darwinian theory of evolution as doctrinal dogmatism rather than a hypothetical construction within the disciplines of the sciences; and
WHEREAS, not only has the Department of Zoology at the University of Oklahoma been engaged in one-sided indoctrination of an unproven and unpopular theory but has made an effort to brand all thinking in dissent of this theory as anti-intellectual and backward rather than nurturing such free thinking and allowing a free discussion of all ideas which is the primary purpose of a university; and
WHEREAS, the University of Oklahoma has planned a year-long celebration of the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of Darwin's controversial theory of evolution, called the "Darwin 2009 Project", which includes a series of lectures, public speakers, and a course on the history of evolution; and
WHEREAS, the University of Oklahoma, as a part of the Darwin 2009 Project, has invited as a public speaker on campus, Richard Dawkins of Oxford University, whose published opinions, as represented in his 2006 book "The God Delusion", and public statements on the theory of evolution demonstrate an intolerance for cultural diversity and diversity of thinking and are views that are not shared and are not representative of the thinking of a majority of the citizens of Oklahoma; and
WHEREAS, the invitation for Richard Dawkins to speak on the campus of the University of Oklahoma on Friday, March 6, 2009, will only serve to further the indoctrination engaged in by the Department of Zoology at the University of Oklahoma by presenting a biased philosophy on the theory of evolution to the exclusion of all other divergent considerations rather than teaching a scientific concept.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 1ST SESSION OF THE 52ND OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE:
THAT the Oklahoma House of Representatives hereby expresses its disapproval of the current indoctrination of the Darwinian theory of evolution at the University of Oklahoma and further requests that an open, dignified, and fair discussion of this idea and all other ideas be engaged in on campus which is the approach that a public institution should be engaged in and which represents the desire and interest of the citizens of Oklahoma.
THAT the Oklahoma House of Representative strongly opposes the invitation to speak on the campus of the University of Oklahoma to Richard Dawkins of Oxford University, whose published statements on the theory of evolution and opinion about those who do not believe in the theory are contrary and offensive to the views and opinions of most citizens of Oklahoma.
THAT a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the University of Oklahoma, the Dean of the College of Arts and Science at the University of Oklahoma, and the Chair of the Department of Zoology at the University of Oklahoma.
For more see: 'Anti-evolution' or anti-Dawkins Oklahoma House Resolution 1015 introduced
Comments
"unproven and unpopular theory"
Unproven? Just because it's not a "proof" doesnt mean it lacks confidence in the scientific sense. It's an explanation for something we observe. Likewise with the theory of relativity - observations have shown the theory to be extremely accurate.
Unpopular? Who on earth are they trying to kid. I wish these pockets of communities would evolve beyond ignorance.
So, you should have only speakers who agree with the vast majority of Oklahomans? This is thinly veiled support for biblical interpretation of creation. I am sure that this moron does not mean ALL competing theories. Pangu and the cosmic egg? Now thats a good one. Then there is the Egyptian god Re. Just to name two. Let each religion brainwash their own. Why,if their myths are so compelling, do the idiots like Todd Thomsen even care of competing descriptions of creation? Evolution is the gold standard and is backed by evidence other than in a single bronze age text. Oklahomans deserve better than this.
Excellent craniates have run against him for the representation of his district and Ada sends us this outdated trash.
Excellent candidates have run against him for the representation of his district and Ada sends us this outdated trash.
RESOLUTION REGARDING OKLAHOMA HOUSE RESOLUTION 1014 BY TODD THOMSEN
A resolution expressing disapproval of the actions of creationists such as Republican member of the Oklahoma State House, Todd Thomsen, to engage in sophistry by, for example, falsely framing the educating of students about science relevant to evolution as "indoctrination" because that part of science happens to be contrary to Thomsen's religious beliefs; opposing the submission by Thomsen of frivolous resolutions promoting his religion-motivated attack against science and the science faculty of the University of Oklahoma; and directing distribution.
WHEREAS, the University of Oklahoma is a publicly funded institution which should be open to all ideas yet not portray ideas in a false or deceitful manner and should train students in all disciplines of study and research to use independent thinking, free inquiry, and critical thinking, and not mislead students into falsely believing that religious beliefs based on faith are scientific ideas or that scientific ideas based on empirical evidence, experimental results, and rational analysis are religious beliefs based on faith; and
WHEREAS, Todd Thomsen has been deceitfully framing the statement made on the departmental homepage of the Department of Zoology at the University of Oklahoma as "framing the Darwinian theory of evolution as doctrinal dogmatism" and making the factually false and scientifically illiterate claim, on the basis of anti-evolution sentiments engendered by his religious beliefs that evolution is nothing more than a "hypothetical construction" in science; and
WHEREAS, not only has the Todd Thomsen been using his position as an elected official to, on the basis of his religious sentiments, promote his factually false opinion that evolution is "an unproven theory" in science (since it is in fact the subject of at least several hundred research articles published in professional science journals each and every year) and use the blatant fallacy that it is "unpopular" with creationists (which is completely irrelevant since this has nothing to do with science); and been using rhetorical trickery such as deceitfully framing the correct education of students about science such as this by the University of Oklahoma as being "one-sided indoctrination" when in fact they are teaching all the relevant science (it is not "one-sided" to leave out pseudoscience propaganda written by religion-motivated attackers who are not even involved with relevant scientific research); and been misrepresenting free thinking and proper education as excluding critical thinking and including deliberately misinforming students that factually false or logically flawed pseudoscience claims motivated by religious sentiments are "science" when they are not in fact science; and
WHEREAS, creationists such as Thomsen despise the idea that the University of Oklahoma has planned a year-long celebration of the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of Darwin's theory of evolution, called the "Darwin 2009 Project", which includes a series of lectures, public speakers, and a course on the history of evolution; and creationists such as Thomsen use their own religion-motivated attacks on the modern scientific theory of evolution as a rhetorical trick to pretend that evolution is "controversial" in science when in fact it is not a controversial theory in science, and being controversial in certain religious belief systems is irrelevant to science; and
WHEREAS, due to their religious bigotry against atheists creationists such as Thomsen despise the idea that the University of Oklahoma, as a part of the Darwin 2009 Project, has invited as a public speaker on campus, Richard Dawkins of Oxford University, who for decades as a professional scientist has worked on various areas of evolutionary science and has written a number of erudite and critically praised books about evolutionary science for popular audiences, because he is an atheist; and creationists such as Thomsen falsely frame Darkins' public criticism of the pervasive scientific errors and fallacious argumentation of creationist literature as "intolerance for cultural diversity and diversity of thinking", and then immediately turn right around and irrationally and stupidly contradict themselves by proving that they are not genuinely interested in tolerance and diversity of thinking at all, that they were only using those phrases as more of their verbal trickery, because they tell the University of Oklahoma that they should not invite a scientist who is world-renowned for educating the public about detailed aspects of evolutionary science because, as creationists such as Thomsen say, these "views are not shared and are not representative of the thinking of a majority of the citizens"; and
WHEREAS, the frivolous resolutions and rhetoric by creationists such as Thomsen attacking the University of Oklahoma for inviting Richard Dawkins to speak on the campus of the University of Oklahoma on Friday, March 6, 2009, will only serve to further the indoctrinate the public with distortions and misinformation promoted by creationists who attack evolutionary science on the basis of their biased religious beliefs, and whose bias is so severe that they apparently cannot comprehend why it is that when you're teaching science not only is a university supposed to refrain from fooling students about what science is and is not by purposely excluding nonscientific and unscientific ideas but it is the university's responsibility to do so and moreover it is the university's responsibility to teach students about critical thinking and to promote genuine diversity of thinking by inviting speakers such as Dawkins who criticize fallacious thinking on the basis of critical thinking and who criticize pseudoscience on the basis of scientific results.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THOSE WHO ARE AWARE OF THE RHETORICAL SHENANIGANS CREATIONISTS LOVE TO ENGAGE IN AND WHO RECOGNIZE THEM WHEN THEY SEE THEM:
THAT we hereby express our disapproval of the distortions, misinformation, and frivolous nature of the current House Resolution 1014 introduced by the creationist Todd Thomsen in the Oklahoma Legislature; and further request that creationists stop using rhetorical trickery to pretend that "open, dignified, and fair discussion" implies that it is wrong to openly point out the fact religious beliefs are religious, not scientific, or implies that it is wrong to openly criticize those who falsely pretend that religious beliefs and religion-motivated pseudoscience attacks against evolution that have been scientifically refuted a thousand times are "science" when in fact they are not scientific; and further request that public institutions such as the University of Oklahoma promote even more genuinely open, dignified, and fair discussion by inviting even more speakers who will unashamedly use science and rational criticism to educate students and the public about the pseudoscience and rhetorical disinformation campaign being engaged in by creationists today as motivated by their religious beliefs to attack areas of science that contradict their particular religious beliefs; and further request that such public institutions respect religious endeavors and respect scientific endeavors, and refrain from confusing the difference between religion and science as creationists do all the time, because this is what will responsibly serve the desire and interest of the citizens of Oklahoma, or any citizens anywhere.
THAT we strongly oppose the shenanigans of a creationist such as Todd Thomsen using his position as an elected official to vent his personal bigotry against atheists and religious bias against evolutionary science to oppose a public institution such as the University of Oklahoma for inviting a world-renowned lecturer on evolution such as Richard Dawkins to speak on campus.
THAT we enthusiastically ridicule the self-contradictory nature of the rhetoric used by creationists such as Todd Thomsen in which on the one hand they pretend to be criticizing "dogmatism", pretend to be promoting "free thinking" and "allowing a free discussion" and yet in the same breath, or in the immediately following paragraph, say that a university should not invite a speaker because what he says is allegedly "contrary and offensive to the views and opinions of most citizens of Oklahoma"; we laugh and laugh at how creationists who use such rhetoric seem oblivious to their blatant self-contradiction.
THAT a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the University of Oklahoma, the Dean of the College of Arts and Science at the University of Oklahoma, the Chair of the Department of Zoology at the University of Oklahoma, the , and also transmitted by anyone who would like to do so to any person or communication venue where they deem appropriate for it to be so transmitted.
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