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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 03/22/2009 : 13:23:33
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If this goes through, your TX diploma in the sciences won't be suitable even to line a parrot cage. Indeed, nothing from ICR is any better than cage-lining and most of it is a lot worse. Even a legitimate sheepskin will be tainted by their reputation.
Bill in Texas would allow creationists to grant Masters of Science degrees Joe Byrne
Published: Saturday March 21, 2009
If a private college doesn't receive funds from any governmental organization, should they have to be held to any standards or requirements when they award degrees? No, one Texan lawmaker is insisting.
Texas State Representative Leo Berman has proposed House Bill 2800, which would exempt any private non-profit institution that requires students to complete “substantive course work” from having to acquire a certificate of authority from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board(THECB). “If you don't take any federal funds, if you don't take any state funds, you can do a lot more than some business that does take state funding or federal funding,” Berman says. “Why should you be regulated if you don't take any state or federal funding?”
Because creationism isn't science, critics argue.
Berman admits that his 'inspiration' for the bill was the Institute for Creation Research Graduate School, a Young Earth Creationism institution that has been trying to achieve certification in Texas for two years. Young Earth Creationism, much more popular than the recent Intelligent Design Creationism, is essentially Biblical literalism – Earth is 10,000 years old, Noah's Flood occurred, Adam and Eve were real people. ICRGS insists that they teach more than just “Biblical Creationism," which is based only on the word of the Bible; they also have incorporated tenets of “Scientific Creationism” into their bylaws. Most of these relate to origins of Earth and the evolution of species. Originally the creationist research branch of Christian Heritage College in San Diego, the ICRGS was forced to split from that college when California regulators threatened to take away its certification. Now, the ICRGS operates mostly online, and its Masters of Science Degree is recognized by California and federal law. According to its website, however, Texas residents cannot receive a degree.
Degree-granting colleges and universities in Texas currently must be issued a certificate of authority by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The certificate allows the holder to grant a degree that a graduate would need to apply for a teaching position in a Texas public school. If House Bill 2800 was made into law, only state-funded colleges and universities would have to report to THECB; everyone else would be free to design their curriculums without any regulation.
Emphasis mine.
Masters of Science my crippled ass! ICR does no genuine science, only YEC bullshit.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
Posted - 03/22/2009 : 14:36:32 [Permalink]
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>>Now, the ICRGS operates mostly online, and its Masters of Science Degree is recognized by California and federal law.
If this law passes, would the recognition from Texas be more than the recognition from CA and the fed? Would this still be a big deal considering that accreditation or not, I doubt anyone with a degree from one of these unregulated schools would be taken seriously in mainstream academia. |
"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 03/22/2009 : 15:16:29 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by marfknox
>>Now, the ICRGS operates mostly online, and its Masters of Science Degree is recognized by California and federal law.
If this law passes, would the recognition from Texas be more than the recognition from CA and the fed? Would this still be a big deal considering that accreditation or not, I doubt anyone with a degree from one of these unregulated schools would be taken seriously in mainstream academia.
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I'm not big, usually, on using "slippery slope" arguments, but there really are times when such inclined planes are groomed in advance for a preexisting purpose.
Since the Discovery Institute is clearly masterminding most of these Creo efforts, it makes sense to again consider DI's ulterior motive to totally transform society on their theocratic model, to "... reverse the stifling materialist world view and replace it with a science consonant with Christian and theistic convictions." Efforts by DI need to be seen as in light of their overall goals. They are grooming the slopes in Texas.
Generally, the DI has been incredibly unsuccessful and inept in trying to reach its goals, but goals they remain, and they still have Ahmanson's billions behind them. And despite many failures in other states, they've been successful in causing havoc in Louisiana.
If this latest law is adopted, what might be the next step for those supporting the Creo "colleges" in Texas? One step I'd imagine they'd like to take is to make it illegal for the state of Texas to discriminate between state job applicants on the basis of where they got their "scientific" degrees.
Since I'm already violating the slippery slope rule, the next step might be to try to extend such an "anti-discrimination" rule to state certification of professionals, such as teachers, even physicians.
I'm just imagining, of course, but I have a vivid picture of thousands of Texas chiropractors and naturopaths who'd love to add a diploma mill "MD" certificate to their office walls.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 03/22/2009 15:31:12 |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 03/28/2009 : 16:48:10 [Permalink]
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ICR's duplicity continues on. A Texas legislator has introduced a bill that would exempt any private institution of higher learning from having to acquire a certificate to award a masters degree from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, provided that the institution required the students to complete “substantive course work” and did not accept federal or state funds.
According to a recent press report, the not-so-hidden agenda behind the bill is to certify graduates of the Institute for Creation Research Graduate School to apply for jobs as teachers in the Texas public school system. The ICR is a young-earth-creationist organization that purports to offer a graduate degree in science education with minors in general science, astro/geophysics, biology, and geology. (Steve Schafersman of Texas Citizens for Science argued a year ago that they should be certified to offer a masters in theology, but not in science.)
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They couldn't get in through the front door, so they'll try to burglerize the back one. It's just lyin' & cheatin' for Jesus, so it's all ok.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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Forget about college in Texas
