Creationist School Still Not Allowed To Offer Master's Degrees, Court Says

In 2008, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rejected the Creation Research Graduate School's request to offer master's degrees in science education. Last week, a federal judge upheld that decision by dismissing a lawsuit filed by the school against the board.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that Judge Sam Sparks wrote the school "has not put forth evidence sufficient to raise a genuine issue of material fact with respect to any claim it brings."

Located in Dallas, the school has between 30 and 50 students. It was founded by Henry M. Morris, known as the father of creation science.

In a 2007 Dallas Morning News report, the school's chairwoman of science education said that students there were "given both sides" of the evolution argument and allowed to come to their own conclusions.

What's your opinion on this case? Weigh in below.

Comments

[Giftedroot]

08:28 PM on 07/09/2010

"The institute says the purpose of its graduate school is to prepare science teachers 'to understand the universe within the integrating framework of Biblical creationism using proven scientific data.' "

What happens when "proven scientific data" contradicts Biblical creationism?

Science doesn't care about, bend to, or limited by Biblical framework or any other framework.
Science is an equal opportunity discipline that will prove or disprove even the very "framework of Biblical creationism."

The contradiction of creationist science is that creationsists will never follow science to an end if it threatens their Biblical framework. In other words: creationism never allows fact to trump belief.
Science on the other hand destroys belief if it is inconsistent with fact.

[Geauterre]

10:35 AM on 07/09/2010

Creationism is like saying: You should like dry. The dryer the better. Then after a while, you're drinking martinis.

[LogicOnlyPlease]

11:29 PM on 06/24/2010

Evolution can certainly explain how my body got here. But it can't explain how I am living a life within this body.

[ClassicLeft]

11:56 PM on 06/24/2010

I think you are mixing biology with philosophy.

[Coloradem]

03:36 PM on 07/12/2010

Which, given the chosen nom de plume of the poster you were responding to, is strangely ironic since it was an illogical statement.....

[ENedd]

08:59 AM on 06/24/2010

Has no one else noticed how hilarious this photo is? Dinosaurs crossing a bridge...

[ClarenceWorley]

08:39 PM on 06/24/2010

I'd guess it's a ramp for them to walk up into the Ark.. I'm just surprised they didn't have saddles on with people riding them..

[Sheldon101]

05:58 AM on 07/10/2010

And such a tacky image. Much better is "Dino on the Freeway" by Reichmuth.

[TehChef]

12:04 AM on 06/24/2010

I'd take a Masters in Creationism about as seriously as I'd take a Masters in Dr. Seuss.

And the Lord said; "Let there be Green Eggs & Ham!"

[Warthog]

12:17 AM on 06/24/2010

Actually, there has been at least one doctorate, that I know of, given for a dissertation about the writings of doctor Seuss and a large number of college and university classes utilize his writings. (Could we say, a great deal more plausibility, uhh, useful reality, in the good Dr. than in ....)

[TehChef]

12:40 AM on 06/24/2010

I love you. Fanned. LOL

[Warthog]

12:02 AM on 06/24/2010

Where the rubber meets the road. Courts deal in facts. Creationism doesn't have any.

[Ravi Abunijad]

11:53 PM on 06/23/2010

School between 30-50 students? How could there be enough money to fund a diverse enough faculty to even give instruction? It's obvious this is a ridiculous sham.

Let's get real, if you can't get TEXAS to approve something conservative and controversial like this... you're probably not anywhere close to legitimate.

[LiberalBuzz]

10:07 PM on 06/23/2010

Creationism is NOT science.

Not now, not ever, not in any way shape or form. It's religion and nothing more.

Personally if they can offer than then I can ask for a Master's in The Flying Spaghetti Monster as I am a Pastafarian.

May you be Blessed by HIS Noodly Appendage..

[DramaKitteh]

09:39 PM on 06/23/2010

Well, at this is SOME good news today....

Glad to see not everybody in Texas is a Biblethumper....

[Debbie338]

09:03 PM on 06/23/2010

A graduate degree? Does that mean this school is allowed to grant Bachelor's Degrees in Creation Science? WTF?????

[Ravi Abunijad]

11:57 PM on 06/23/2010

Yeah, except it looks like they are calling it "Science Education" instead of "Creation Science." Perfect for slipping them into entry-level educator positions at unsuspecting school districts.

[Kiri sute gomen]

07:39 PM on 06/23/2010

Well so much for my over-generalized stereotyped view of Texans. Guess I was being a bit silly, my apologies.

[healthanalyst]

07:54 PM on 06/23/2010

40 years ago the creationist nut cases were running around. Guess they bought a building. Sheesh....

It had better not be accredited..

[mikeyaz17]

05:11 PM on 06/23/2010

oh major ray, major ray, major ray

lawdy....

[CptKendrick]

05:03 PM on 06/23/2010

Science: A rigorous method of observation and research -- the observation is done first so that you know how you want to go about your research. The hypothesis is the answer you think you'll find. The prediction is your specific belief about the scientific idea: If my hypothesis is true, then I predict we will discover..... The experiment is the tool that you invent to answer the question, and the conclusion is the answer that the experiment gives. Sometimes the conclusion is not what you expected, and sometimes there is no conclusion at all.

Religion: Make stuff up.

[ritgar]

05:21 PM on 06/23/2010

This is great! Makes me think of Robert Heinlein's "Grumbles From the Grave", containing a lot of his correspondence with other Sci-Fi authors, including L Ron Hubbard. Hubbard talks about how people are so stupid he could start his own religion & they would follow it. And thus was born Scientology.

[healthanalyst]

07:54 PM on 06/23/2010

I think it was a $25 bet. Forgot who with, Heinlein? Asimov?

[Democommon Sense]

03:50 PM on 06/23/2010

Man I would love to interview one of the whack jobs that graduated from such an institution.

[healthanalyst]

07:55 PM on 06/23/2010

No you don't. Trust me. You don't want them in or near your family.

[Kiri sute gomen]

08:04 PM on 06/23/2010

I met one once, I felt bad that I could not contain my laughter. Seriously, the things he said were hysterical.

[healthanalyst]

08:46 PM on 06/23/2010

When they ended up in the biology classes at the University of Texas it was not a pretty sight. I guess if you're on faculty any amount of time, they really get irritating after a semester or two.

God knows what they did at A&M with them. Baylor probably encouraged them a bit more.

[DevonTexas]

12:57 PM on 06/23/2010

"creation science" - two words that should not be paired except in a punchline!