Fundamentalist zealotry and creationist ideology may have conspired to leave at least one and possibly more public school students with permanent physical and mental scars at the hands of what can only be described as a dangerous, rogue teacher::

A science teacher used a high voltage device to burn that cross into an 8th grader's arm, for crying out loud. Not only should he have been fired on the spot, the case should have been referred to the prosecutor's office. ... The complaint also alleges that Freshwater has "code words" that he uses to let his students know when he thinks something in the textbook is false and contrary to the Bible. It further alleges that he offered extra credit to students for homework related to intelligent design.

Ed has an update on the fate of the teacher and lots more along with a link to the complaint. And egad, speaking purely for myself, if even a portion of it is true, more heads should roll. Because as the teacher likely heads for the unemployment line, no doubt along with right-wing Martyrdom, it sure sounds to me like someone had to have covered for this lunatic for years.

read it all -

http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2008/06...r_complaint.php

AND THIS -

How to Make a Fake Martyr

http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/

And This -

The results of the investigation that the school board in Mt. Vernon, Ohio ordered regarding John Freshwater are out. You can see the entire report here. The school board confirmed pretty much every allegation against him. All that crap about a Bible on his desk wasn't even close. The students reported that he told them which things in the science book were not supported by the Bible and that they should therefore doubt and had them say "here" back to him when they got to one of those things (like radiometric dating, for instance).

http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2008/06..._repor.php#more

with pic: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/20/teacher.c...ref=mpstoryview

Is this stuff really happening here? i can't believe that this stuff is really happening here. We have science teachers disparaging science and teaching the Bible instead. And branding crosses on their students to drive the lessons home i guess. There are people who apparently have no problem with phones and cars and computers and but think that God doesn't approve of science and technology when it comes to medicine.

There are people for whom the earth is 6,000 years old and who think that the Flintstones is a series of dramatized documentaries for kids. People pray to God for rain ignoring the fact that according the their reasoning it must have been his will for there to be a drought in the first place. New Orleans is punished for being too gay-friendly. Fine. What were Mississippi and Texas punished for? Being too close to New Orleans? And they believe. They totally believe. And that's not enough. Everybody else has to believe too. Or at least obey. What is it with us?

could it be the lack of middle ground on this topic. seems its hard to have it both ways. cant believe earth to be 6000 years old and believe how we understand dating. and those who believe the earth to be millions of years in the making cant believe it to be so young. seems, the lack of ability for middle ground makes this an absolute sort of situation, and in my opinion, absolutes cause the most passion. just my thoughts.

Tyo, you sound like you might not believe that God invented phones, cars and computers ... you might need some "remedial education"

I think that certain religions seem to foster more absolutism and dogmatic thinking than others do. I've never once had a problem with Buddhists except for the Soka Gakkai and they were just annoying.

Remedial education? Hmmm... Sounds kinky. But it would probably be okay as long as safe words are respected.

My wife just finished her Ed.D. in the field of multiculturalism and secondary science teachers - the difficulty of putting the two together . One of the findings was that (high school, at least) science teachers tend to have a more absolutist orientation than teachers in other fields, which obstructs their assimilation of good multicultural teaching practice which requires a more relativistic orientation. Add fundie orientation to that and you have a trainwreck waiting to happen.

Buddhists have more of a "learning" orientation (than knowing everything that's fit to know orientation), more relativistic. So do Baha'i. So to the Universal Unitarians, I think.

Tyo - I agree with what you said. From my own personal experience, the only annoying Buddhists I have met were all from Soka Gakkai (cult-like) who could not handle my questioning and my refusal to join.

Regardless of religion, there will always be zealots shoving their beliefs down people's throats.

I am glad the school board finally fired Freshwater. He is a danger to students. Unfortunately, there are probably other religious nuts throughout the country who are allowed to teach children.

Unemployment line my ass. If he doesn't find a nice hole to hold up in for a few decades to pass by, I am suprised someone doesn't show him the fishing and hunting club. The cops had better pick him up and put him away for his own good, he just might be chum or fertilizer. Sick ass bastards. I hate these stories and how these sick phuks get away with this shit. I am a sinning Christian, he makes me want to sin real bad. People like this look great with a rib sticking out their back.