Here’s an abstract from a current meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), along with a transcript below if you don’t have a magnifying glass. This was sent to me by an attendee (who wishes to remain anonymous) of the annual meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the AAS.
When I read this, I was flummoxed: why would a scientific organization present an abstract about a homeschool course trying to comport science with religion? It’s essentially a statement pushing one view of theology: that there’s no conflict between these areas, when in fact other people disagree. It has nothing to do with science itself.
This abstract does not belong in a scientific meeting. As the authors note, “The role of science educators is to teach science, not to impose worldviews.” But what are these authors doing but imposing a worldview—science and religion are BFFs—on the children who read their book? Here’s a transcript of the above (indented; my comments are flush left):
CONTROL ID: 236537
TITLE: The Crossroads of Science and Faith
ABSTRACT BODY: Abstract (2,250 Maximum Characters) : We have recently completed a 4-year project to produce a textbook for students that uniquely addresses the needs of the Christian homeschool community. It is also relevant for students of other faith and non-faith backgrounds. Two elements are at work: parents want their kids to become mature adults adhering to the faith of their upbringing, and students are challenged when they don’t understand how to rationally discuss their beliefs in relation to many current scientific discoveries. To add to the polarization, a few scientists have spread an atheistic naturalistic worldview together with their teaching of science as if it was part of science itself. As a result many parents avoid materials they consider controversial and students later come to believe they must choose between science and their faith. The key to bridging this gap are professional astronomers who hold to a Christian worldview and who can speak both languages, understanding the complexities of both communities.
This, of course, buttresses one of the main goals of Christian homeschooling: to avoid exposing children to anything that might damage their faith or make them question it. In truth, I seriously doubt that in public secondary schools children are exposed to “atheistic worldviews” that supposedly make them choose between science and faith. The reason young people exposed to science leave their faith is, I suspect, mainly because science teaches them to question, to doubt, and to trust evidence. Taken seriously, the produces an erosion of faith. And that’s why people like this book’s authors are so desperate to get to the kids before they have that exposure. The book is, in fact, a form of brainwashing: imposing the parents’ religious views on the children. The abstract continues:
The role of science educators is to teach science, not to impose worldviews. Science is well received by Christians when it is presented not as a threat to faith, but rather as a complementary way to understand God, leading to a more integrated view of reality.
“A more integrated view of reality”? This, of course, presumes that the tenets of Christianity are aspect of reality. Why can’t the authors just present the science without any mention of faith? Why wouldn’t that be “well received”? Again we see a concerted effort by religious scientists to avoid at all costs letting the kids think for themselves about how the science affects the worldview they’ve been fed.
Our textbook boasts four hallmarks, providing students with: 1) An understanding of the relationship between faith and science with the goal of helping students to identify and integrate their own worldview. 2) Scientifically reviewed and accurate astronomical information. 3) Examples of scientists who have wrestled with science/faith issues and come to a coherent relationship between the two. And 4) exercises for the students to interact with the material in both faith and scientific areas. We hope this will be a resource to help parents who hold tightly to particular ideologies to be less closed to current scientific discovery and more excited about how new discoveries can bolster and enable their faith. We will present an overview of our materials, the positive experience we have had so far in testing our materials, and our goals for future training within the homeschool and church communities. For more information about the textbook see, http://www.glimpseofhissplendor.com/
CURRENT * CATEGORY: Education CURRENT : None
AUTHORS/INSTITUTIONS: S.D. Benecchi, Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona, UNITED STATES; G. Kober, GSFC/NASA, Greenbelt, Maryland, UNITED STATES; P. Gossard, Carin University, Langhorne, Pennsylvania, UNITED STATES.
Note that three of the four “hallmarks” have nothing to do with science itself, but represent efforts to assure students that they can have their astronomy and Jesus too. The book tells students about scientists who have managed to comport the incompatible naturalistic and supernaturalist worldviews, but not about those scientists, like Steven Weinberg, who haven’t.
Such is the nature of religious homeschooling in this nation, and I abhor it. Perhaps there’s a rationale for homeschooling if you think your kids aren’t getting good academic instruction in the local schools, but the main reason in the U.S. is not that, but to keep children enclosed in a religious cocoon so, when they enter the real world, they’ve been thoroughly and irrevocably indoctrinated.
The textbook, as described on Benecchi’s website, is The Crossroads of Science and Faith: Astronomy Through a Christian Worldview. All three authors are described as “having been raised on a Christian home.” As described on the site, the motivation for writing this group was to stem the attrition of Christians from their faith because they learn about science. As I’ve noted before, one of the main reasons young Christians leave the church, at least as discerned by a Barna Group poll, is that “churches come across as antagonistic to science.” The book’s description:
Statistics show that a large number of students who claim to be Christians abandon their faith during their college years. While there may be many reasons for this sad abandonment of faith, research shows that confusion about science and faith issues play an important role in this outcome.
The motivation of the authors in writing this textbook is to change the statistics mentioned above by preparing students to engage in courteous and thoughtful dialogue with respect to science and faith issues. They also seek to equip students to defend their faith with sound reasoning and confidence while they learn about the remarkable science of astronomy.
