We already know Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal‘s voucher program would give upwards of $11,000,000 to religious schools that teach complete nonsense. But what would those schools teach?
Mother Jones‘ Deanna Pan has a list of “14 Wacky ‘Facts’ Kids Will Learn in Louisiana’s Voucher Schools.” It’s exactly as messed up as you would expect… and I’m even ignoring all the Creationism stuff:
4. Africa needs religion: “Africa is a continent with many needs. It is still in need of the gospel… Only about ten percent of Africans can read and write. In some areas the mission schools have been shut down by Communists who have taken over the government.” — Old World History and Geography in Christian Perspective, 3rd ed., A Beka Book, 2004
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8. SCOTUS enslaved fetuses: “Ignoring 3,500 years of Judeo-Christian civilization, religion, morality, and law, the Burger Court held that an unborn child was not a living person but rather the ‘property’ of the mother (much like slaves were considered property in the 1857 case of Dred Scott v. Sandford).” — American Government in Christian Perspective, 2nd ed., A Beka Book, 1997
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11. Abstract algebra is too dang complicated: “Unlike the ‘modern math’ theorists, who believe that mathematics is a creation of man and thus arbitrary and relative, A Beka Book teaches that the laws of mathematics are a creation of God and thus absolute… A Beka Book provides attractive, legible, and workable traditional mathematics texts that are not burdened with modern theories such as set theory.” — ABeka.com
Boing Boing’s Maggie Koerth-Baker explores that last one much further here.
I feel horrible for these children… they’re going to be laughingstocks of the colleges they won’t be able to get into in the first place.
(Thanks to Richard for the link!)
