By Educate Truth Staff
Recently, a document from the LSU Faculty Senate was leaked to Adventist Today, who alleged it was unanimously approved. However, we have learned from an LSU source the vote was not entirely unanimous, at least in the sense that not everyone voted. There was at least one senator who did not vote. This senator waited for an opportunity to abstain, but was not given the opportunity, according to our source.
During the course of the meeting one individual expressed concern that the resolution would be leaked before the Board of Trustees met February 11*, but it was not discussed. There are doubts as to whether the entire senate was aware it was leaked.
The source also stated there was no debate in the meeting in regard to the promotion of evolution by the biology professors, and on the surface the document was simply written to support faculty. Our source conceded that the language of the resolution was very broad and could easily be interpreted as support for the presentation of evolution as fact in the classroom. Such interpretation is further bolstered by the Faculty Senates’ affirmation of “academic freedom†within a parochial institution. There was no disclaimer by the senate stating that although it does not agree or support certain ideas of its professors, they support them as fellow employees. The whole issue, which the senate is well aware, surrounds the idea that LSU professors are promoting evolution as fact. Therefore, saying it supports the professors, with no disclaimer addressing the issue, makes the meaning of the document clear.
*Update 2/2/10: The concern expressed was in lieu of the Nov. 12, 2009, board meeting.
Clearly the members of LSU’s faculty senate are not oblivious to the controversy surrounding LSU and its professors who are promoting the modern evolutionary view of origins. In their statement of support of complete academic freedom in this setting, they have to be well aware of the implications of such a statement… that they are in fact given support to the idea that professors within an SDA institution should be supported even when they are teaching ideas that go directly counter to what the SDA Church, as an organization, fundamentally stands for…
Sean Pitman
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@Sean Pitman, M.D.: I agree. Given the context in which they made their statement and the wording, it clearly communicates much more than a pat on the back, we support you. That’s such vague language anyway. We support our colleagues? What does that mean to them? Whatever their intention, it definitely sends the message that they think its acceptable to promote evolution in the classroom of an Adventist university.
View CommentI do believe that the theory of Evolution should be taught to our students so that they do have some idea of what is being presented by the world BUT, and it is a very BIG but, Special Creation MUST be presented in its proper position as the basis of where we stand with Scripture. There can be NO could be, maybe, I think or any other compromise. Either God did what His Word says He did, OR HE can NOT be trusted as being honest.
satan put that argument to Eve and then Adam and they swallowed it hook line and sinker. Although there may appear to be some truth in the evolutionary theory, it is only an appearance that when one compares the reality with Special Creation, correctly presented, the holes in the ET start to show dramatic chasms of difference from real truth.
It is a bit like saying that one can not obtain the Fruit of the Spirit by “Practicing” them. When someone is given a talent (I have the talent of piano playing) when it is not “practiced” it becomes very rusty and eventually everyone knows that “I” have not practiced the piano for some time. I also know that I am quite rusty with the keyboard. If we do not practice our Faith AND our knowledge, it too will be obvious to everyone else.
When a teacher fills his mind with the Evolutionary theory and then begins questioning the Creation Story, it is quite obvious as to which “practice” is being presented. there is much evidence that totally contradicts the idea of evolution but when one gets themselves so engrossed in the possibilities of evolution, they soon forget that “God Spoke and it was done”.
Special Creation IS the foundation of our whole belief and can NOT be put aside without totally destroying our reason for even being a “Church”. We pay our tithe which is used to pay these teachers. We DO have a right and responsibility to vote as to what our money is used for. With politics, IF our representative does not stand for his constituents, he is voted OUT. Why should it be any different in our schools? If the teacher is NOT teaching what we are paying for then he needs to be voted OUT and replaced with one who teaches what we are paying for.
What the World thinks about this has NOTHING to do with whether those teachers are employed or not. Let them go and teach in the World Universities and get paid to teach what the world wants. We want the Word of God taught to our children NOT the false idea that we supposedly ascended from monkeys or some other form. We were originally made in the form of God and through sin have descended to where we are almost no better than animals. Man looks at this and often sees that animals are sometimes even better than humans and then thinks that maybe that was our origin.
So much for their “higher” learning. Education is so important for our children BUT, they do not need the insinuations as being presented by the evolutionary theory which keeps changing their theory of what is right so that there is NO basis of what really IS truth. The book of Genesis is NOT up for correction. The presentation is that God said and it was done. It is no harder to accept this than the Big Bang Theory. It just points out that sin entered the world by disbelief that God is who He says He is.
The theory of Evolution is satan’s way of eliminating our understanding that he is the author of evil. Jesus said that satan was a murderer from the beginning. This is what our teachers SHOULD be teaching our children. The theory of Evolution is just that, a THEORY only and should NEVER be presented to students as a viable possibility of beginnings. If it is to be taught in our schools it must only ever be shown up for its absolute folly. I do agree that it must be taught as it is known and presented by the world BUT the Creation situation MUST be presented as how GOD created the World and NOT as an alternative line of thought. Without being presented this way, evolution should NOT be taught in our schools. The old saying that “He who pays the piper, calls the tune” and we pay the teachers therefore they MUST teach what we pay them to do.
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