Reason #73 why charter schools are wrong: they teach creationism

Written By: - Date published: 11:46 am, July 31st, 2018 - 78 comments
Categories: child abuse, education, national, same old national, schools, Simon Bridges - Tags: ,

So it appears that one reason the right is so keen on charter schools that do not have properly qualified teachers or the need to comply with a state curriculum is so they can teach all sorts of things. Like creationism.

From Farah Hancock at Newsroom:

A former student of a Villa Education Trust private school claims creationism was taught as a preferred theory of how the world began in science classes he attended.

The student from Mt Hobson Middle School said Darwinism was taught as an unproven theory and students were shown a video purporting to show science had found proof of God’s existence.

His impression was the school backed the concept of creationism “100 percent”.

The science teacher was Rachel O’Connor, sister of National Party leader Simon Bridges and wife of National MP Simon O’Connor.

Of course the trust denies it.

Alwyn Poole, a board member of Villa Education Trust and principal of Mt Hobson Middle school, said all the trust’s schools stick to the New Zealand Curriculum which includes Darwin’s theory of natural selection and does not teach other theories.

In 2013 RNZ reported South Auckland Middle School planned to teach a number of theories about the origins of life.

Poole described questions asked by Newsroom as “a big red herring”.

The Mt Hobson student said in 2016 a Year 10 class of 13 and 14-year-old students was shown a video in a science lesson. The video was entitled Science Has Found Proof of the Existence of God.

“They [O’Connor] said, we’re going to watch a video. They didn’t tell us anything about it, they just started showing it. What followed was a documentary of twisted quotes trying to prove how scientists had discovered God.

And here is the video:

Is this the reason for National’s newly found preference for charter schools? So that the religious fundamentalists in the party can ensure that creationism is taught as a serious subject?

78 comments on “Reason #73 why charter schools are wrong: they teach creationism ”

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  1. greywarshark 1
    31 July 2018 at 12:08 pm

    Question – Why do they teach creationism children?
    Answer – Because they can if they want.

    There is too much opportunity for charter schools to go off on any path they wish
    and cover it up with words that sound as if they are on track.

    And further there is too much opportunity for ordinary state schools to reflect board members’ fixations – religious for example.

    This should be looked at – the emphasis should be on factual stuff generally acceptable by educated people and some time for discussion of matters to encourage thinking, which parents can join in. It is good to know what your children are being taught, and could be useful to parents of limited experience.

    • Sacha 1.1
      31 July 2018 at 12:23 pm

      “Because they can if they want.”

      Nope. A private school like the subject of the article can, but the charter ones run by the same people cannot.

      “MacGregor-Reid said no current charter school is allowed to teach creationism or intelligent design in a science class as a preferred theory: “… in terms of science class they must teach to the curriculum in their contracts.”

      • Sacha 1.1.1
        31 July 2018 at 12:26 pm

        From Russell Brown’s twitter:

        “Curiously, the website of Mt Hobson Middle School says it teaches “exactly the same curriculum” as its Villa Education *charter school* sibling South Auckland Middle School.”

        • mickysavage 1.1.1.1
          31 July 2018 at 2:08 pm

          Thanks looks like two of the schools run by VET are charter schools but two including the one that I refer to are not.

          I think the concern is still valid. The entity is being funded by Government money.

          • Enough is Enough 1.1.1.1.1
            31 July 2018 at 2:49 pm

            It might be best to change the very misleading title to your post then

  2. indiana 2
    31 July 2018 at 12:53 pm

    From Farah’s article:

    “The mother of the student is a trained secondary teacher. She said she was shocked the video had been shown in a science class.”

    Why was this child sent to a charter school in the first place? Was this school providing something more than trained qualified teachers at a state school?

    • Graeme Osborne 2.1
      31 July 2018 at 2:36 pm

      In fact all of the NZ Charter schools teach the NZ Curriculum …. and in most cases they employ registered teachers. There are very few situations where non registered teachers are used. Vanguard Military School for example uses ex Forces trades people such as ‘aircraft engineers’ to teach their students technology.

    • Sacha 2.2
      31 July 2018 at 3:56 pm

      It’s a private school, not a charter.

  3. Cinny 3
    31 July 2018 at 1:04 pm

    So I listened to the full clip…

    Because of the delicate balance of nature and complexities of DNA, SOME scientists question if in fact a ‘higher being’ could have created us and the universe.

    SOME scientists believe in the big bang theory… ie there was nothing then a big bang and there was the beginnings of life etc.

    The makers of the above video, take this information and claim that they too believe there was nothing, then the beginnings of life and that everything was created by a higher being; so of course it must be god.

    Then at the end of the clip it’s all about Jesus.

    Could in fact their higher being, be an alien, or a super computer? If they want to go down that road…. but no, no, it must be god.

    Handpicked facts and pretty graphics make for compelling propaganda, in the end it’s nothing more than a religion conversion film.

    Students should not be shown just ONE point of view, they should be shown MANY. Unless we want a nation of people unable to think for themselves. Hmm maybe some national party people do…. lololz

    Religion is a form of control. I betcha they don’t show the kids a zeitgeist film.

    “Religion the Greatest Story Ever SOLD”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWNBz6HZTgs

  4. SpaceMonkey 4
    31 July 2018 at 2:24 pm

    As far as the creation of this universe goes, I always thought most major religions and the big bang theory were in alignment – the difference was in the telling. Except Hinduism and it’s off shots appear to describe this universe as just one cycle of many. The key ingredient seems to be the injection of time and the foundations are frequencies in the form of sound and light. But I digress.

    It’s a tricky path for schools to teach any of these stories as fact for we may never fully know. The reality may well be beyond the capacity of the human mind to ever understand.

    • RedLogix 4.1
      31 July 2018 at 6:05 pm

      Exactly. Fundamentally reality must have a coherent unity, therefore when you get both the science and religion correct, they will be in harmony.

      The useful contribution of postmodernism, is the realisation that there is a limitless number of ways of interpreting reality, but all can be broadly grouped as being rooted either in the material or spiritual domains.

      What binds them is consciousness.

  5. Rosemary McDonald 5
    31 July 2018 at 2:36 pm

    But, but, it was Slartibartfast and his mates who created the Earth!

    Humans eh? Always asking why? Who? How? When?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aboZctrHfK8

    • halfcrown 5.1
      31 July 2018 at 6:37 pm

      I liked that Rosemary but not as good as the original TV series. I remember Marvin had such a pessimistic face. I thought this version of it was pathetic

      • Rosemary McDonald 5.1.1
        31 July 2018 at 6:51 pm

        Oh god…Marvin the Paranoid android. “Brain the size of a planet and they have me parking….”

        I’ve not actually seen the version above…I just googled that particular scene.

        You’re right..the original telly series was good. Brilliant in fact. The books even better.

        Adams certainly had a novel take on life, the universe etc etc.

        I most especially liked the bit planning the evacuation of Golgafrincham.

        https://fordprefecthitchhikersguide.wordpress.com/2016/12/12/golgafrincham/

        • Halfcrown 5.1.1.1
          31 July 2018 at 7:15 pm

          Yeah great books Rosemary, brings back memories of better times when everybody got a fair go.

          Getting back to this teaching creationist rubbish, why don’t they teach Pratchett s Disc World
          Just as valid and a lot science theory there on the Big Bang theory and in the last novel I read the sex of the gaint turtle discworld is on.had not been determined
          Not good science but just as valid as this creationist rubbish and a lot more funnier

          • halfcrown 5.1.1.1.1
            31 July 2018 at 8:15 pm

            Can I correct that? The original I wrote on my new TAB A useless. Too fat fingers and slow. So have written it again and corrected my bad grammar on my PC.

            Yeah great books Rosemary, brings back memories of better times when everybody got a fair go.
            Getting back to this teaching creationist rubbish, why don’t they teach Pratchett’s Disc World? Just as valid and a lot of scientific theory there on the Big Bang theory and in the last novel I read, the sex of the giant turtle GREAT A’Tuin that Discworld is on, had not been established. Not good science but just as valid as this creationist rubbish and a lot more funnier

      • Draco T Bastard 5.1.2
        1 August 2018 at 1:37 am

        The original Deep Thought was awesome

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZLtcTZP2js

  6. Tricledrown 6
    31 July 2018 at 7:18 pm

    Job creationists for their fundamentalist mates.
    Simple Simon lives up to his moniker

  7. millsy 7
    31 July 2018 at 9:37 pm

    Charter school are more or less a trojaan horse for US style evangilical protestants to infiltrate the school system. They see the bottom brown 20% tail as plump picking for a radicalized church congregation. Science is under threat in this country.

    • NZJester 7.1
      1 August 2018 at 1:28 am

      The evangelicals using them as a trojan horse to push their ideas is just a secondary problem with them in the US. The primary reason they were created in the US was to get teachers in environments where they could prevent them from joining unions and to allow large amounts of public money to be funneled to donors as well as politicians own pockets through investments in the companies running them.

  8. SPC 8
    31 July 2018 at 10:38 pm

    Hilarious conclusion to the “science” video – basically nothing new on the creation proves creator line of scholaticism, that this creator would want to communicate with us, is known to us as Jesus Christ, and he does so via the bible word.

    It’s not science, it’s a theist argument, that a religious authority on earth based on heavenly agency exists and is supreme to our own democratic/sovereign governments. It results in end time Kingdom come faith common in the USA and id destructive to their society well-being, end our human dominion and reign over us – man created by the “chosen of God” bowing down to these overlords of Zion.

    Who will save us from the moneychangers of the Temple/capitalists of mammon/imperial coin paying for the stormtrooper occupation…?

    Just how a universe comes out of nothing is ignored. E = MC2 after all. What was surmised before the bible was that energy came from the balls of a god (Egypt) or the egg of a goddess (China), today in our modern globalism collequially summed up as a big bang – invitation to real scientists to witness the consummation of a marriage and its consequences.

  9. WILD KATIPO 9
    31 July 2018 at 11:53 pm

    I don’t have a problem with Christian versions of science being taught in schools, – primarily because evolution was only ever a ‘ theory’ to begin with. A theory. Not the gospel truth or solid facts.

    And it is poor science in itself to simply settle for a theory when it has been successfully challenged. Crazy as that may seem regards the theory of evolution.

    For more than one hundred years whole streams of education , well paying academic careers have been devoted to what amounts to just a theory. A whole myriad of industry’s have built up around this theory. As well as political careers.

    And yet it remains ,… just a theory.

    I do however have a problem just with charter schools as it is one way of consolidating the neo liberal agenda of privatization , – with dire results for the poorer sectors of society. I also resent the fact that neo liberal ideology purports to support the idea of private concerns not needing handouts or concessions from the govt when in actual fact they do. And that’s called hypocrisy.

    When even scientists are met with inexplicable facts that deny , challenge and contradict their firmly held beliefs the classic approach is usually to try to tear down and drown out those facts or to quietly adopt a policy of deliberately ignoring them.

    Here is one such:

    Polystrate Fossils – Examining the Evidence for Evolution – YouTube
    Video for Polystrate Fossils – Examining the Evidence for Evolution you tube▶ 8:55
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmb3CGH0pcc

    • SPC 9.1
      1 August 2018 at 12:25 am

      An intended irony with “gospel truth”?

    • Draco T Bastard 9.2
      1 August 2018 at 1:46 am

      I don’t have a problem with Christian versions of science being taught in schools, – primarily because evolution was only ever a ‘ theory’ to begin with. A theory.

      Your ignorance and stupidity are showing.

      https://www.dictionary.com/browse/theory

      1. a coherent group of tested general propositions, commonly regarded as correct, that can be used as principles of explanation and prediction for a class of phenomena: Einstein’s theory of relativity.
      2. a proposed explanation whose status is still conjectural and subject to experimentation, in contrast to well-established propositions that are regarded as reporting matters of actual fact.
      3. Mathematics. a body of principles, theorems, or the like, belonging to one subject:

      Darwin’s theory of evolution fits number 1.

      Creationism doesn’t even get to number 2. It’s been tested and proved wrong.

      Of course, wrong information is still valid so Creationism should be taught at school with the proviso that the kids are told that it’s completely and totally wrong.

      • Monty 9.2.1
        1 August 2018 at 2:26 am

        Don’t worry world, DTB who tho thinks we can just print money and nothing happens. (DTB is a fucking idiot)

        DTB would be the person at the gulag turning the valve on the special showers to happily cleanse anyone who didn’t fit DTB’s world view. (Fucking evil authoritarian)

        DTB refuses to accept any other ideas unless it his fucked in the head ideas.

        I picture DTB as a miserable loser who is jealous as he has failed at life and has no friends and potentially is so repressed that DTB thinks he has purpose in life. (DTB reminds every one that idiots exist)

        DTB was always the last selected in any team and the laughing stock and has now proven that a complete joke exists.

        DTB i have heard that nylon rope provides better results. You should Give it a go. It may save you from those extreme ideas that the majority prefer.

        • corodale 9.2.1.1
          1 August 2018 at 6:43 am

          Hey Monty,
          let me guess; do your religous beliefs find opposition to quantitative easying anti-semitic? Pull-your-head-in regarding that sleazy ignorance on finance.

          • Monty 9.2.1.1.1
            4 August 2018 at 12:42 am

            so what do you know about finance. W

            I have no religious views, please explain how religion comes into this or are you just stupid.

        • Draco T Bastard 9.2.1.2
          1 August 2018 at 11:38 am

          Typical RWNJ ad hom attack as they’ve got no argument.

          • Monty 9.2.1.2.1
            4 August 2018 at 12:45 am

            We have had this before. I am not RW I just believe your ideas are evil and should be challenged.

            But go on use a label to defend your retarded ideas. Please produce a situation when your ideas have worked and not lead to mass killings and repression of people.

            • Draco T Bastard 9.2.1.2.1.1
              4 August 2018 at 1:30 am

              We have had this before. I am not RW I just believe your ideas are evil and should be challenged.

              You’re a RWNJ who’s never challenged my ideas and has always done an ad hom attack as you did above.

              It is capitalism that is evil. Capitalism has destroyed more throughout history than any other form of governance and instituted huge amounts of oppression.

              Please produce a situation when your ideas have worked and not lead to mass killings and repression of people.

              Many civilisations throughout history (Debt: The first 5000 years). Go read a bit of it.

              • Monty …
                4 August 2018 at 1:47 am

                Please show me where I have shown to be RW. Moments other the. Thinking your evil.

                Unless. as I said unless people have to agree with you, anything else is RW. Which shows how much of a idiot you are. So if you don’t agree with DTB you are a RWNJ.

                My god what sort of world do you want.

        • KJT 9.2.1.3
          1 August 2018 at 12:30 pm

          No one, including DTB, ever said nothing happens. For example, in the 1950‘s and 60’s, “printing money produced thousands of State houses. While in the 2010’s banks, printing money for existing houses, has simply inflated house prices.

          I know which I would prefer.

          • Monty 9.2.1.3.1
            4 August 2018 at 12:46 am

            DTB has constantly said the govt can just create money to pay for what DTB wants.

            That has never worked and lead to
            Misery, death and failure.

            • Draco T Bastard 9.2.1.3.1.1
              4 August 2018 at 1:35 am

              ?

              DTB has constantly said the govt can just create money to pay for what DTB wants.

              Oh look – the RWNJ lied.

              I’ve never said that. I’ve said that the government can create money and spend it into the economy to utilise the countries resources. It can do this because it already owns those resources.

              That has never worked and lead to
              Misery, death and failure.

              Actually, it’s always worked and has never led to misery death and failure (the Money Masters).

              On the other, whenever the private banks create money it always fails and leads to mass poverty, death and failure. Exactly what’s happening now around the world in fact.

              • Monty …
                4 August 2018 at 1:40 am

                How do governments create money.

                Convince me it can happen.

                As how you have suggested and implied is about printing money in how I view your views.

                • corodale …
                  4 August 2018 at 4:32 am

                  Treasury could borrow money from our central bank, but this is against orthodox Basal banking norms, and against NZ’s own laws. Therefore the international rating agencies would sentence the NZD to death. Low unemployment rates are only a slight problem, as structural employment adjustments are realistic in NZ’s well educated workforce, which is over employed in service sector.

                  The restriction on Social Credit is an ugly risk reduction from international finance and industry.
                  But without a solution to this debt crisis, and peace in the Middle East, then all dreams like carbon neutrality, or prosperity, etc. are all just dreams.

                  Welcome to the politics of globalisation vs decentralisation. It would seem that UN and Agenda 21 etc are just hollow, finance controlled, austerity. But hope may remain in decentralised regional developement, and simple stuff like nitrogen limits to promote agricultural diversification via organic farming.

                  (We mention god knowledge (and neo-pagan-semitism), as this is the topic of the article above, and it’s also one of the control mechanisms which the banking class of Israelites (including Jesuits and Masons) use to maintain their power. Though I don’t say this critically, as I’m not saying that these Babylonian Bankers are any different to the UN or other contenders for global power, as global power is corrupt by nature, thus decentralised resiliance, especially economic and financial, is the healthy way forward.

              • Monty …
                4 August 2018 at 1:48 am

                Do you believe in punching a far right person

                • corodale …
                  4 August 2018 at 4:37 am

                  Yeah, the left are brainwashed by political science degrees, that “forget” to mention that the left-right thing died 50 years ago. Divide and conquer is the tool, and PC-crap vs RW-power is the way it is done, but who cares, lets just fix our own backyards, and see how it goes.

        • Sacha 9.2.1.4
          1 August 2018 at 3:35 pm

          Monty, that is a disgusting attack on another commenter. How about sticking to actual arguments rather than personal smears.

          • Monty 9.2.1.4.1
            4 August 2018 at 12:48 am

            In most cases I have, but with commenters like DTB I will call a spade a spade. so I suggest you go back and look at DTB’S personal attacks on other commenters then make judgement on me.

            As soon as DTB doesn’t like what the person says, instantly DTB attacks them as RW. No thought, no ability to have discussion or debate. Unless you agree with DTB your wrong and RW.

      • WILD KATIPO 9.2.2
        1 August 2018 at 5:53 am

        Well for starters, mate , you’ve messed up on the first qualifier because evolution cant even explain the missing link in any coherent fashion. Their still looking for him / her.

        But we’ve got some nice humanoid looking apes bones along the way.

        Now I don’t go along with Loyd Pye about aliens from planet whatever coming here to mine gold and whatnot and making a hybrid race to do all the sweaty stuff while they get to sit around drinking rum and cokes and watching the football but it seems hes got some pretty good points in regards the quackery of the theory of evolution and some of the ridiculous assumptions made thereof…

        Lloyd Pye Everything You Know Is Wrong – YouTube
        Video for lloyd pye youtube▶ 1:58:35
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5qJYwfAju8

        Number two pretty much states what I’ve just been saying so that hardly changes things.

        And as far as I am concerned what you wrote is only your subjective opinion. Like a lot of the other scientists who’s assertions are baseless because their theory holds water like a sieve. People, even academics including scientist’s only believe what they want to believe. Especially if it suits their govt funded salary’s to do so.

        At one time what passed for scientists , – believed the earth was flat and if you sailed too far you’d sail off the edge. So which group / era of scientists do you mean?. A 19th century bloke called Darwin who recanted on his theory laying on his deathbed and declared it was just a theory ? .Well , we’ve traveled a long way since then , – split the atom, fired men off to the moon , discovered the existence of DNA and supposedly even invented a better mouse trap. Just ask DOC.

        And they still haven’t found that dastardly missing link. But what they have found is human footprints alongside dinosaur ones. Fossilized ones . But most choose not to make a big fuss out of that and instead keep looking for that blasted missing link… ” Its there! , we know its there !! , – it’ll turn up if we just keep digging !!! ”… Id say that takes a whole lot more faith than simply believing there’s a ‘God’ in my book.

        And as for number three , – well math is math and is an abstract theory converted into tangible and practical use ie: measurements to make rocket ships to fire men off to the moon and design better mousetraps, – but the difference is it doesn’t have a missing link problem like evolution and thus is more like a pot than a sieve and actually holds water.

        Don’t worry mate, … when I was 12 years old, I too , … believed in evolution. But as I got older I started to realize some scientists, – particularly evolutionists ,- had a nasty habit of stretching the truth a bit to suit their purposes. And some of them came up with some real whoppers. And continued to receive that handsome govt funded salary just for doing so.

        But scientists did achieve the monumental task of inventing and then building a better mousetrap and that’s whats really important.

        Just ask DOC.

      • One Two 9.2.3
        1 August 2018 at 9:24 am

        Draco, all you’ve achieved is validating what WK had already stated…

        ‘Evolution’ = creation..

        It is ALL creation…whichever theory one subscribes to…

        ‘Ignorance and Studpidity’…

    • KJT 9.3
      1 August 2018 at 11:46 am

      You are misunderstanding the use of the word “theory” in science.
      The word you are looking for is hypothesis.
      A “theory” is something that is proven, so far as we can tell with the current state of our knowledge.

      Evolution is apparent all around us. The only scientific doubt is exactly how the mechanism works. New research on genetic inheritance for example.

      Creationism is pure bullshit.

      • WILD KATIPO 9.3.1
        1 August 2018 at 12:01 pm

        Yeah mate and I’ll believe evolution when a horse decides to turn into a frog.

        Provided that in the process we see legitimate examples of the thousands and thousands of ‘missing links’ required during that process.

        But be my guest mate, – carry on believing in the primordial soup and that one day a tadpole decided it’d had enough of the swamp , swam its little fishy tail up onto the beach and decided on a course of action that included morphing into a Lemur (and dodging the dinosaurs in the meantime ) with the view to one day becoming a renowned Wall Street Stock Exchange executive instead.

        Oh , and btw … you can bang on all day about specific word meanings that no one but a dry as toast English language Professor in some musty library would care about but frankly most of us don’t need our hands held to understand plain-speak and whats patently obvious to even the least educated among us.

        • KJT 9.3.1.1
          1 August 2018 at 12:03 pm

          If you are claiming to talk about science, at least enough knowledge of basic science concepts is required.

          This is primary school level.

          • WILD KATIPO 9.3.1.1.1
            1 August 2018 at 12:29 pm

            Yeah funny that.

            Seems DTB seems to have had the same problem .

            Went along with the whole deal about theory’s as opposed to ‘hypothesis’.

            But finding the correct words when writing a post to always placate the sensibility’s of one oh – so knowledgeable and enlightening , – who at the same time is more concerned with diversionary tactics , points scoring and in offering up pithy one liners to back up ones ‘ intolerance, bigotry and denial of reality ‘ instead of focusing on the issue at hand maturely and looking at all of the facts is kinda Primary school level all in itself.

            Wouldn’t you agree?

  10. Zack Brando 10
    1 August 2018 at 3:18 am

    I believe the Earth is young, I believe science agrees. I challenge evolutionists to watch the following 4 part presentation on YouTube:

    https://youtu.be/uJGairhrPGc

  11. WILD KATIPO 11
    1 August 2018 at 5:02 am

    Yeah , I knew Id get a visit from DTB firing off on all cylinders.

    The tolerant left.

    Complete with some beautiful put downs. The real problem with a ‘ God’ however is that ‘God’ may require something from us . That troubles some of us. The other is a convenient excuse for pinning mankind’s murderous excesses on the same. Yet still others are that ‘God’ may require a certain code of behavior that may be seen to curb ones activity’s.

    Oh well.

    • KJT 11.1
      1 August 2018 at 11:51 am

      I don’t see how superstitious rubbish moderates behaviour.
      Evidently, it makes for intolerance, bigotry and denial of reality.

      For example, research shows that children bought up in a religious faith, have less empathy for others.

      • WILD KATIPO 11.1.1
        1 August 2018 at 12:13 pm

        [ ” I don’t see how superstitious rubbish moderates behaviour . Evidently, it makes for intolerance, bigotry and denial of reality ” ].

        ——————————–

        Yeah , neither do I. And that’s exactly my point , – evolution theory does tend to make for intolerance, bigotry and denial of reality.

        I’m glad we see eye to eye on this and cleared that one up.

        Cheers.

        Oh,… just a little confused as to your statement regarding ”children bought up in a religious faith, have less empathy for others ”.

        I dunno about you bud, – but I don’t think Pol Pot expressed any particular religious faith, likewise Idi Amin and a fair swag of all the other genocidal mass murdering dictators.

        • KJT 11.1.1.1
          1 August 2018 at 12:21 pm

          Clever. But most of our current problems are people who disregard evidence, and rely on “reckons”.

          Disregarding the evidence for evolution, anthropogenic global warming, the effectiveness of vaccination. And denying the evidence against charter schools, trickle down”, lower Government spending, and, of course a whole lot of others, “because God, Milton Friedman, Trump or the flying sphagetti monster said”. Pick your guru of choice.

          • WILD KATIPO 11.1.1.1.1
            1 August 2018 at 12:39 pm

            [ ” But most of our current problems are people who disregard evidence, and rely on “reckons ” ]

            And I reckon your right. Bang on , mate!

            And that’s just the problem . Too many Tom Dick and Harry’s running around reckoning things. I reckon it has something to do with fervently reckoning that all we are , – are nothing but glorified tadpoles reconstituted. Last time I heard tadpoles had no morals. They are amoral. Do anything. Eat your smaller brother . And if your still hungry nibble on the tail of your sister. Hell , – she wont need it. She’ll be a frog soon anyways!

            Waddaya reckon ?

  12. corodale 12
    1 August 2018 at 5:54 am

    Some of that “Proof of God” video was quite good, but to end with the neo-pagan-semitic measage; “OMG, it was Jesus Christ!!!”, that was a bit of a fizz.

    Yeah, I’m open to our kids hearing alternatives. Wasn’t Darwinism modelled on market competition in industrial Victorian England?

    • Gabby 12.1
      1 August 2018 at 10:14 am

      Neo pagan?
      Classic corry!

    • WILD KATIPO 12.2
      1 August 2018 at 10:47 am

      [ ” Wasn’t Darwinism modelled on market competition in industrial Victorian England?”]

      Survival of the fittest.

      Sounds about right. The Nazi’s and the Austrian school of economics basically had that same idea. So too did a bloke called Thomas Robert Malthus :

      [ ” Of the relationship between population and economics, Malthus wrote that …. as to why he refuses to donate to the poor and destitute: “If they would rather die they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population” ].

      Thomas Robert Malthus – Wikipedia
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Robert_Malthus

      Charles Darwin was a great reader of Malthus apparently…

  13. WILD KATIPO 13
    1 August 2018 at 7:17 am

    Now this is an article about charter schools and not necessarily ones faith in whether God does or does not exist.

    However it would be wrong to try and use the secular versus faith science debate to try and inhibit what that school chooses to teach. Especially in this age of so called tolerance.

    But I would like to clarify something I typed about Darwin – it appears he never recanted his theory. So my mistake. Now just to show there’s a lot of good material out there regarding secular science and faith based science , there’s this:

    ( Its a massive site but you can see the articles by clicking on the ‘about us’ thingy on the first page.)

    Answers in Genesis
    https://answersingenesis.org/

  14. the other pat 14
    1 August 2018 at 7:22 am

    in the beginning there was nothing………………then…………….you were born!!!!!……all the rest is hype for the sheeple………everything is made from stardust and that’s where we end up……….anything after that is a nice surprise….or not.
    donations welcome!

    • WILD KATIPO 14.1
      1 August 2018 at 7:47 am

      [ ” everything is made from stardust ” ]

      Including charter schools.

      But hopefully our children wont end up there as we already have state owned schools instead that may have the good fortune under this govt to receive adequate funding, – unlike under the last National government.

  15. Lucy 15
    1 August 2018 at 9:06 am

    I would have thought that someone would have asked about the fact that the charter school was staffed by the wife of a Cabinet Minister (then) and the sister of the now leader of the opposition. This appears the most problematic for me as the charter schools seem to be filling staff with people who would get them influence in Government – not necessarily teachers who can teach.

  16. One Two 16
    1 August 2018 at 9:30 am

    The insidious relationships and family trees require deeper investigation…

    Politics…sport…business…

    Inside or outside…it’s a stich up

  17. KJT 17
    1 August 2018 at 12:01 pm

    https://thestandard.org.nz/the-real-aims-of-nationals-education-policy/

    “When you see that the real goal is to commercialise public education………….

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  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
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  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
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  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
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  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
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  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
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  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
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