Perhaps it’s proof that God loves the secular homeschoolers, too–or at the very least, humors us–that a friend of mine should pass this link along to me just in time for a Secular Thursday. Pharyngula, a blogger at ScienceBlogs write about his dismay over the way a “science” textbook published by Bob Jones University presents the topic of electricity. I am equally dismayed.
You can view the scanned page here or at ScienceBlogs, but here’s the text:
Electricity is a mystery. No one has ever observed it or heard it or felt it. We can see and feel and hear only what electricity does. We know that it makes light bulbs shine and irons heat up and telephones ring. But we cannot say what electricity itself is like.
We cannot even say where electricity comes from. Some scientists say that the sun may be the source of most electricity. Other think that the movement of the Earth produces some of it. All anyone knows is that electricity seems to be everywhere and that there are many ways to bring it forth.
How would you have to change the way you get ready for school if you did not use electricity?
“The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.” Psalm 77:18
Ok, what in the happy crap is that? I’ll tell you what it’s not: Science.
Did the person who wrote that book ever read an actual science text? Do they actually know anything about electricity? Have they ever even bothered to look up electricity on Wikipedia? We do, in fact, know what electricity is and where it comes from. It’s generated by a myriad sources. It isn’t, as Pharyngula points out, “something like oil, a substance lying in large deposits that must be harvested and poured into your hairdryer to make it work,” as the BJU text’s author seems to think.
Obviously, BJU’s presentation of things like the origin of life and changes in species is going to be significantly different from that of secular science. While I think their presentation is based on an entirely non-scientific premise, I acknowledge that said premise is going to lead to a certain way of presenting certain topics. Fine. I won’t teach that to my kids, but if you think people lived with dinosaurs and the earth is only 6000 years old, you feel free to teach that to your kids.
There is NO excuse, however, for completely misrepresenting topics like electricity. Really, how is explaining about particles and currents not compatible with creationism? Can someone explain that to me? Does electricity have to be dumbed down and falsified and just…just…stupid-ized purely for the sake of making it different from secular science? What is the purpose here?
I’m absolutely baffled, is what I am. Can’t you teach your children a creationist viewpoint without screwing up the rest of science? DO you have to distill it down to something, as Pharyngula points out, worthy of the Insane Clown Posse [if you aren't familiar with ICP, please be warned, anything related to this band contains EXPLICIT LANGUAGE]?
I just find it hard to believe that Christian homeschoolers really want their children to be dumber than a Juggalo. Why would they tolerate this insulting level of pseudoscience?
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[...] out there. I knew that already, but this really let me know it. Also, I kept thinking about this recent post from Smrt Lernins about a Bob Jones University homeschool science textbook that [...]
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[...] sensible “no mixed swimming” policy) or that we really don’t have a clue how electricity or magnets [...]
Oh, my. *I* for one don’t buy that kind of curriculum.
I’m doing a full segment on evolution with my kids this year, which will endear me to my Christian peers, of that I am sure.
With the mysteries of science (not electricity!), one being the origin of the universe and mankind — I tell my kids to hold it all with an open hand. No doubt each side has touched on ‘truth’ but no one knows the whole truth, nothing but the truth. (Relativist!) I am more concerned that my kids can both 1) marvel at the mystery and 2) think critically about the information at hand.
With the volume of Christian homeschool materials out there, surely a few of them address science with some degree of accuracy. I expect some dissent with matters of origin/evolution. I don’t agree with their position, but I’m not shocked or disappointed. This, though? Come on, you guys. Surely you can get the rest of it right. Electricity, magnestism, stuff like that shouldn’t be controversial. Don’t dumb your audience down intentionally.
Very nice. However, I wouldn’t the origin of man is a mystery at all. The origin of life, yes, but not of man.
I don’t think the origin of man is a mystery. I think the origin of man is a topic of disagreement between the secular and religious. Different thing all together.
The “scientific peanut butter” tag just made my day. I had forgotten all about that.
I just looked back through your tags, and realized you weren’t talking about what I was talking about…here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZFG5PKw504&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fscienceblogs.com%2Fmikethemadbiologist%2F2007%2F03%2Fcreationist_sez_peanut_butter.php
Oh my GOD. That is hilarious!
Dude, if electricity is a mystery and obviously derived directly from God, does that make electricians prophets? And if it does, WHY DOESN’T THAT PAY BETTER?!?! o.O;;
Wow. Just wow. I’m not the smrtest person around, and I know the principles of electricity aren’t the easiest thing to explain to a child, but even I know that this is completely wrong.
If you’ve ever wondered why people don’t leave their houses when all the scientists and meteorologists say that a hurricane is coming, this is why.
After all, no one can really say whether or not a hurricane is coming. It’s just one theory of a bunch of possible theories.
I’ve always been a little dubious about light, myself. I mean, I can see the results of it, but I can’t see the actual light. Must be one of those mysteries that we’ll never understand!
Meghan, people don’t leave their houses for a lit of reasons, money, no where to go, no way to go, jobs, not wanting to tak 20 hours to go 100 miles. I could name more. Implying that those that don’t leave are mindless idiots that know nothing about science is a bit insulting.
Also they never know exactly where a hurricane is going until it hits land. Forecast ate getting better but they still aren’t accurate. Take Katrina for example, it was headed to Pencecola and then about 48 hours out ( almost too late for an evacuation) the forecast changed for New Orleans. At the last minute she veered and the Mississippi Gulf Coast got the brunt if the storm. Gustav is another one, 5 days out it was headed to New Orleans, it hit Galvestan, Texas. So if people don’t want to leave because they don’t trust the forecast they have good reason.
Pleas forgive my typos I was on my iPod.
Hey, I just realized what this reminds me of. Dr. Leo Spaceman (Spa-che-men).
Also, my eight-year-old says he has definitely seen and felt electricity. But he got a good chuckle out of the passage, and it led to a discussion on the FSM, so…good talk.
I just learned of your blog, and this entry was my official introduction (love it!!!). This has left my husband and I both annoyed and laughing to tears.
And just… WOW…
While I find the page scanned to be cheesy, I’d prefer to read the entire chapter before passing judgment. The chapter is 16 pages long (in the older edition cited) and over 22 in the current edition. According to the Scope & Sequence the usual standards-based information is covered, so perhaps this is only a poorly written opener. I’ve read plenty of textbook introductions that were lacking in content. They often attempt to begin with a child’s frame of reference and then move them into deeper thinking. You should take a look at my husband’s science text. Blech!
Anyway, I’m not a huge fan of BJU but mostly because it makes for rather dull reading.
Hi, Just reading your post and wanted to add my 2 cents worth. I have not read the BJU science as we choose a different route for Science. I do teach creationist view point with the help of the wonderful Apologia Science Texts. These are written on about a 4th grade level with lots of terms to challenge us as we learn. It is written to the student and so far explains everything with accuracy and detail. We are finishing our second in this series and love them. My girls even seem to understand the mechanics of flight, which I now understand better.
We will begin Exploring Creation with Botany in the fall and can’t wait to study all the plants and such that we can. Hope you find what you need to spark the interests of your child(ren) and that you can be happy with your findings.
In His Grace,
Jeniver
I fully agree with Daisy.
You seem to be rushing quickly to condemn a textbook as an “un-scientific” piece of propaganda, unworthy of educating your children with, based on one solitary box of text separated from the rest of the material. I think most high school students would actually not have much trouble getting what the author is after in this passage: just to tease out some wonderful reflections about the “mystery” of immaterial forces like electricity and to bring up some sense of awareness in the students about how much there is about the universe that we do not think Science can adequately explain: using electricity as the example.
Is the lesson in the box out of line? Hardly! Isn’t it great when people can acknowledge the limitations of their field — even scientists, forevermore!
And, as for reaching out into religious postulates to describe things at the margin, at the point where one’s empirical grasp of learning gets a little thin, hasn’t this been the habit of the human race since the beginning of time?
My only quibble? I would have chosen a different Scripture verse than one the BJU Press used. “From the far-shining radiance that was before Him there passed by clouds, hail, and coals of fire. And the Lord thundered out of heaven, and the Most High gave forth His voice. And He sent forth His arrows, and scattered them; and lightnings He multiplied, and troubled them sorely.” (Ps. 18) It turns out, we DO know where electricity comes from!
Peace to you and yours!
Well, to be perfectly honest, I find pretty much ALL of BJU and Apologia’s work to be fictional bordering on ludicrous. This was just a particularly striking example to me.
I would like to point out that the older version of this book (which is the one being referenced) predated wikipedia, so they couldn’t have just “looked it up on wikipedia”. Also, the type of people who would write this would probably turn to conseravapedia instead, because wikipedia “has a liberal/secular/watever-their-particular-bogeyman-is bias”.
You asked: Can’t you teach your children a creationist viewpoint without screwing up the rest of science?
No, they cannot. Imagine my shock when I came across Creationism in a math curriculum! How does that work you ask, making pi = 3 as it does in The Bible? Actually no, A Beka chooses not to “burden” students with modern math such as set theory.