[Catalist] Stop the promulgation of Pseudoscience on Catalyst

[Michael Cameron]

Michael
You have to see the funny side of this ironic post. You’ve used terms such as ‘pseudoscience’ and stated how creationism isn’t a scientific concept and not open to empirical test (which I agree with). 

However, most of your email is about your personal opinion about the funding of the National Chaplaincy Program. I’d say that promoting or discouraging chaplaincy is not relevant to STAWA’s catalyst community.

This discussion is a fine example of promulgating pseudoscience.

Mick Cameron

> On 28 Apr 2018, at 6:42 am, Michael McGarry <mmcgarry44 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Stop the promulgation of Creationist Pseudoscience in Public schools
> 
> Greetings CATALIST/ASTARIX 2.0 subscribers,
> 
> 
> The meaning of promulgate used here is to set forth or teach publicly (a creed, doctrine, etc.).
> 
> 
> “Creationist accounts of the origin of life are human cultural concepts and can have relevance in that context. However, creationism is not a scientific concept, in that it is not open to empirical test. The creationist account of the origin of life is not, therefore, appropriate to a course in the science of biology, and the claim that it is a viable scientific explanation of the diversity of life does not warrant support.”
> 
> 
> Reference URL: https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/science-policy/position-statements/position-statement—creationism-and-intelligent <https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/science-policy/position-statements/position-statement%D1creationism-and-intelligent>
> “Secular Public Education -- the group headed by Ron Williams, who successfully challenged the legitimacy of the National School Chaplaincy Program in the High Court in 2012 and 2014 -- is currently running a petition aimed at de-funding the program in the May budget.
> 
> Petition URL: https://www.change.org/p/federal-education-minister-simon-birmingham-no-taxpayer-funded-religious-national-school-chaplaincy-programme-beyond-2018 <https://www.change.org/p/federal-education-minister-simon-birmingham-no-taxpayer-funded-religious-national-school-chaplaincy-programme-beyond-2018>
> Turnbull government MPs are lobbying for May budget reinstatement of the taxpayer funded strictly religious-only $700 million National School Chaplaincy Programme from 2019 at an increased cost of $75 million per year.
> 
> Following a June 2014 High Court ruling, the Commonwealth government, while continuing to fund the scheme, abandoned all responsibility for its administration and oversight. The National School Chaplaincy Programme has since operated without central guidelines, code of conduct, or complaint processes.
> 
> Also, since June 2014 no record has been kept of complaints regarding the National School Chaplaincy Programme, which can be observed operating as a fully-functional evangelical ministry within Australian public schools.
> 
> With their petition, SPE suggest to federal education minister Simon Birmingham that more funding should be directed toward states and territories to provide an urgently needed boost to the number of professional education department employed social workers, school counsellors, school psychologists, and student guidance staff.”
> 
> Relevant URL: https://www.nationalsecularlobby.org/campaign/say-no-to-the-national-school-chaplaincy-program/ <https://www.nationalsecularlobby.org/campaign/say-no-to-the-national-school-chaplaincy-program/>
> Michael John McGarry
> 
> 
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