6/9/15 4:42 PM

I am speaking to students as part of a summer STEM program at the library. I was told not to speak about subjects that would contradict religion.

I am presenting on astronomy and the life cycle of stars. With pictures from the HST, my telescope and other cool stuff.

The chapel is across a the street. :p

6/9/15 6:59 PM

quote:

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I was told not to speak about subjects that would contradict religion.

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6/9/15 7:35 PM

Bro, I am in the Bible Belt.

6/9/15 7:38 PM

Well, there is that. ;)

6/9/15 8:37 PM

Good for you, Erik!

Joking aside, are you sure you're not sailing too close to the wind with your choice of topic? "Life cycle of stars" puts in doubt of "god" creating the earth (and its occupants)...

6/9/15 10:58 PM

Put a human face on astronomy. Talk about the great heroic scientists.

Copernicus

Galileo

Kepler

Tycho Brahe

6/10/15 2:50 AM

@april

Sure enough. I want to talk about a subject they won't learn at school. I want them to learn where the elements come from and super nova pics are "pretty" to kids.

It is impossible not to tack a little bit when talking about astronomy.

I guess I could talk about Galileo being locked up by the church... ;)

@ sandiway, kids don't want history lessons. I want them to get excited about astronomy like they get about dinosaurs so pretty pictures and explosions it will be.

The person in charge of the program sounded scientifically illiterate. She specifically said I could not talk about the "Big Bang" like it would cause problems. She has no idea the shit storm I could stir up without ever mentioning the BBT.

I will be polite but won't lie to them or skirt things like the lifetime of common stars either. I got lied to my entire life living in this backwards ass part of the nation.

6/10/15 9:35 AM

I am an elected trustee for our town library, the ALA (American Library Association) is pretty clear about not limiting discussion / thought etc in selection of materials or limiting access to information etc. . This winter we had a lecture series about the weather, we had some meteorologists from the NWS / NOAA give a talk they were very good about discussing what data they have on climate change but were careful to give both sides (not to anger any members of Congress) (although they would not have any problems with the New England delegation on this subject....;)....

Inscribed on the wall of our library:

Information ....the currency of democracy

Thomas Jefferson

6/10/15 9:49 AM

Library on a military base. A public one for those who have base access. I doubt what she said was part of any policy other than her own.

6/10/15 10:12 AM

Hi Eric,

I have seen your views on religion and politics change over the years. You may find the Pew Religion Survey interesting. The number of people that call themselves Christians is down nearly 8% and the number of people who label themselves unaffiliated is up nearly 6%. You are proof how this is spreading even in the south. Unaffiliated is the fastest growing "re3ligion" in the U.S.

http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/

6/10/15 10:24 AM

that the earth might not be 7,000 years old or less.

You'd probably pay for it, but I'd be tempted to start out the presentation by putting a piece of duct tape over my mouth. Then, when someone asks why, you could explain the instruction you were given.

6/10/15 10:38 AM

Cool that you are doing the presentation and I'm sure you'll do a great job and play it straight.

But I thought that STEM was designed to convince people (including the government) of the importance of science, technology, etc? How can someone run this program and say you can't talk about the Big Bang? I guess you couldn't talk about evolution? Again no criticism of you at all, but wow.

Have fun with the presentation. My advice is, whatever your slide show \projection system is, do a trial run! :)[/i]

6/10/15 10:42 AM

You could do a whole seaway on 'STEM CELL Research' and then do an Emily Litella "never mind" when you see the steam coming out of the baby sitters face.. ;)

I jest of course...

6/10/15 10:57 AM

There are too many hypocrisies, living there you know that better than most of us. It sounds like giving your audience the spark to carry is your task.

Erik the Prometheus?

The zeal of the convert tempered by the evening news. I bet your contact knew just what she was doing when she asked you.

6/10/15 11:24 AM

@tom

Kinda happens when you get a taste of a real education.

@dan

I have LOTS of experience with public speaking. I am most concerned about being to complicated for the young audience.

6/10/15 11:50 AM

Ay yie yie, playing by "the rules", there must be a drug for that.

I can only hope that the kids have a great time learning about astronomy, a topic that I largely missed out on even though a few of my hs friends were quite into it at the time.

My science passions back then would have been critters and motorcycles, which begat interests in physics, engineering and biological sciences.

6/10/15 5:17 PM

Religion don't have anything to do with science. Best not to introduce or mix the two.

I'm not a religious person. But I don't see the point of making any anti-religion grandstanding either. STEM talk in the library isn't the right place to bash religion. Any such controversy simply distract from the topic of your talk. Better leave religion outside the door.

Focus on the science. Make it fun for the kids, fire up their imagination. How old are your audience?

6/10/15 6:21 PM

quote:

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Better leave religion outside the door.

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6/10/15 7:45 PM

Hence my comment to Erik he's sailing close to the wind.

But one doens't have to mention religion, just present the facts and let the kids draw their own conclusion. I'm not so sure any of the kids remember how many thousand years the stars were "created". So there may not be any religious storm after all.

6/11/15 5:04 AM

...is not likely to be what Eric says, but what questions the kids ask and how they're handled. Considering that they're probably already heavily indoctrinated with religious crap, chances are that someone will ask something that would be 'controversial'.

As for the instructions, I wouldn't be surprised if the motivation behind the "no religion" comment was meant primarily to prevent a backlash from parents after the kids go home with actual knowledge and tell them what they learned. "Heaven forbid!"

6/11/15 6:16 AM

@april

Enormous stars, >50 solar masses live millions of years

Little stars <1 solar mass live billions of years.

Our own sun has a projected life of about 10 billion years and it is mid life right now.

6/11/15 10:45 AM

Why don't you just present the 'millions' of years as 'thousand thousand' years? That might just get their mind off the '7 thousand year' presented by the church? ;)

Seriously, it's better to side step the controversy.

6/11/15 11:01 AM

No way that will happen. ;) The time is the time and it will be presented correctly.

I may enjoy having someone challenge me.

Just remember these parents are taking their children to an astronomy lecture. They will get the truth as science knows it right now.

6/11/15 11:18 AM

https://www.facebook.com/Buddhism.84000/videos/vb.123701504326371/1022838561079323/?type=2&theater

6/11/15 11:22 AM

Are you riding your race bike to the gig??

You could do it in your kit...

Or better yet, dress like our TDF friend. No, the other devil. ;)

<img src="http://cdn.gunaxin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Tour-de-France-Devil-Didi-Diablo-02.jpg" width=320>