By the rule of law, every department of government should remain separate from religion, and that is especially true for education. This makes the proposition of Ben Carson’s appointment to Secretary of Education particularly alarming. From expressing ancient beliefs regarding Earth’s creation, to denying the rights of certain groups of people due to Christian fundamentalist views, it would seem that Ben Carson is better suited to give a church sermon than to be a leader of education. Recently announced as Trump’s top pick to head the Department of Education, Carson declined the role this morning. But considering that he denied he had interest in running for president, then decided to do just that, America may not have dodged the bullet quite yet. Ben Carson is too religiously biased to be a leader in education.
He Compared Gay Rights to Bestiality
Arguably the most disturbing policy shared by Christian fundamentalist leaders is the interpretation of the Bible to deny marriage rights to homosexuals. Along with Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Ben Carson has been a longtime opponent of the rights of the LGBT community. In his most infamous statement on the issue, Carson spoke about the concept of marriage as if he invented it, stating that only men and women should have a right to marriage. This ancient point of view has a negative impact on millions of Americans, and is unfair for children who are born gay.
He Denies Evolution
Charles Darwin wrote his revolutionary book, The Origin of Species in 1859, and evolution was accepted as fact by most of the world well before 1900. Examples like the duck-billed platypus famously showed how animals who are best fit for survival will thrive and evolve, while those with weaker traits die off. Even against abounding proof that has led to a vast amount of knowledge in the life sciences, Ben Carson continues to deny evolution exists. This again shows how shortsighted it is to have a man in charge of education when he’s deeply ingrained into Christian fundamentalist views.
He Believes the Bible Literally
Several of Carson’s statements imply that he believes even the most outlandish parts of the Bible should be taken literally. His most famous example stems from a video where Carson explained how the pyramids of Egypt were built by the biblical character Joseph as a grain silo. While this had archaeologists and other fans of the truth calling BS, it was just the tip of the iceberg for Carson. Among other statements made by Ben Carson are his belief that the world was created in six days, evolution is a tool of the devil, and other baseless religious theories that go against decades of proven science.
The Truth Matters in Education
We’d all like our political leaders to abide by reason and behave in a truthful manner, and that’s especially true for leaders of education. When a guy who insists that his biblical super hero built the pyramids is in line to be in charge of education, it does raise cause for alarm, particularly for parents of school age children. It’s ironic that an extremely educated neurosurgeon has made numerous statements that can be proven false in any sixth grade science class, but that goes to show that it takes more than degrees to qualify for leadership. Whoever Trump picks as the leader of education, any backwards policies that arise from their promotion must be closely monitored to ensure equality among people of differing religions and cultures.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGxU33YbNaE
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