Magic Statistics

Some Inuit parents find Darwinian evolutionary theory so offensive that teachers in northern Quebec have been told not to mention it in class.

Alexandre April, a teacher in Salluit, Que., says his school principal told teachers not to talk about the evolution of man.

However, when students asked questions, April answered them as a teacher and biologist, telling them about Darwin's theory.

It was then that April got the complaint.

"A mother called, and she said that I'd told her daughter that she was a monkey. It's not the way I presented it. Not at all. So I've been told not to do it again," April explains.

Mr April reports being threatened with disciplinary action if he doesn’t comply with the directive.

The local school board defends excising Darwin from the curriculum, saying it's more important to respect cultural differences.

The Kativik school board says it's just being sensitive to local beliefs. Even Inuit who hold traditional beliefs don't like to be told they're descended from monkeys.

"There are some beliefs where they don't want to hear this kind of stuff. You know, it's kind of like any other religion. They have their beliefs, and we have to respect that," said Gaston Pelletier of the Kativik school board.

Now watch closely as CBC, Canada's national taxpayer-funded spin-meister, distorts this news story beyond all recognition:  A protest by indigenous Inuit parents in remote hamlets of the frozen North becomes just another instance of the worldwide Christian fundamentalist contagion.

The church vs. Darwin

In at least three communities where Pentecostal Christianity has gained prominece [sic], the opposition to teaching Darwin's theory is strong.

And according to one researcher, that opposition is likely to spread.

In traditional Inuit belief, a shaman is possessed by his "helping spirit," which is not dissimilar to Pentecostal beliefs, according to Louis Rousseau, professor in the department of science and religion at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

"That can be translated quite easily with the Pentecostal insistence on the experience of being taken over by the holy spirit," Rousseau said.

Rousseau says Pentecostal Christianity is the fastest-spreading Christian denomination in the world, and that with what he's seeing among the Inuit, it is likely to spread across the North just as quickly.

Doesn't that just take your breath away?

Glenn Penner, Communications Director for the Voice of the Martyrs Canada, will be teaching about the theology of persecution and discipleship late this summer at Toronto Baptist Seminary.  From his announcement:

From August 28-September 1, 2006 (8:30 - 4:30 p.m.), I will teaching "MISS 323 - A Biblical Theology of Persecution & Discipleship" as a 3 credit hour course. The focus of this course is an examination of the biblical teaching on persecution as a central aspect of Christian discipleship, providing a biblical foundation from which to articulate an understanding of God's perspective on these issues and to evaluate historical and contemporary perspectives. I take the students from Genesis to Revelation with the goal of training cross-bearing disciples for the 21st century. It is clear to me that this was basic teaching for 1st century believers that is just as relevant today.

If you are interested in taking this course, I would encourage you to call the Registrar's office at Toronto Baptist Seminary at (416) 925-3263.

Glenn, author of "In the Shadow of the Cross: A Biblical Theology of Persecution and Discipleship" (Living Sacrifice Books, 2004), also runs the Persecuted Church Weblog.

Anyone living in or visiting the Toronto area at that time might want to check it out.  More info here.  (Alas, I can't be in Toronto then.)

Ladies, please pay attention.  There's a perfectly sensible reason why men never ask for directions when we get lost—in order to avoid misadventures like this:

Baltimore City police arrested a Virginia couple over the weekend after they asked an officer for directions.

WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team reporter David Collins said Joshua Kelly and Llara Brook, of Chantilly, Va., got lost leaving an Orioles game on Saturday. Collins reported a city officer arrested them for trespassing on a public street while they were asking for directions.

Hold it right there!  Isn't trespassing going where one does not have lawful authority to go, like someone else's back yard or a privately owned building?  Doesn't "public" mean, like, open to anyone?  So, how is it even possible to "trespass[] on a public street"?  Kafka lives.

"In jail for eight hours — sleeping on a concrete floor next to a toilet," Kelly said.

"It was a nightmare," Brook said. "I was in there thinking I was just dreaming and waiting to wake up."

The two desperados were finally released without being charged.  To add insult to injury, Baltimore police impounded their car and then neglected to lock it.  A few items were stolen while the couple was in custody.

Remind me never to visit Baltimore.

via Opinion Journal – Best of the Web.