{"id":2165785,"date":"2024-02-02T07:40:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-02T12:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/catholic-schools-that-teach-life-begins-at-birth-arent-just-anti-christian-theyre-anti-science\/"},"modified":"2024-02-02T07:53:07","modified_gmt":"2024-02-02T12:53:07","slug":"catholic-schools-that-teach-life-begins-at-birth-arent-just-anti-christian-theyre-anti-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/catholic-schools-that-teach-life-begins-at-birth-arent-just-anti-christian-theyre-anti-science\/","title":{"rendered":"Catholic schools denying science by teaching life begins at birth are both anti-Christian and anti-science"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcatholic-schools-that-teach-life-begins-at-birth-arent-just-anti-christian-theyre-anti-science%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2165785&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>Engaging Title: Celebrating Catholic Education and the Missing Piece in Science Classrooms<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s National Catholic \u2062Schools Week, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncea.org\/csw\/CSW\/Catholic_Schools_Week.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this year\u2019s theme<\/a>, \u201cUnited in Faith and Community,\u201d highlights \u2063the value of the Catholic school as an educational community model for students, families,\u200c communities, the church, and our nation. Indeed, \u200bthere are\u200b many reasons to celebrate Catholic\u2063 education in the \u2064United States,\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/nceatalk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/23_NCEA_Data_Brief_FINAL_2022-2023_Catholic_School_Enrollment_v9.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">from positive \u200denrollment trends<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncea.org\/NCEA\/NCEA\/How_We_Serve\/News\/Press_Releases\/The_Nation_s_Report_Card_Shows_Catholic_Schools_Excelling_Post-Pandemic.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">superior academic achievement<\/a> and \u2063advancement.<\/p>\n<p>Amid the good news, however, there\u2019s a surprising \u2063area where Catholic \u2064schools are\u2063 missing the mark.\u200c They are failing to provide students with pro-life intellectual formation, specifically when it comes to the science classroom.\u2063 This is not \u200donly unexpected but concerning. After all,\u200c the Catholic Church is\u200d officially committed to protecting and promoting human life and \u2063dignity \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ENG0015\/__P7Z.HTM#-2C6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">from conception<\/a>.\u201d \u200cIt\u2019s a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usccb.org\/resources\/priorities-polls\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">preeminent \u200bpriority<\/a>\u201d and therefore should be\u2063 one of the\u200b most vital metrics of any Catholic institution.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-382388825\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The alarming truth\u2063 is \u200cthat science education standards in the thousands of Catholic schools across the country are glossing over the scientific reality that a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/shapiro-debunking-pro-abortion-propaganda\/\" title=\"SHAPIRO: Debunking Pro-Abortion Propaganda\">human life begins<\/a> at the start of the biological process of fertilization, or\u200b what most Catholics understand as \u201cconception.\u201d \u2062It\u2019s a fact that students\u200c may hear in their theological studies (regarding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-exhorts-republicans-to-learn-the-art-of-the-deal-on-abortion\/\" title=\"Trump urges GOP to master 'deal-making' on abortion.\">pro-life \u2062issues<\/a>), but\u2064 not in the science classroom, which\u200b is bizarre\u2063 because the humanity of a human \u2064embryo or fetus isn\u2019t \u2064a theological proposition. It\u2019s science.\u2062 It belongs in \u2064life science and biology lessons, which is \u200bprecisely where Catholic school students\u200d are <em>not<\/em> encountering it.<\/p>\n<p>Worse, in \u2063some Catholic schools, students are being introduced \u2064to\u2064 the \u200derroneous \u200didea that organisms including human beings begin to exist at birth. For example, \u200cin accordance \u200dwith a science standard that explores the life \u2064cycles of \u200cmost organisms, Catholic <a href=\"https:\/\/richmonddiocese.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2014_Science_Curriculum_Updated_2019.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">schools in Virginia are teaching second graders<\/a> that plants and animals have life cycles from \u201cbirth \u2063to death,\u201d without any type of \u200dclarifying statement that \u2062the \u200chuman life cycle \u2062\u2014 our\u2064 life cycle \u2014 begins before birth, at fertilization, and continues through the embryonic period, the fetal period, \u2062and then\u2062 after birth, \u2063throughout \u200bthe various stages of human development.<\/p>\n<p>The Catholic Church\u2019s vision \u200dof humanity is rooted in the idea that every human life is sacred from\u200d the beginning of its biological \u2063existence. Human dignity is based on the knowledge that there is \u200csomething more \u200cspecial and more valuable \u200dabout humans than \u2063the rest\u200b of the natural world because we are \u2062made \u201cin the image of God.\u201d The secular world may dismiss this teaching, seeing it as merely \u201ctheological\u201d \u2063and contradictory to an Earth-first worldview. However, what they can\u2019t\u2063 say is that \u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/catechism\/en\/part_three\/section_two\/chapter_two\/article_5\/i_respect_for_human_life.html\">Catholic teaching<\/a> \u200babout\u200c the existence of a human being from conception or fertilization conflicts with science, because science says the same thing.<\/p>\n<p>Since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ehd.org\/developmental-stages\/stage0.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1942<\/a>, the biological science of human embryology \u2014 the\u2063 branch of science that specializes\u200b in the start and early development of human life \u200b\u2014 has codified human reproduction\u200d in the Carnegie Stages of \u2062Human Embryonic Development. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ehd.org\/virtual-human-embryo\/stage.php?stage=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Carnegie Stage 1<\/a> documents human sexual reproduction (i.e., fertilization)\u200c as the <a href=\"https:\/\/medicalmuseum.health.mil\/assets\/documents\/collections\/hdac\/stage01.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">beginning<\/a> of a new, whole, individual, and living human \u2063being. The\u2063 Carnegie Stages were <a href=\"https:\/\/medicalmuseum.health.mil\/index.cfm?p=collections.hdac.anatomy.index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">instituted<\/a> by the National Museum of Health and Medicine\u2019s Human Developmental Anatomy Center \u200c(a sister\u2062 agency to \u200cthe National Library of Medicine) and continue to be documented, refined, and \u200dadvanced as \u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ehd.org\/virtual-human-embryo\/ages.php?stage=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the global authority\u2064 of human embryological\u200b research<\/a>. They \u2064are viewed by human embryologists in a similar manner\u200c to how chemists view the Periodic Table \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/fipat.library.dal.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/FIPAT-TE2-Part1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">it\u2019s the gold standard<\/a>. Note too that every\u2062 genuine human embryology textbook is professionally required to contain the full chart of the Carnegie Stages.<\/p>\n<p>In sharp contrast, \u2063America\u2019s K-12 science guidelines, the\u200b Next Generation Science Standards (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextgenscience.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NGSS<\/a>), corrupt these fundamental scientific facts of human reproduction \u2064and early human \u2064development by excluding\u200c the Carnegie Stages\u2063 and other basics of human embryology from biology and\u2064 life science materials. Most states base their \u200bscience standards on the NGSS. And disastrously, since \u2064official Catholic bodies encourage dioceses to adopt national and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-rejects-dozens-of-math-books-containing-critical-race-theory-and-other-indoctrinating-concepts\/\" title=\"Florida Rejects Dozens Of Math Books Containing \u2018Critical Race Theory\u2019 And Other \u2018Indoctrinating Concepts\u2019\">state academic standards<\/a>, countless Catholic schools have\u200b adopted these flawed guidelines\u2062 as well.<\/p>\n<p>The National Catholic Education\u2062 Association (NCEA) <a href=\"https:\/\/ncea.org\/NSBECS\/NSBECS\/Standards\/The_Standards.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">says<\/a> they \u201csupport curriculum \u200ddevelopment consistent with national curriculum standards\u201d and infuse them with \u2064\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/ncea.org\/NCEA\/NCEA\/How_We_Serve\/Resources\/Academic_Excellence_Resources.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Catholic faith and traditions<\/a>.\u201d Meanwhile, the United States Conference of\u200b Catholic Bishops (USCCB) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usccb.org\/committees\/catholic-education\/common-core-state-standards-faqs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">affirms<\/a> that each\u200d diocese engages with \u201cstate standards in light of the needs and common\u200b good of the schools.\u201d But in this crucial area, Catholic\u200d schools are doing no \u200bsuch\u2064 thing, and the ill-defined guidance\u2064 from the NCEA and USCCB \u2063are partly to blame.<\/p>\n<p>There are grave consequences\u2062 for getting this science lesson wrong. \u200cTeaching \u200cstudents, explicitly or\u200b implicitly, that human reproduction and development\u2064 is a mystery or that human life begins at birth rather\u2064 than fertilization only expands \u200dthe <a href=\"https:\/\/morningconsult.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/190555_crosstabs_ABORTION_Adults_v3.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">knowledge gap<\/a> \u200d that is driving\u2062 the dehumanization and destruction\u200c of\u2063 unborn children and, more broadly speaking, eroding \u2064a culture of life.<\/p>\n<p>Addressing when a \u200bhuman \u200clife starts in \u2063theology\u2063 but not\u200b in biology reinforces the\u200c false premise that the initiation of a new human \u2062life is a subjective religious matter. Moreover, it drives unfounded skepticism \u200dabout the compatibility of faith and reason \u200cfor pro-life doctrine and other foundational, \u2064life-saving teachings of the \u2062church.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s \u200cno wonder Catholics are as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/short-reads\/2022\/05\/23\/like-americans-overall-catholics-vary-in-their-abortion-views-with-regular-mass-attenders-most-opposed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">varied<\/a> in their abortion views as Americans overall.<\/p>\n<p>National Catholic Schools Week is an opportunity for bishops, pastors, superintendents, principals, teachers, and parents to renew Catholic school science education standards and ensure \u2064that a Carnegie Chart \u2062is hanging on the wall of\u2064 every\u2063 Catholic school science classroom \u200cacross America \u2014 the\u2063 proper formation of their students,\u200b families, and communities \u200bas well\u200c as the survival of millions of unborn children depend on it.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u2064What steps can\u2062 Catholic schools take\u2062 to integrate accurate scientific information on human development \u200binto their science curriculum, while still aligning with Catholic teachings<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u200bGet=&#8221;_blank&#8221; rel=&#8221;noreferrer noopener&#8221;>explains<\/a> that Catholic schools \u200bshould adopt and adapt national \u200dand state standards \u200dto align with Catholic teaching. However,\u200c the NGSS guidelines, which are commonly followed\u2064 by \u200dCatholic schools, do\u2064 not align with Catholic\u200c teachings on the beginning of human life.\u2063<\/p>\n<p>This\u2063 disconnect between Catholic teachings and science education\u200d in Catholic schools is concerning for several reasons. First and \u2062foremost, it fails \u200cto provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the science behind\u2062 human development. By excluding the fundamental facts of human embryology, students are not being \u200cequipped with the knowledge \u2063they need to fully understand and appreciate the \u2062sanctity of human life from its earliest stages.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, it undermines the \u200bcredibility of Catholic education\u200d as a \u2063whole. Catholic schools have long been\u200c recognized for their commitment \u200cto academic excellence and for providing a well-rounded education that integrates faith and reason. By \u200bneglecting to include accurate and up-to-date scientific \u200binformation in their science curricula, Catholic schools are falling short of this commitment and leaving a gap in their\u200b students&#8217; \u200deducation.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, this\u200b omission has broader implications for society as\u200d a whole. Catholic education plays a vital role in shaping the next generation of leaders, who will go on \u2062to have important roles\u2063 in \u200dvarious\u2063 fields, including medicine, science, and public policy. By failing to provide \u2062students with a solid \u2063foundation in the scientific facts\u200b of human development, Catholic schools are leaving them \u2064ill-equipped to engage in discussions and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-nhl-player-dead-after-brutal-accident-from-mid-ice-collision\/\" title=\"Ex-NHL player dies in tragic mid-ice collision.\">debates surrounding issues<\/a> such as abortion \u200dand\u200d bioethics. This hinders\u2063 their ability to contribute to\u2062 the public discourse and advocate for policies that uphold the dignity \u2064and sanctity of human life.<\/p>\n<p>So, what can \u200bbe done to address this\u200c missing \u200bpiece in Catholic\u2064 science\u200d classrooms? First and foremost, there needs to be\u2063 a\u200c recognition \u200bof the importance of integrating accurate scientific information on human development into the curriculum. This requires \u2062a collaborative effort between Catholic educators, theologians, and scientists\u2063 to develop science curricula that align with\u200b Catholic teachings\u200b and \u200cincorporate \u200cthe fundamental facts of human embryology.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, it is \u2062essential that Catholic \u2063schools\u2063 prioritize ongoing \u2064professional \u200bdevelopment for \u200dtheir science teachers.\u200c This includes providing them with the necessary resources, training, \u200cand support to \u200beffectively \u2062teach the science of\u2063 human development, while also integrating\u2063 the teachings of the Catholic Church. By\u2064 investing in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/washington-college-creates-anti-racism-center-for-nursing-students\/\" title=\"Washington College Creates \u2018Anti-Racism\u2019 Center For Nursing Students\">professional development<\/a> of science\u200b teachers, Catholic schools\u200d can ensure that \u200ctheir\u2063 students\u2062 receive a well-rounded\u2064 education that integrates \u2062faith and reason in all areas \u2063of study.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Catholic schools should actively\u200d engage with the broader \u200dscientific community to stay informed about the latest advancements\u2064 in \u2064the field of human embryology. This \u2063can \u200bbe done through partnerships \u2063with\u200b universities, \u2062research \u2063institutions, and \u200borganizations that specialize in this area of science. By \u200cbuilding \u200cthese connections, Catholic schools can \u200densure\u2063 that their science\u200c curricula remain up-to-date and grounded in the\u200b best available scientific\u2062 evidence.<\/p>\n<p>In\u2064 conclusion, \u200dwhile there are many reasons \u2062to\u200c celebrate Catholic education,\u200c there\u2064 is \u2063also a missing piece in science\u2063 classrooms when it comes to providing students with a comprehensive understanding of the science behind human development. By neglecting to \u200cinclude\u200c accurate and up-to-date \u200dscientific \u2064information on human embryology in their science curricula, Catholic schools are failing to\u2062 uphold their commitment to academic excellence\u200d and to\u200c provide students with the\u2063 knowledge\u2064 they need to fully appreciate the sanctity of human life. It is \u2062crucial \u200cthat steps are\u2063 taken to address this issue and to ensure that\u200d Catholic education remains a beacon \u2064of both faith and reason in the pursuit of truth\u2063 and knowledge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s National Catholic Schools Week, with the theme &#8220;United in Faith and Community.&#8221; This highlights the value of Catholic schools as educational community models for students, families, communities, the church, and our nation. Celebrating Catholic education in the US includes positive enrollment trends and superior academics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1486,"featured_media":2165786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/pexels-arthur-krijgsman-4019754-1-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2165785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/pexels-arthur-krijgsman-4019754-1-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2165785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1486"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2165785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2165785\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2165786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2165785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2165785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2165785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}