[net.religion] "secular humanism" courses banned

smb@ulysses.UUCP (Steven Bellovin) (01/15/85)

A little-noticed clause in a federal aid to education bill bans spending
desgregation grants to teach "secular humanism".  The clause was inserted
by Orrin Hatch; at his request, the term was left undefined in the rules
implementing the bill.  He prefers to let the local school board decide;
given the broad meanings attributed to that phrase, such an omission is
rather worrisome.  (Sidenote:  my favorite meaning is that "the humanities"
is equivalent to "secular humanism"; I saw that one in the papers when the
National Endownment for the Humanities was being proposed.)  By way of
contrast, the regulations do define such terms as "implementation date"
and "minority group".

Oh yes -- there is a reason why this is the subject of a bill on desegratation
grants.  The particular grants addressed by this bill are for use in setting
up "magnet schools", schools with enhanced curricula.