COPE (Citizens for Objective Public Education) was incorporated in 2012with a specific mission to promote objectivity in public school curricula regarding religious content, so the teaching is religiously neutral. Religion, defined as beliefs about ultimate causes and the meaning of life, includes both theistic and atheistic beliefs. According to U.S courts, religious content must either be omitted or presented in a religiously neutral manner. COPE is particularly concerned when public schools present ideas that clearly favor an atheistic religious viewpoint while excluding a theistic religious view.
In 2013 the Kanas State Board of Education adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). COPE then examined the proposed learning objectives and found they did not present Darwinian evolution in a religiously neutral manner. Continue reading An Atheistic Religious Viewpoint vs a Theistic Religious Viewpoint