The Louisiana Public School Cramming Christianity Down Students’ Throats

[cbayer]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/26/the-louisiana-public-school-cramming-christianity-down-students-throats.html

Andrew Cohen
U.S. NEWS 01.26.14

A Buddhist family sued Sabine Parish School Board for violating their right to religious freedom. The lawsuit contains a shocking list of religious indoctrination.

Congratulations, you are the parent of a public school student! And welcome to Sabine Parish, Louisiana. We are so happy to have your child learning with us and we are so grateful that your tax dollars have permitted us to establish the educational programs and academic atmosphere we’ve developed over the years here. Let us provide you with a brief guide about what your child’s life will be like while he or she is at school with us each day.*

Let’s start with what your child will see when she enters or departs our school. “Paintings of Jesus Christ, Bible verses, and Christian devotional phrases adorn the walls of many classrooms and hallways, including the main hallway leading out to the bus pick-up area. A lighted, electronic marquee placed just outside the building scrolls Bible verses every day.

“In the main foyer of the school, one display informs students that “ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.” It includes several posters urging students to “Pray,” “Worship,” and “Believe,” while a poster displayed near the waiting area of the main office announces that “t’s okay to pray.”

more at link

[skepticscott]

1. These people are following their deeply held beliefs

And you can't prove they're wrong, so what right do you have to call their activities into question?

[Nika]

4. People have a right to go to public school and not be indoctrinated by privately held religious ...

... beliefs. People have a right to pray, but cannot use public schools to prey on those who do not belong to their faiths.

This should be taken to court to remedy this grievous violation of the Constitutional rights of those who are not Christian.

[skepticscott]

15. You're totally correct

But what you're not aware of is that some in this room believe that it's terrible wrong to hold people up for criticism or ridicule for following their deeply held beliefs.

At least, it's wrong when other people do it...then it gets labeled "bigotry" and "intolerance". When they do it, it's perfectly fine and totally justified.

[rurallib]

2. makes one wonder what these clowns think when the

constitution is read to them? "Nothing in there that applies to me." I suppose.

[cbayer]

3. This is the worst case I have ever read about.

I know they are in a very rural area, but is no one providing oversight?

Do they not have any lawyers on staff at the state or parish level?

[skepticscott]

7. Of course there's oversight

the same rigorous oversight that the government exercises to make sure that absolutely none of the activities funded by the Office of Faith-Based (sic) Initiatives involve proselytizing or religious activity. You do have full confidence in that, right?

[Rob H.]

5. The father's statement about this is pretty powerful

It also looks as if it isn't confined to just that school.

The whole thing is here.

If You Want To Fit In At This Public School Just Become Christian
by Scott Lane

*snip*

We assumed that the Superintendent was not aware of all the unlawful activities at Negreet and would want to know about them so she could rectify the situation, but we could not have been more wrong. She was dismissive and told us that we live in the "Bible Belt" and that this is just how things are. She added that, because she was not offended by the fact that "the lady who cuts (her) toenails has a statue of Buddha," we should not be upset by the blatant proselytizing at Negreet or the bullying and harassment of our son and the degradation of his Buddhist faith.

*snip*

The only recourse offered by the Superintendent was to transfer our son to another school in the school district where, she claimed, there were "more Asians." Hoping to stop the bullying, we agreed to do so, but it turns out that these unconstitutional practices go beyond just Negreet. Even at the new school, school officials regularly promote Christianity, and we are fearful that our son will eventually be targeted again because of his Buddhist beliefs.

We don't begrudge others their right to their Christian faith. But that's why the separation of church and state is so important: It gives us all the breathing room and freedom to believe what we want to believe and to practice those beliefs without undue influence or interference by the government. Forcing your beliefs on another is not freedom; it is oppression.

And when official religious practices are this rampant and pervasive, like they are in Sabine Parish public schools, it is tantamount to religious discrimination. It excludes children and families of minority faiths and beliefs and creates a hostile environment for them. It undermines everyone's religious freedom. I see that now.

[cbayer]

6. More asians? That's her remedy?

This is beyond outrageous.

[Rob H.]

9. I know, right?

Could the administrators could be more dismissive and tone-deaf?

[skepticscott]

8. Good grief, of course it isn't just confined to this school

This happens on some level or another all over the Bible Belt, where whacked-out, entitled fundies are a majority, and have no qualms about trampling the rights of anyone who doesn't believe as they do. And damn those "strident" atheists for speaking out and not just shutting the fuck up and making nice.

[Rob H.]

12. I meant in that district, but you're absolutely right

It isn't new, either--we had not one, but three Christian prayers at my Bible Belt public high school graduation ceremony 25+ years ago. As a lifelong atheist it made me extremely uncomfortable, especially since the prayers weren't listed in the graduation program so no one had the choice of opting out in advance.

Edited again to add that I'm still in the Bible Belt (Memphis, TN) and I see fundagelicals pulling this kind of thing pretty often. There was a change to the city's anti-discrimination policy proposed recently that would've added the words "sexual orientation" and the right-wing religious wackaloons couldn't start grandstanding on the steps of city hall fast enough. I'm sure there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth on their part when it passed, anyway. Sucked to be them that day.

[Htom Sirveaux]

10. Kudos to that family for fighting back.

That's very brave of them in light of what their neighbors' response might well be.

[cbayer]

11. Very brave indeed.

I would imagine that others have raised concerns about this in the past and been "warned" to just leave it alone.

The communities in this part of Louisiana are very insular. They don't like outsiders or outside influences and often operate in something of a vacuum.

[Htom Sirveaux]

13. Makes me wonder what else

is going on there that they don't want the rest of us to know about. And of course, I'll bet that money from the outside somehow isn't tainted at all...

[cbayer]

14. It's Louisiana.

They really do function under a different set of rules at times.