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Phillip McCleod

(1,837 posts)
Fri Apr 26, 2013, 11:27 AM Apr 2013

Mississippi high school forces students to attend Christian lectures: lawsuit

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/25/mississippi-high-school-forced-students-to-attend-christian-lecture/

A high school in central Mississippi allegedly forced students to watch a Christian video and listen to church officials preach about Jesus Christ.

The American Humanist Association’s legal center filed a lawsuit against Northwest Rankin High School in Flowood on Wednesday, accusing the school of violating the student’s First Amendment rights.

The school has held at least three mandatory assemblies about finding hope in Jesus Christ this month, according to the lawsuit. The assemblies showed a video laced with Christian messages about overcoming personal hardships through Jesus Christ and were allegedly led by local church officials.

“See, before Jesus came, innocent blood had to be shed for our sins,” one of the church officials allegedly told the students. “There had to be an animal that was sacrificed toatone for our sin. There had to be innocent blood. So Jesus came and he was the innocent blood because he lived a perfect life. He was that innocent blood. See the last few years of Jesus’ life he traveled from region to region and country to country and he had 12 disciples that followed him everywhere. And he talked about the hope he was bringing.”

The assemblies concluded with a prayer and teachers blocked the exits to prevent students from leaving, the lawsuit claimed. A disillusioned student videotaped one of the assemblies.
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Mississippi high school forces students to attend Christian lectures: lawsuit (Original Post) Phillip McCleod Apr 2013 OP
Why was it we wanted to prevent MS from seceding? dballance Apr 2013 #1
hmmm..i`m betting on anti-Semitism in good ole Mississippi.... madrchsod Apr 2013 #2
This shouldn't take long. Leontius Apr 2013 #3
I wish they would stop edhopper Apr 2013 #4
"Convert or die!" silverweb Apr 2013 #5
Why is it that school boards okasha Apr 2013 #6
i've pondered on this same question more than once. Phillip McCleod Apr 2013 #7
Got it in one MountainLaurel Apr 2013 #9
yeh .. i had to attend a couple for a local newspaper.. Phillip McCleod Apr 2013 #10
Why do you mock people skepticscott Apr 2013 #11
Northwest Rankin High sued for 'religious' assembly struggle4progress Apr 2013 #8
 

dballance

(5,756 posts)
1. Why was it we wanted to prevent MS from seceding?
Fri Apr 26, 2013, 11:31 AM
Apr 2013

They're the most unhealthily, overweight state. They consistently rank at the bottom of education. They get more in tax dollars than they pay yet are fervent tea-baggers.

Why do we keep telling them to stay?

madrchsod

(58,162 posts)
2. hmmm..i`m betting on anti-Semitism in good ole Mississippi....
Fri Apr 26, 2013, 01:43 PM
Apr 2013

you know them christ killers have all those weird rituals...

silverweb

(16,402 posts)
5. "Convert or die!"
Fri Apr 26, 2013, 03:56 PM
Apr 2013

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Figuratively speaking, of course.

Can we say "illegal," "coercion," and "unconstitutional"?

okasha

(11,573 posts)
6. Why is it that school boards
Fri Apr 26, 2013, 05:59 PM
Apr 2013

are almost invariably made up of the dozen most stupid individuals in a given community?

Time for this one to put its collective head between its legs and kiss its ass goodbye.

 

Phillip McCleod

(1,837 posts)
7. i've pondered on this same question more than once.
Fri Apr 26, 2013, 06:12 PM
Apr 2013

the only thing i can think of is that school boards attract the wrong (read: 'rightwing') sort..

..michelle bachmann springs frighteningly to mind.

kinda like cops, really. the line of work attracts the worst sort.

MountainLaurel

(10,271 posts)
9. Got it in one
Fri Apr 26, 2013, 07:11 PM
Apr 2013

Read through the history of the Moral Majority and you'll find that school boards were one of their early targets, because of the influence they carry and because they were comparatively low-hanging fruit in the post-Nixon years.

 

Phillip McCleod

(1,837 posts)
10. yeh .. i had to attend a couple for a local newspaper..
Fri Apr 26, 2013, 07:24 PM
Apr 2013

.. definitely takes a certain sort. i've also thought a lot about how awful cops are and wouldn't it be great if we infiltrated them, but who's volunteering for *that* job?!? it's not even the work that puts me off, it's the coworkers.

*sigh* .. there's the problem, no? peaceful people don't like to fight, but it takes fighters to win elections.

 

skepticscott

(13,029 posts)
11. Why do you mock people
Fri Apr 26, 2013, 10:10 PM
Apr 2013

for their deeply and sincerely held religious beliefs? All of your favorite people here constantly preach against such bigotry.

struggle4progress

(118,041 posts)
8. Northwest Rankin High sued for 'religious' assembly
Fri Apr 26, 2013, 07:09 PM
Apr 2013

... The American Humanist Association's legal center filed the federal lawsuit Wednesday. The Appignani Humanist Legal Center learned from Northwest Rankin High School students that a mandatory assembly was held during school hours on April 9 where a representative of the Pinelake Baptist Church spoke of finding "hope" in "Jesus Christ," according to a press release from the American Humanist Association.

The group claims that students stated anyone who attempted to leave the April 9 assembly were prevented from doing so. The press release adds that at the end of the presentation, the speakers led the students in a Christian prayer ...

Although the Rankin County School District had not received a notice of the lawsuit Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson issued a written statement stating:

"Our students have the freedom to organize student-led and planned meetings and the assembly in question was student led and organized. The meetings were not mandatory" ...

http://www.wdam.com/story/22080524/northwest-rankin-high-sued-for-religious-assembly

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