Sunday, December 01, 2013
Humanists Sue Teacher Who Prayed for Injured Student
The latest allegations from the American Humanist Association are shocking, titillating, and (cue the 1950s soap opera organist) downright scandalous.
In a complaint filed by the organization on November 20 a Missouri public school teacher has been accused of praying for an injured student, organizing a project to feed hungry children and (brace yourself) -- cavorting with a Methodist.
“Teachers simply cannot participate in prayers with students at school, nor can they promote their religious beliefs in any other way to their students,” the AHA said in a statement.
The humanists filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of two students accusing Gwen Pope and the Fayette R-III School District of violating the Constitution by allowing a Christian club to meet before the start of the school day. The school's former principal is also named in the lawsuit.
Mrs. Pope, who is no longer teaching at the school, was the sponsor of the Fellowship of Christian Students at Fayette High School. Since 2010, students have voluntarily gathered before the start of the school day to pray and read the Bible in her classroom.
The American Humanist Association said the two unnamed complainants had been subjected to “unwelcome encounters with the classroom prayer sessions.”
It seems her classroom is near the entrance door of the school and apparently non-believing students could see their classmates engaged in religious activities.
They alleged that Mrs. Pope and the students were seen reading Bible verses and (again, brace yourself) praying for the ill.
“When a student was sick or injured, Pope frequently asked the students in attendance to pray for the afflicted student and joined the attending students in prayer by bowing her head, closing her eyes and saying amen,” the lawsuit alleged.
Can you believe a public school would tolerate such diabolical behavior?
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8 comments:
What is sorry is a group of supernaturalists thinking that a supposedly omnipotent, omniscient deity would change every time-line consequence to answer this group's parochial prayers. Even small changes can have hugely far-reaching effects over time. The only justification might be that the deity in knowing in advance the prayers, it would or would not have acted accordingly in advance, but then it becomes like the plots of time-travel in science-fiction, as to whether the prayers were then necessary in the first place. But then it is more obvious that the praying just serves some emotionally therapeutic purpose.
Anon 3:05, your sarcasm drenched ridicule of prayer says nothing to the issue of the teacher being sued for caring about a student. I suppose insulting others makes you feel superior. Your scenario about God affecting some "time line" is itself science fiction. That presupposes that the future is already written. The Bible teaches that we have free will to make our own choices and God allows us to make mistakes. So our choices about whether to pray or not have consequences like every other action.
This is stupid.
The issue for me is = was the club and activity promoted by the school or merely permitted?
If promoted then perhaps they ought to scale back.
If merely permitted then they are no different to any other club.
So, what's the biggie?
5:02 Your aggressive response was ill-considered. My comment was not sarcastic or trying to be superior. If God is omniscient then it follows that at least for the Deity the Future is indeed "already written". Perhaps humans can make their limited choices and make mistakes, but what is the point of praying for God to do something God might not have planned to do? But please restrict any reply to polite language (I appreciate how emotional religious types can get!)
As for "the issue of the teacher", I thought it was all all too obvious that teachers must comply with the Law and the regulations of the institutions that employ them, and if they do so, then they should be protected by the Law and/or the institution.
5.02 AM you claim "we have free will" - so do we choose to be born? - do we choose our genetic predispostion to certain diseases? - do we choose our instincts and temperament? - do we choose the quality of our parents or the environment that we are raised in that might have helped us to better overcome any disadvantages ?
Yes, some will say it's all a test, but a very unfair test, unless you believe in re-incarnation to try out every possible lifestyle.
Anon 3:05 - I see much more emotional aggressiveness and an attitude of condescending superiority in both of your posts than I do in the reply from Anon 5:02.
"So, what's the biggie?"
It is the right wing that made a big deal of this. They take a minor event and blow it so out of proportion that you have rabid dittoheads with pitchforks and torches ready to storm the school. If you want to pray, go to Church. If you want to be rational, go to school.
3:47 AM Forget any "emotional" content in the comments you refer to, and forget tryng to make some "dramatic" statement for effect, and just try to consider the various points actually being made here: or are you one of those brainwashed types that are totally impervious to arguments that don't immediately seem to suit your prior beliefs??
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