CA Teacher Forces Student to Stop Talking About Bible

Hello ladies and gentlemen and everyone else,

www.truthrevolt.org...

Okay I'll attempt to be neutral while presenting this story....

On December 19, a school teacher in Temecula, California told her first grade student, Brynn Williams, that she could not present her family's Christmas tradition of a star of Bethlehem at her school, according to local reports.

Brynn's class was assigned to do a 1-minute presentation about an object that best represents their family's Christmas tradition. When Brynn stood up to give her presentation, she began reciting a Bible verse just before the teacher interrupted and told her to ”go take your seat". She was the only student not allowed to finish her presentation.

I'm not sure why she was not allowed to continue or the details other than what is contained in the article.

"The disapproval and hostility that Christian students have come to experience in our nation's public schools has become epidemic,” said Robert Tyler, general counsel for Advocates for Faith & Freedom, "I hope that (the school district ) will take the lead role in adopting a model policy to prohibit this abuse that has become all too common place for religious-minded students."

This is how the school district responded....

The Temecula Valley Unified School District respects all students' rights under the Constitution and takes very seriously any allegation of discrimination. Due to the fact that District officials are currently investigating the allegations, it would be inappropriate to provide further comment at this time.

My personal opinion is people should leave their religious beliefs at home. School is a place to learn but not to preach.

reply to post by justreleased


They were asked to do a 1-minute presentation on their familys "Christmas" traditions and then when a student brings something to do with Christ's birth.....somehow you see this as preaching?....and not in line with the project of presenting 1 minute of their family tradition? I don't get it. The schools can't promote any specific religion but all students have the first amendment and can speak about any religion they wish.....

not sure where you are trying to go with this one.....I understand that you said you were trying to stay neutral but then at the end .... well.....you didn't

reply to post by justreleased


I think the little girl and her family should be forced into camps and gassed.

How dare she spread her filth!

Tell you what!

Lets make these little "Christians" wear arm bands with little crosses on them so we know who to avoid.


______________________________________________________________________

Really? A 6 year old girl can't talk about her Christmas?

(shakes head and thanks God that beez jr is home-schooled!)

justreleased


My personal opinion is people should leave their religious beliefs at home. School is a place to learn but not to preach.

As far as I can remember, school is actually learning whatever the government decides. Isn't that preaching in a sense?

reply to post by UxoriousMagnus


You're right.

I attempted to remain neutral but I feel religion should stay out of the public school system period.

I'm an atheist or an agnostic at best.

It's my opinion. It doesn't mean I'm right but.....

Even though Christmas is and should be celebrated by all people regardless of beliefs. Chrsitmas is a religous holiday. It was founded on religious principles. So if anybvody needs to "take a seat" its the teacher for asking the children to step in to it, with that assignment. How would you not have someone say that there christmas tradition has to do with something religious. IT's CHRISTMAS!

reply to post by American-philosopher


I got what you're saying and I'm a bit confused as to why the child was interrupted during the presentation.

The whole thing seems a bit odd.

Brynn's class was assigned to do a 1-minute presentation about an object
that best represents their family's Christmas tradition.

Although I believe that schools are for learning, debating, and forming individual ideas,
and different perspectives should be encouraged not suppressed;
The teacher was wrong in assuming that everyone in the class had a family christmas
tradition in the first place. Although the child should have had the opportunity to
share her perspective, others including those that do not do christmas
should have had the opportunity to
share THEIR perspectives.
The planet is not isolated bubble, LEARNING requires taking a look at every
perspective and taking off the blinders to be able to
appreciate the planet as it is in reality.
If you are strong in your conviction, what others believe shouldn't
be a problem or matter.

Everyone is entitled to their own independent political position, isn't this
what makes a country great/free ?

________________________________

reply to post by justreleased


Were you able to dig up anything new on this? It simply makes zero sense as it was presented in the OP article. Not that the world makes any real sense these days, or ever. The only thing I can think of is the teacher was expecting all hallmark christmas type presentations, and when one based on a more religious rather than greedy angle came it it threw the teacher for a loop?

I don't know, really doesn't make sense as is. I am feeling maybe this is a heavily skewed reporting on what happened.

Ok so whoever has debated with me before along the lines of religion is aware that I am an agnostic (or at least think I'm an atheist), but even I have a problem with what happened in the OP. This is different than a school pushing a religious belief onto the students. This is a student sharing THEIR belief when asked to do so and then telling them they aren't allowed to do so. THAT is discrimination and it is wrong. I am very opinionated when it comes to Christianity, but I will maintain that you have the right to believe it and not to discriminate against it.

reply to post by American-philosopher


Well it's actually a pagan holiday that the early Christians couldn't get their forced converts to stop celebrating, so they just slapped a bunch of Christian things onto it and called it a day. But I guess you could still call it a religious holiday, just a pagan one.

It was a project about Christmas and traditions. Was the teacher expecting "we open out presents" "we bake santa cookies"....answers? I would easily have anticipated a bible verse or at minimum something about Jesus' birth.

For the OP - how do you keep religion out of schools exactly. I aak this hecause it is a part of peoples identities - interwoven into self for many. Shut down schools on all holidays for all belief systems and therefore keep it sanitary of that part of self? Or...teach about how it is a part diversity - face it head on - teach the facts along with respect for diversity.

I just think the teacher 404ed her before things got out of hand. I wonder was this an assignment the kids knew about and received help from their parents?

I find it telling that the quoted article does not specify which verse the child uttered. Perhaps it was one of the many hateful or obscene ones.

perhaps the children were advised that any religious themed presentations would not be accepted.
at any rate, this is a very interesting story. if a muslim child wanted to read a line from the koran, and present a muslim themed holiday tradition, would that have been given the same treatment? or if a jewish child read something from the torah, or even the story re: menorah, would that have been acceptable?
the teacher should have known that many families, christian and non-christian, celebrate christmas. the word itself does have "christ" in it. therefore, it would be fairly obvious that some family traditions may include a religious theme.
the teacher did not foresee this happening, and therein likes her mistake. the teacher did a quick legal assessment in her head. if the child does start reading a line from the bible, she assumed that at least one of the students' parents would find it offensive and raise a legal stink. the teacher made a decision, and went with it. the teacher should have thought about the assignment more carefully. her mistake was not in thinking this assignment through. no doubt, there will be consequences.

reply to post by DJW001


Yeah possible. "Hi class, this is my star of bethleham, because in the bible it states the star appeared as a sign of the lord's birth. The bible also states homos are an obamanation! Hell fire and brimstone!"

Christians really do like to play the martyr, dont they?

I wonder, if a student had gotten up in front of the class and started speaking of pagan solstice tradition (you know, the ones that the christians STOLE), would anybody have a problem if they were asked to sit?

This was a dumb assignment by the teacher, any idiot could see the issues it would raise. But he was not wrong in asking that religious material not be recited in public school.

reply to post by justreleased


To me it seems more like the recitation of Bible verses is what caused this incident.

A presentation on Christmas traditions should not be a round of repeated Bible verses, but a description of an activity that the student, or his/her family participate in. She should have been describing what her family does with the "star of Bethlehem". Does the icon adorn the top of a Christmas tree? Is there a ritual that the family follows when placing it, a specific person who does? Do they reveal the star on a particular day of the month?

All of those would have been perfect questions to tackle during a presentation about a Christmas tradition. Instead, the student chose to proselytize and preach. The invitation to share a family tradition was turned into an attempt to convert her fellow students.

As for the project itself, I think it was a poor choice for a public school presentation. What was an agnostic, atheist, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, or student of any other faith / non-faith supposed to do during this presentation? Not everyone believes in the Christ mythology, or any mythology for that matter.

~ Wandering Scribe

I'm all for keeping religion out of schools. That said if you are doing a project based on Christmas than Christian views of such should definitely be allowed and as such the teachers reaction was inappropriate. I'm sure this will be solved by simply doing away with a Christmas themed project next year which is ok with me as well. People make bad judgments every day, especially with such hot button topics such as mixing religion and public schools. It's really much ado about nothing.

I'm a bit confused as to why the child was interrupted during the presentation.

Because they started telling religious verses? I think it's right for schools to not have students preaching in school. Imagine if a muslim kid started quoting the Koran?