Indiana public school punishes 7-year-old with ‘banishment’ for not believing in God

originally posted by: icewater
a reply to: olaru12

there is more to this story. This may have been alleged but you can bet there is another side to this story. He was punished for name calling or something else that kids do on a playground.

So before all of you self-righteous posters out there flame out on the teacher I would advise you to take the high road and give the adult some credit until you know the facts.

You are correct that I should have qualified my statement by adding "if the allegations made, stand up to scrutiny", she should be terminated. I stand corrected, and usually DO qualify my statements, knowing that news sources aren't always forthcoming with the facts. I didn't do it this time though, and accept that i have been called on it.

originally posted by: Metallicus
The kid got what he deserved. Spreading his atheist beliefs at school is just as wrong as if a Muslim was spreading his beliefs at school. I don't understand why atheists proselytizing is acceptable any more than any other religious nut.

I think it's covered under the 1st amendment. Free speech ring a bell?

constitution.laws.com...

a reply to: olaru12

Yeah because no teacher has ever excluded a kid for telling another kid that he DID believe in God...

(insert Sarcasm)....

JAden

originally posted by: olaru12

originally posted by: Metallicus
The kid got what he deserved. Spreading his atheist beliefs at school is just as wrong as if a Muslim was spreading his beliefs at school. I don't understand why atheists proselytizing is acceptable any more than any other religious nut.

I think it's covered under the 1st amendment. Free speech ring a bell?

constitution.laws.com...

Yeah right, free speech in schools?


dailycaller.com...

www.dailymail.co.uk...

www.eagleforum.org...

YUK.

Evil woman.

originally posted by: olaru12

originally posted by: Metallicus
The kid got what he deserved. Spreading his atheist beliefs at school is just as wrong as if a Muslim was spreading his beliefs at school. I don't understand why atheists proselytizing is acceptable any more than any other religious nut.

I think it's covered under the 1st amendment. Free speech ring a bell?

constitution.laws.com...

Sounds great to me. I hope you don't mind when religious folks proselytize in public schools. Sounds like you are a supporter.

originally posted by: Metallicus

originally posted by: olaru12

originally posted by: Metallicus
The kid got what he deserved. Spreading his atheist beliefs at school is just as wrong as if a Muslim was spreading his beliefs at school. I don't understand why atheists proselytizing is acceptable any more than any other religious nut.

I think it's covered under the 1st amendment. Free speech ring a bell?

constitution.laws.com...

Sounds great to me. I hope you don't mind when religious folks proselytize in public schools. Sounds like you are a supporter.

I'll leave it up to the teacher, administration and parents as to what gets discussed in the classroom. Outside of the classroom; it's up for grabs what gets discussed by the students. As I recall in jr. high our discussions got pretty salty when discussing the opposite sex, even though none of us knew what we were talking about. It may be different now....

a reply to: Metallicus

It sounds like you're drawing conclusions based on a narrative in your head as opposed to the source material. In the course of a conversation, it came up that the boy and his parents did not attend a church and that he didn't believe in God. A little girl had her feelings hurt and cried. They were 7 years old and since this probably happened the latter half of the recent school year we are talking about children in 1st grade so please show me where any proselytizing took place there because it's not the reported narrative. Unless you have first hand knowledge of the actual case in question that could shed further light? Otherwise this and your previous comments, sound like manifestation of a Christian Persecution Complex in the form of childish snark. Was there nobody your own size so you decided that pick on a 7 year old?

a reply to: olaru12

Poor little guy.

It makes me so sad to imagine him sitting all by himself just because he doesn't follow the flock of society.

I hope he will grow up a become an amazing human being because of this life lesson.

Grown ups kind of suck sometimes....myself included.

originally posted by: TinfoilTP
Haha,

Junior budding Atheist gets a time out for forcing his beliefs onto others while belittling other tiny tots for their beliefs to the point of making them cry.

Poor baby got a time out, now the parents step in to teach him a lesson on self entitlement, suing for his first dollar on his way to becoming a life long sponge of other peoples money.

Welfare and Socialism, here he comes, for you to welcome him with open arms.

So ridiculous. Do you just sit around and wait for an opportunity to pounce on a post so that you can let everyone know for the 10,000 time how you feel about welfare, socialism, and anything else you consider "liberal"?

The level of misery that flows through some folks posts on here is just sad man. I'd give you a hug if I could amigo.

originally posted by: Masterjaden
a reply to: olaru12

Yeah because no teacher has ever excluded a kid for telling another kid that he DID believe in God...

(insert Sarcasm)....

JAden

Thanks for putting that (insert sarcasm) because i don't think I'm the only one here that would've thought you were dead serious. I appreciate clear instruction as to where I should insert things.

On a side note... Not saying you are wrong, but can you provide any proof of what you're insinuating? What you were insinuating after a person inserted the sarcasm as instructed that is?

(No insertion of sarcasm required after or before this point)

She sounds like the worst kind of teacher. She has her pet students. During the 90's we traveled with construction and with 3 kids, I had experience with a lot of schools. The first obstacle my kids had to endure (at grammar school level) at every school was the teacher's pet.

originally posted by: Bone75
Says the guy with one side of the story who just seized the opportunity to ridicule Christian beliefs? Gee I wonder what would give me that idea.

When did I ridicule Christian beliefs? If you're referring to my light-hearted joke about rising again and wandering in the desert, you need to get over yourself.

originally posted by: Bone75

originally posted by: SlapMonkey
a reply to: Bone75

Wow, unwarranted and biased conjecture, much?

Says the guy with one side of the story who just seized the opportunity to ridicule Christian beliefs? Gee I wonder what would give me that idea.

No one ridiculed Christian beliefs, but you're making it pretty easy to ridicule by defending a teacher for banishing a child for not sharing your religious beliefs.

a reply to: MagesticEsoteric

It makes me so sad to imagine him sitting all by himself just because he doesn't follow the flock of society.

It makes me sad that he will grow up without God in his life.

a reply to: Metallicus

He is just a kid and still under God's grace. You don't know what he will choose when he reaches the age of accountability.

originally posted by: Bone75

11. The classmate said that A.B. had hurt her feelings by saying that he did not believe in
God and started to cry.

Yeah right. I wonder what he REALLY said. If it was anything like some of the horrible comments I've read here then I could understand why the girl would start crying.

The teacher probably did the right thing.

You've got to be kidding me.

Have you met a second grader before? They cry at the drop of a hat with little encouragement and are offended if you don't like the same colour as them. I remember getting in trouble in the second grade for telling a fellow student that she was funny and she ran to the teacher acting like I said something truly horrific.

Yeah, kids. They've been turned into quite the little political footballs, haven't they? But of course the people who most need that pointed out to them will never see it, because if you do, then you must hate children!!.

Common sense has flown out the window. Teachers are doing things they know are counter intuitive for fear of the backlash. Unfortunately it's totally unpredictable what reactions will be or what politically correct hooey of the moment will be interjected.

Susie was made to cry. Bobby must be punished for hurting her feelings. But wait, we must uncover the motives of these pre-adolescents and see what caused the behavior. Bobby maybe shouldn't be punished because Susie wasn't politically justified in having her feelings hurt.

This is the kind of crap teachers are having to consider. And they're being pushed to consider. And the wrong choice results in public shaming, and maybe worse.

These kids may have been going back and forth for days. We have no idea. Maybe Bobby has a history of provoking classmates to tears. You know how kids (and some adults) are when they Just. Won't. Drop. It.

The teacher could've been making a last-ditch effort (within the confines of Modern Educational Theory) trying to get Bobby to knock it off.

You ever been in the back seat of a car with a sibling and they start that "I'm not touching you" thing where they'll hold their hand about a quarter inch from your face? Kids are master manipulators and some really are motivated from any reaction, positive or negative.

Barring a lot more info, the person I have the most sympathy for in this situation is the teacher. It was a no-win. Either she ignores Susie's hurt feelings, or punishes Bobby for his 'beliefs'.

Next level BS.

originally posted by: ketsuko

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: olaru12

This teacher needs to be fired immediately. Punishing a child for having different religious beliefs than you (or even most of the class) is literally a textbook 1st Amendment violation. ESPECIALLY in a public school. Luckily it doesn't seem like this is one of those insane school districts that is going to side with the teacher no matter WHAT the circumstances are:

In a statement, the school district suggested that the teacher had been wrong to single out the child.

“It is clear that it is not the province of a public school to advance or inhibit religious beliefs or practices. Under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution, this remains the inviolate province of the individual and the church of his/her choice,” the district declared. “The rights of any minority, no matter how small, must be protected.”

Would you feel the same if the child were passing out slips of paper with Bible verses? After all, some sects feel they must proselytize as part of their beliefs.

Yes fire anyone who speaks about religion is school!!!!
Unless it is a religious school, I do not see any proper place for it.

originally posted by: Metallicus
a reply to: MagesticEsoteric

It makes me so sad to imagine him sitting all by himself just because he doesn't follow the flock of society.

It makes me sad that he will grow up without God in his life.

Plenty of people do that in this world and get by fine. Let him be and worry about yourself.