Topic of the day

[reason]

Originally posted by Sluggo:
You know? Sometimes I feel that I am talking to people from another country. Never mind. I AM NOT ADVOCATING TEACHING RELIGION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS!!!! Just forget I expressed an OPINION. Get it???? AN OPINION. That all I was trying to do.

And, yes, I know I mistyped "am" in my message. Excuse me for my mistake! AMEN!

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">With all due respect, I am unclear about which rule you are against in this situation and why.

[Piña]

Bullshit, greg!!!!Why is it OK for the public schools to hand out information about abortion and all kinds of stuff pertaining to sex but it isn't OK for a student to hand out "Personnally addressed" information about Jesus?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Sorry Sluggo, but it's very hard to see the above as anything but a suggestion that if schools are going to teach sex education that they also allow religious promotions.

I'd really like to hear why you feel this way so please don't pull a greg and run off just because people take exception to your opinion.

[cincygreg]

The Bullshit is that this kids parents probably encouraged him to distribute religious material in a public school where they know it doesnt belong.
The fact is that you cannot just go into a school and hand out this stuff, and I'm pretty sure that they would handle a student handing out abortion pamphlets without getting clearance first (which they would not give) the same way.
But your beliefs aside. It's wrong to encourage students to bring religion into a public school.
It doesnt belong there.
No offense Sluggo, but it's the truth.

This kids gonna get a ton of crud in school about this when he returns from his suspension.

<font color="#a52a2a" size="1">[ December 10, 2004 12:27 PM: Message edited by: cincygreg ]</font>

[Sluggo]

I wasn't talking about the students hand out info. I was talking about teachers & principals and other school afficials. I KNOW it is "wrong"! I am just wondering why handing out info on abortion and condoms and other sex related topics isn't "wrong" too,

And I still think it is BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!

edited to correct something & to add the BULLSHIT bit.

<font color="#a52a2a" size="1">[ December 10, 2004 12:43 PM: Message edited by: Sluggo ]</font>

[Piña]

Originally posted by Sluggo:
Bullshit, greg!!!!Why is it OK for the public schools to hand out information about abortion and all kinds of stuff pertaining to sex but it isn't OK for a student to hand out "Personnally addressed" information about Jesus? [img]mad.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/grrr.gif[/img]


Bullshit!! MHO

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Sluggo, it's because seperation of church and state is specifically spelled out in the Constitution. There is no provision for seperation of sex education and state. (Nor IMO should there be.)

Would you approve of students recruiting for the Taliban in homeroom. It is a religious organization after all and who are we to interfere with them spreading the word.

Besides which, how do you know he was punished because it was religious material? In the article it states: "School officials said the content of the letter isn't the real problem, Longnecker reported. They said Bast needed to get permission to pass out the letter."

When I was in school students were required to receive prior explicit permission to pass out any literature on school property. So this may just be because the student made the decision to say "screw the rules, god's on my side so I don't have to listen to no stinking rules." (or something to that effect) [img]smile.gif[/img]

[reason]

Sluggo, don't you see the irony in that the student lied and deceived in order to spread the Word of God? Not to mention he stole the school's time and labor to deal with the mess he created.

I wonder if he used school materials and letterhead.

<font color="#a52a2a" size="1">[ December 10, 2004 12:57 PM: Message edited by: reason ]</font>

[cincygreg]

Just forget it Lewman. Pina is an idiot an a waste of time. He's a manic depressive pompous ass who thinks he's better than everyone else.

Pina isnt worth the time or effort of anyone.

In fact, he is one of the most useless people on earth.

[Piña]

Originally posted by cincygreg:
Just forget it Lewman. Pina is an idiot an a waste of time. He's a manic depressive pompous ass who thinks he's better than everyone else.

Pina isnt worth the time or effort of anyone.

In fact, he is one of the most useless people on earth.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">As usual greggy contributes his own special blend of misinformation, lack of cognitive skills and just plain old bile.

Greggy

Get a clue. I don't think I'm better than everyone else. I just know I'm better than you.

[reason]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not necessarily saying the student was in the right here (a 5-day suspension by the school is absurd, but that's yet another topic for another day) but since you invoked the Constitution, I'm having trouble understanding where the student's actions are unconstitutional (or why the school's actions ARE constitutional)

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">If the school allows this student to do this again, do you think the school will allow a host of other religious and political affiliations to do exactly the same?

I think it's easy for you and others on this board to defend the actions of this student because he disseminated Christian materials. I doubt the defense would be as spirited if he had given out secular humanist material.

[Piña]

Originally posted by Lew:

But saving that for another day.....exactly how is the student a "government actor"? Because he has to be in order for you to shut him down under the establishment clause.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Lew

The student isn't the governmental entity. The school is. As a state sponsored institution it falls within the perview of the establishment clause and as such is prohibited from promoting any religion over any other. Since it is practically impossible for it to provide "equal time" for every religion on the planet it is for all intents and purposes forced to place restrictions on the conduct of those participating in its' day to day operations. Students, teachers, administrators, staff and even visitors to the school would be included in that group.

Now this does seem to have some leeway, especially as pertains to groups using the grounds and facilities after school hours, but passing out literature of a religious nature in class during normal school hours would constitute an implicit promotion of that literature and as such is prohibited by the Constitution as it is currently interpreted.