Comments on: Handing out Bibles at a high school: Why do we keep doing this in Georgia?

By: Magenta

Magenta — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:46:21 +0000

Tennessee is worse than Georgia. There are more rural communities; many areas are isolated due to mountains and lack of interstates. It is not near a major media center such as Atlanta. My son was in an urban public high school a few years back. His Spanish teacher taught the class by bringing in tapes of sermons given at her church. No, they were NOT in Spanish. There were frequent assemblies led by local pastors. The rationale given to me off the record was that most of the students were poor minorities who “need religion to keep them in line.” IMO, what they need is education, since there are full-time cops at that school with frequent gang incidents, tazing and lockdowns. Churches don’t teach math & science, so why should schools think it’s okay to teach religion? My son went to live up north after one year.

By: jim d

jim d — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:09:13 +0000

The solution, my friends, is a simple one.

Schools of CHOICE. Then each school could hand out and teach whatever they could and maintain a student base.

By: John K

John K — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:57:16 +0000

Seriously, what is wrong with Churches and parents not giving their children Bibles if they want the children to have them? Are we attempting to have some sort of Christian Nanny State?

If you want your child to have a Bible, then get one for them. Don’t wait for some group to pick up your slack.

I wonder what the reaction would be if it were a Koran or Book of Mormon?

By: Barry

Barry — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:58:46 +0000

Maureene,
When you write an article that bases your premise on certain historical facts, you should make sure your facts are accurate. The motto’s and slogans that you cited did not originate during the anti-communist era of the 50’s. Our national motto “In God We Trust” originated in the 1600’s with the Pilgrams. They engraved on the bulkhead of the Mayflower “God be with us, In God is our trust.” While it was in the 50’s that our national motto was imprinted on our paper money, but you conveniently left out the fact that it first appeared on our coinage in the mid 1800’s under the Lincoln administration. I also see that you have left out the numerous references to our country being a Christian nation by the majority of our founding fathers, but those facts would not have supported your liberal bias.

By: Georgia Teacher

Georgia Teacher — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:54:01 +0000

Folks,

As a Christian who has significant problems with organized religion, not my faith, but the churches that pretend to be the authority on faith, I have some advice: if you want to attract followers, be more passive.

Instead of handing out books, set up a booth allowing people to come to you.

Instead of preaching to people, instead lead, quietly, by example.

Instead of condemning those who do not follow your faith to Hell, just be a good friend and allow them to make up their own minds.

When someone asks, enlighten them of your views, but do not press them.

In short, be a good person, be a good friend. Let your actions speak for you and your quiet, boundless faith will draw others.

If you do that, there is no need to distribute Bibles or any other religious text in school… the students who desire your faith will come to you.

By: live.love.eat.

live.love.eat. — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:43:57 +0000

Go ahead people and hand out bibles. Just don’t be offended when I start handing out other religion’s holy texts to your children.

By: j

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:22:32 +0000

According to “Religion In the Public Schools: A Joint Statement Of Current Laws” signed by Muslims, Jewish groups, many Christian denominations and more (including the ACLU) statement number 1 is “Students have the right to pray individually or in groups or to discuss their religious views with their peers so long as they are not disruptive.” There’s more, but I’ll let you Google it. So, yes, there is still prayer in schools. Just not school-mandated prayer.

Statement 9: Students have the right to distribute religious literature to their schoolmates, subject to those reasonable time, place, and manner or other constitutionally-acceptable restrictions…”

Statement 10: “Outsiders may not be given access to the classroom to distribute religious or anti-religious literature. No court has yet considered whether, if all other community groups are permitted to distribute literature in common areas of public schools, religious groups must be allowed to do so on equal terms subject to reasonable time, place and manner restrictions.”

Check it out. All sides will have something to learn by reading this. The separation between church and state is to protect religious belief from state intrusion and vice-versa, something all reasonable people of all points of view should want to respect and encourage.

Thanks for the post!

By: E

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:39:52 +0000

I am not surprised these people find some need to target children instead of handing out material to their parents. When you pass them by, they often drop a bible in your pack, if it’s open, even after you say no. It’s a captive audience, and the targeting practice is unethical, unprofessional, and certainly treads on the establishment of religions. Our schools regularly denied other groups equivalent access. I don’t see how anyone can view this as neutral – it would require a willing blindness because the particular religion appeals to them.

By: John K

John K — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:19:59 +0000

Persecuting the Christians for what they believe in? You surely must be joking. Why are there some Christians who seem to believe their faith trumps everything? So now since they are not to pass out their Bibles on school property, they are being persecuted? That is the most pansy definition of persecution I’ve ever heard.

By: V for Vendetta

V for Vendetta — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:17:54 +0000

Actually, Norm, like all religions, it harms quite a few people–directly and indirectly.