What would you do in these different circumstances?

Question

Imagine that you have a child in a public school
AND...


1) A Catholic teacher tells your child that the Catholic Church is the only One True Church and everyone else is going to hell.

2) A Methodist teacher prays in your child's class for people to learn to accept gay people and let them marry.

3) A Wiccan teacher leads your child's class in an invocation to the Goddess, complete with candles & a pentagram.

4) A Baptist teacher tells the class that all Catholics are going to hell for following the False Prophet (the pope)

5) A Muslim teacher reads a prayer from the Quran to your child's class.

6) An Atheist teacher tells the class that Jesus is a myth and all of Christianity is a lie.







































Now, aren't you glad that we have the 1st Amendment?





(Shameless plug: if anyone's interested in my other perspectives on the 1st, see my 360 page)

My bad!
Thanks Irene

How about:

A Jewish teacher tells your class that there is no such thing as an afterlife.

Answer 1

1) A Catholic teacher tells your child that the Catholic Church is the only One True Church and everyone else is going to hell.


id protest


2) A Methodist teacher prays in your child's class for people to learn to accept gay people and let them marry.

what age is my kid, like senior? if younger, too young to discuss political discussion


3) A Wiccan teacher leads your child's class in an invocation to the Goddess, complete with candles & a pentagram.

why is it a comparative religion class?

4) A Baptist teacher tells the class that all Catholics are going to hell for following the False Prophet (the pope)

id protest

5) A Muslim teacher reads a prayer from the Quran to your child's class.

is it a comparitive religion class?


6) An Atheist teacher tells the class that Jesus is a myth and all of Christianity is a lie

id protest, thats a religious comment,

Answer 2

If all these perspectives were presented at essentially the same time in the same classroom with a teacher moderation, great. If each was presented as gospel by the teacher in charge my answers would be as follows:

1) A Catholic teacher tells your child that the Catholic Church is the only One True Church and everyone else is going to hell.

First, there have been many evil Popes. Examples Pius XII during WWII and the Pope during the Inquisition. The claim is fear based and ignorant.

2) A Methodist teacher prays in your child's class for people to learn to accept gay people and let them marry.

I agree with the sentiment and would simply ask that the Methodist teacher permit alternate views.

3) A Wiccan teacher leads your child's class in an invocation to the Goddess, complete with candles & a pentagram.

Again, I do not object. Simply, lets put this in perspective and teach the meaning of the rituals

4) A Baptist teacher tells the class that all Catholics are going to hell for following the False Prophet (the pope)

Again, this teaching is based upon fear and hate and is not appropriate. (And most certainly not Christian as Christ taught faith and love.)

5) A Muslim teacher reads a prayer from the Quran to your child's class.

Wonderful! Now, again, lets have the history and context.

6) An Atheist teacher tells the class that Jesus is a myth and all of Christianity is a lie.

Wonderful again! And again, lets have the history and context.

Answer 3

Well I guess there is aways private schools but I thought that was why we had a seperation of church and state. I am Canadian but I do remember some of these issues arising but I was lucky enough to grow up in a home where we discussed these things openly. We learned to think about what we were told at school objectively and not just take everything in hand. I think in the end it taught us not just to accept what we were told and to think for our selves. Whether we like it or not, after high school the world is going to be full of opinions that we don't agree with. Best to understand what you believe and why you believe it and how to deal with people having different opinions.

Although I would veto my children taking part in any pagen ceremony or any thing none Christian. If there can't be Christian prayer in school then there shouldn't be Wiccan either. Teachers should, ultimately keep that to themselves.

Answer 4

I'm sorry, but some of them, I have a definite issue with, such as people telling my children that there is no God, or to worship the so-called "goddess". I am Baptist and a Born-Again believer. I do not tell people they are going to hell for following the pope. I realize that these circumstances do not apply to every member of a denomination, but the are set down as a blanket statement.

Answer 5

What would I do? I would start a campaign to keep religion and governement far, far apart from each other. The purpose of a public educator is to educate in academics, not to teach religion. There is NO place for TEACHERS to TEACH religion. Let every child practice their religion, without interference from the adults. This undermines the parents authority.

Answer 6

I would not be happy with any of these in a public school. However, I would hope that my (future) children would be exposed to a variety of faiths and belief systems so that they could make an informed decision to follow a faith or choose anti-theism.

Answer 7

All through out my children's lives different people are going to push their beliefs. All I can do is hope that I have taught my children to believe in their selves and what feels right to them well enough that they can not be manipulated. I want them to be exposed to different religions but only at their choice.
Love & Light
Sharon
One Planet = One People

Answer 8

I would instruct my child to have an open mind, and to realize that not everyone practices the same religion, but that all of them have their merits and perspectives, and that he should follow his heart.

Answer 9

What...no Jewish teachers?

Answer 10

Yeah, yeah, everyone believes different.

"There are three essentials of the church: acknowledgment of the divine of the Lord, acknowledgment of the holiness of the Word [Bible], and the life which is called charity" (Divine Providence n. 259[3]).