Virginia Parents Challenge School's Bible Classes (in public school)

[rainbow4321]

I posted over in LBN but someone suggested thatI also post it here to see if you all could us a "locals" view of what happens.

Here is the LBN thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1233822&mesg_id=1233822&page=


And then the article itself:


http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/redir.php?jid=1a09f97ddd5d2789&cat=11caa946bf11fe44


When Heather and Logan Ward's son entered public kindergarten this fall, they were shocked to discover that pupils were taken from class to a nearby church for weekly Bible lessons.


The Wards moved to Virginia's Shenandoah Valley from New York four years ago, and were unaware of the tradition that has remained in Staunton and other rural schools for more than 60 years.


Now the Wards and other parents are asking the school board to eliminate or modify the program, which shuttles first-, second- and third-graders to churches during class time for voluntary half-hour Christian lessons and activities.

But the would-be reformers have run into staunch resistance. More than 400 people showed up to weigh in on the issue at a contentious school board meeting in December, and more than 1,000 signed a petition urging the school board to keep the classes.

[7th_Sephiroth]

1. proving once again

that the Klan is still strong in VA.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

6. Indoctrinate them while there young

A euphemism for scaring the crap out of them, and they’ll be with you for life.

[ashmanonar]

2. this looks to me as though

somebody needs to get their shit together. they shouldn't be teaching "bible classes" in a public school, i'm sure these kids get enough "bible classes" on sunday mornings. if it's a "complete education" concept, then they should be taught the history of the bible: a daunting proposition at best for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders.

religious education (and not indoctrination) at an early age is impossible.

[Warpy]

5. The bible classes are held in a church, not the school

and they're voluntary, meaning kids whose parents don't volunteer them have an extra half hour a week to play, read, do art, nap, or whatever.

I agree this shouldn't be during regular school hours, but should be after hours, perhaps with other activities arranged for the non religious kids or the kids who don't belong to that particular denomination.

Babble classes were taught in the school three times a week when I went to my first segregated school in the south. Since I had an Irish Catholic mother and a Jewish last name, they stuck me in the library for those three hours a week, which was great by me.

I have no problem with this stuff as long as it's in the church and not during school hours.

After all, I got indoctrinatied early, and look how I turned out.

[ashmanonar]

7. it may be called voluntary, but do kids that young

really have a choice in the matter? whether by authority figure, or by peer pressure, if they opt out, they are (de facto) ostracized.

i think this goes along with saying "under god" or at all saying the pledge of allegiance in school. if you don't, you're (in a sense) ostracized. i never even thought about it, to be honest, bc it was just something you did. (the power of indoctrination at work)

[Vert]

3. So they get around

no religion in public schools by taking children to church? It says it's voluntary, but is it really? I wonder if the children that don't "volunteer" pretty much get ostracized by those that do or "converted" by the children of the fanatics.

[bumblebee1]

4. When I was in school

We had religious instruction on the Catholic though not in our public school. My sister and I attended on Tuesday afternoons after school. The Catholic churches in our school's town had their instruction classes Wednesday morning. The families who attended this were members of said churches. You mean the schools in Staunton, VA can't do the same thing on a voluntary basis?

[livinginphotographs]

8. I'm not sure what your point is

but how "voluntary" is "voluntary?"

It's not voluntary if the kids who choose not to participate are ostracized viciously by their good, christian peers.

Let them do this shit after school, I don't care. But doing it during school is inexcusable.