Ore. high school bans class motto derived from Bible verse

[The Straight Story]

Ore. high school bans class motto derived from Bible verse

By The Associated Press
01.15.08

BLUE RIVER, Ore. — Despite the connection to the school mascot, a rural school district has banned a proposed motto for a graduating high school class because it contains a religious reference.

Some of the 90 seniors at McKenzie High School had been inspired by a Bible verse quoted at the August funeral of a classmate killed in an all-terrain vehicle accident.

The entire verse was: “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles.”

....

McKenzie school Superintendent Sally Storm said the owner of the company that was going to publish the high school graduation announcements recognized the motto as part of a Bible verse and called the school district office.

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=19553

[SteppingRazor]

1. That seems kinda silly.

Particularly since the students rewrote the Bible verse in question, omitting any reference to "the Lord."

[The Magistrate]

2. That Seems Hardly To Be Necessary, Sir

You will find few more hard-case infidels here than me, but that would not trouble me in the slightest, particularly in the specific circumstance.

[The Straight Story]

3. Me either, seems a tad over the top (nt)

[Richard Steele]

8. Same here. It wasn't even an actual Bible verse, it was a heavily paraphrased motto.

They removed any reference to a Deity; I think it was fine.

[Mojambo]

4. The Constitution can be a bitch sometimes. n/t

[Dervill Crow]

5. Too bad . . . they edited it, and it's a great sentiment. nt

[rucky]

6. heh, heh. It says "mount up" n/t

[uppityperson]

7. “They that believe shall mount up with wings as eagles.”

hmm, hard to say but I'd go with over the top. Far enough from Bible, changed enough. Seems good to me.

[gollygee]

9. That wouldn't bother me

and I'm usually fairly reactionary as far as religion goes. The way they edited it sounds fine. And there are Biblical quotes all over literature, etc.

[ORDagnabbit]

10. they probably should have used one of the many many qoutes where the christian god commands death

You know like....

If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant, And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; ... Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.
-- Deuteronomy, Chapter 17:2-3,5


http://www.evilbible.com/Murder.htm

[hayu_lol]

13. The highly 'moral' enclave of Blue River and McKensie HS...

have had almost constant religious/secular problems over the past few years. The place is almost as bad as Grants Pass.

[stevedeshazer]

15. You forgot Roseburg.

Grants Pass is pretty bad, though.

[The Straight Story]

19. I think that is more Jewish than Christian

:)

[mondo joe]

11. They that BELIEVE what?

That seems to me to be the problem.

[JVS]

12. .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rRea9qnjK4

[annabanana]

14. My sympathies are with the kids on this one.. (plus no direct mention

of "the Lord" in the phrase they want to use....)

[Journeyman]

16. ". . .omitting the reference to God from the verse doesn’t alter its origin. . ."

So, am I to presume McKenzie High Class of '08 won't be reading some Hemingway (Sun Also Rises or Steinbeck (East of Eden , nor it's drama production be Lawrence & Lee's Inherit the Wind? Shall we hew Shakespeare from the curriculum, banish Melville, expunge Mr Lincoln? And when and where do we draw the line in poetry and philosophy?

Soon, they'll outlaw pasta to keep us safe from Pastaferians, and where shall we be then?

[spanone]

17. we'll have no mounting in high school !

[Dr. Strange]

18. Dammit spanone, knock that off!

You're making a mounting out of a molehill!