obibend

The Mr. Williams feel their message and morality is perfectly acceptable and should be spread, even clandestinely to school children, especially to those who unfortunately have secular parents. If his stated position, was in fact Freedom of Religion, every teacher, every person with authority and power over another, could begin the process of propagandizing their own beliefs over a captive and malleable class of people. In Mr. Williams' case, it is students, who, by law must attend the school they are registered in. His piece in The Bulletin, is mostly, that he, and those who believe in Christ, have a right that by law cannot be checked at the door of the school, which he justifies by cherry picking case law from, of all people, judges, who the Christian right complain about as not being elected, and therefore should not interpret the law. His other point appears to be there is no harm or damage caused by spreading a message his belief supports. My sixth grade "social health" teacher told our clase we would grow hair on our palms, go blind and burn in hell for engaging in an act some pubescent boys do. I'm of Italian decent, had hair growing on the back of my fingers, which tied with his words, caused me to panic. Because of his position as a teacher, I believed him. I became so scared I couldn't eat or sleep, was obsessed with my hands I started pulling out the hairs on the back of them, I practiced walking around the house, eyes closed so when blind, I wouldn't bump into things. I kept begging my mother to take me to the eye doctor. Finally, after weeks pressing me for what was wrong, I told my mother of my certain future as a hairy handed, blind boy, damned for all eternity. My mother's reaction could best be described as blind rage. She stormed into the principal's office angrily disclosing medical disinformation, the fear for my soul this teacher had caused and the negative physical affects on me. The teacher was allegedly chastised, however, my report cards and relationships with staff were adversely affected by my mother's actions. I was deemed a problem children from then on. While this is an amusing though embarrassing story, it's illustrative of the damage that can be caused by the wrong words, being used at the wrong time with what might be going on in a child's life, which a teacher could be oblivious of. Lets give some situations a child of today may face: A father who drinks and either abuses or neglects his child. The child swears at or "curses" his parent for the acts and curses the parent that left allows it. The teacher's lessons the next day: Leviticus 20:9 For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him. Romans 12:14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Exodus 21:17 And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death. Matthew 15:4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. After hearing this, what do we think the child will be thinking? Our schools are encouraging children to report sexual abuse. But their teacher is a fundamentalist and quotes these lovely passages: Deuteronomy 22:21 Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she has worked folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shall you put evil away from among you. This will really encourage girls to come forward, knowing that even though she is a victim, her plight in life is death. But wait, there must be an exception! There is, but not much of one. Deut 22:23-24 states that a woman is not telling the truth if she says she was raped but no one heard her scream, the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die. This is the freedom of religion Mr. Williams hides in his argument. For in his delusion world, the only messages will be those of God's peaceful words and glory. But others will have the same right to express their religious views. No thanks Mr. Williams.