I was very surprised to learn that right wing religious groups are legally proselytizing to children in trailers located next to the public schools. Of course they want to spread their religious bile while the children are young enough to not have fully developed critical thinking ability. Indoctrinate them while they are young. While these groups think it is their fundamental right, I wonder how they would respond if a Muslim organization were to bring in their own trailer espousing the Moslem faith? Or how about an atheist group, which wanted to teach critical thinking? I am sure they would be outraged. After all, freedom of religion only means freedom of their hate filled ideology and cannot be extended to any other group. Nothing closes one’s mind and hardens one’s heart like religion.
This article appears in Mar 1-7, 2012.
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“Or how about an atheist group, which wanted to teach critical thinking?” ROTFLMAO Someone who doesn’t believe in God but can’t prove it teaching critical thinking. That’s a good one.
“Nothing closes one's mind and hardens one’s heart like religion.” Landis knows all about a closed mind. Can anyone say hypocrite?
I would submit that athiesm abounds within the school walls so a trailer parked on the curb would be redundant. Other than that, this is a wonderful example of hate-filled speech.
WOW! You must feel threatened!What are you afraid of? We who obviously differ in our faith, have a right to free expression of our faith, you, lack of. Values, principles, relationship to Creator are the heart that Child Evangelism workers seek to share. What is so frightening about a God that loves you?
Terrie,
What are we afraid of? What is so frightening about a “God that loves you”? It is frightening that impressionable children who can’t yet determine between what is an outside group and school curriculum are being given candy and invited into a trailer to be indoctrinated by a religious group at near/at the school. I am a strong supporter of the separation of state and church, and was appalled to hear about church group a stone’s throw away from the classroom set up in a trailer at lunchtime. What is frightening is the supposition that there IS a an intervening God that “loves you”, who if not believed in, one is going to Hell…this being taught to innocent children on their lunch break from public school is EXTREMELY disconcerting and straight up wrong! Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds. YOU have a right to free expression of your faith at your CHURCH and at HOME. Public school is NOT a place for religious dogma. Teaching Christian principals to impressionable children at or on school property by such groups as the “Good News Club” is HARMFUL, MISLEADING, PREDATORY and ILLEGAL.
” Teaching Christian principals to impressionable children…”
When exactly would be a good time to teach someone principles like, love your neighbor as you love yourself, consider others better than you, and forgive as you would like to be forgiven? My personal opinion is that the impressionable stage would be good.