JW schoolteacher order to put up XMas tree

by blondie 34 Replies latest social current

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  JT

  JT, I totally agree with you. I work for a school district myself and I know for a fact that my principal would be fired for doing this. The Board would give a public apology and grin and bear it.

  I agree that the JW is dead wrong in this instance and she could have found a more "seasoned" approach. But that doesn't negate that this is probably the most profitable mistake she ever made.

  The principal at my school would have bit her lip, complained about it to me in private, but given the teacher an alternative. That would have been the way to go. Why give the JWs more of a persecution complex. I can just see the Afake article in the future

  your point is on the money and you are correct she gets the $$$ and the chance to relate her experice of how she stood satan down and jah came thru, i got an award and TODAY BRO I HAVE QUIT MY JOB AND WILL START REG PIONEERING WITH THE FUNDS I GOT

  speaker--YES bro when satan tries to stop god's servant jah always thru it back on them
• 

  Gopher

  144,001-- you said:

  Exposing children to Christmas trees, menorahs and the Muslim crescent and star is just as offensive to many atheists as this JW teacher's conduct is to many others. The main issue is neutrality....

  I must respectfully disagree. The main issue is EDUCATION. If the children cannot be exposed to a sampling of the main cultures around them, then they won't be educated. They will remain in ignorance. Ignorance leads to prejudice.

  One time as a young JW child, I was required to learn the words to the American national anthem in my music class. I raised a mild objection, and the teacher firmly but politely told me that he didn't see where learning the words crossed religious lines. And he was right -- as long as I wasn't forced to SING the song, it is apparent that my religious rights were not disrespected.

  Same goes here... the kids were not being forced to actually create any religious symbols, they were merely being exposed to them. Now if ONLY ONE symbol (let's say, the Christmas tree) was to be displayed, then you would have a totally unbalanced presentation -- and that would cross religious / belief lines.

  Atheism has no "symbol" because its followers are (of course) not strictly organized. So the belief of atheism does not belong in a display of religious symbols.
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  johnny cip

  JT; i love your reasoning on most of your posts.. but here i disagree, yes the teaqcher has rights... what seems to be lost on this is the students also have rights... i'm sure that theres more than what was printed in the news paper.. she would let the kids post drawings of a snowman but not a christmas tree,etc. i spoke to a friend who is a school teacher here in n.y. and she wasnot sure on the rules and reg's in regards to this.. i could be wrong, but the only thing i see this teacher getting is a pink slip...i think if this goes anywhere public opinion will be against her. just the publicity of this has hurt the wt. if i'm correct in the U.S. we are to accept all beliefs, this is were the jw's are at fault... i think the timing of this was a long process to dump the teacher... if nothing else lets all be happy thats million now living today "tm" have learned through newspapers,radio,tv of jw's intolerance of the worship of others....john
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  xenawarrior

  This puzzles me.......

  What is this woman doing being a teacher in the first place if she is a Jehovah's Witness? If you are a teacher, you work for the state, which is part of the government, right?

  Is it not a rule of the JW's to remain totally separate from the government? Except perhaps, if they are paying you and giving you good employee benefits?

  This is another one of the contradictions that baffles me.

  XW
• 

  JT

  but here i disagree, yes the teaqcher has rights... what seems to be lost on this is the students also have rights...

  ** I never said that the rights of the students were not important, in fact i stated you could argue all day as to who is right or wrong,

  my point was this type of case sets the school board up to pay some serious legal fees - with the possiblity of a nice settlement at the expense of the entire school distict

  i spoke to a friend who is a school teacher here in n.y. and she wasnot sure on the rules and reg's in regards to this..

  and this is my point, the school board would be sue because they DON'T HAVE A CLEAR AND UNDERSTANDABLE POLICY, why do you think wt and the catholic church are in trouble it is due to their polices, so many organizations get into tons of trouble by not having clear and concise procedures and policies on issue- even your friend admits they didn;t know the policy

  i could be wrong, but the only thing i see this teacher getting is a pink slip

  i agree and sad to say that will most likely end up making her case even stronger

  ...i think if this goes anywhere public opinion will be against her.

  you get no disagreement with me here, problem is laws in court esp religious issues try to stay away from the OPinion of the public- in most courts in the uSA they try hard to avoid the veiws of the majority on religious issues, it has often be stated that many laws were written to protect minority groups and the wt has a long history of PLAYING THE MINORITY CARD and quite successfuly i must admit- we are being persecuted is the tried and tested line they use in court

  if i'm correct in the U.S. we are to accept all beliefs

  while you may not realize it you have confirmed the grounds upon which her case will rest- you have to accept her beliefs and if putting up stuff conflicts then the argument will be made that the school must "reasonalbly" accommdate her-

  and as has been pointed out the principal could have assigned anyone in the school who had no problem doing it - to do it since it conflicted with this persons belief system

  please don't confuse me making the argument for her case---- with me agreeing

  , for we all know that jw are known for dogging the very same gov that they will turn around on and invoke protection from

  look at free speech - the wt has done more in terms of setting legal precedent in free speech in this country than perhaps ANY OTHER RELIGION

  yet you and i know the very same rights they fight tooth and nail to secure they denied you and i to exercise

  and that is what i see here if she plays her cards write she could end up getting to pioneer in KY and West Virgina off the tax payers of NYC

  how sad indeed