Family of Buddhist student sues American public school

Post Reply New Topic

The family of the Buddhist student is now sueing the American public school claiming religious discrimination.

( http://news.yahoo.com/public-school-cra ... itics.html )
http://www.heraldonline.com/2014/01/22/ ... gious.html

The ACLU filed complaint notes:

Christian adornments
-Paintings of Jesus Christ, Bible verses, and Christian devotional phrases adorn the walls of many classrooms and hallways.
-There are several posters urging students to “Pray,” “Worship,” and “Believe,”

Praying
-The math teacher makes students bow their heads and pray before lunch.
- Another teacher, Angela Knight, leads her class in daily prayers before lunch.

The science teacher
- She said "Buddhism“’ is stupid. Speaking about the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha, she proclaimed that ‘no one could stay alive that long without food and water.”
- She has told students that the Bible is ‘100% true”, and that ‘scientists are slowly finding out that everything in the Bible is accurate.’”
- She informs students that the Big Bang never happened and that the Universe was created by God approximately 6,000 years ago. She also teaches her students that evolution does not exist and has stated that, ‘if evolution were real, it would still be happening. Apes would be turning into humans today.”
- She routinely requires students to prove written professions of faith on science exams and other tests and assignments.
- She also gives extra credit on work if bible verses are cited in responses on the homework or tests.

School's response
The superintendent of schools in the parish, Sara Ebarb asked the parents of a Buddhist student recently if he “has to be raised Buddhist”, or if he could “change” his faith and suggested to them that he should transfer to a school where “there are more Asians.”.

Quoted: "And then do you know what Superintendent Ebarb did? That rascal—she wrote a letter to the school’s principle, Gene Wright, ‘stating that she approved of Wright’s practices in general and that she approved of the fact that the teachers” at the school “acted consistent with their religious beliefs.” Wright then “read the letter to the whole school over the public-address system.” I guess that’s what the Bible teaches us when it says, in 2 Samuel 22:31: “As for God, his way is perfect. He shields all who take refuge in him.” Incidentally, you can see that verse in a poster on the walls of the school".

So, they tried to humiliate him after his parents complained.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitzmiller ... l_District

Although it is not a Supreme Court case, Kitzmiller v. Dover is unlikely to be struck down due to the current SCOTUS composition, so Negreet High School will likely suffer a severe judicial spanking in court.

There was a time when the Bible was the standard textbook for all American schools, before organizations like the Anti-Christian Lawyers Union demanded things be different. I'm not saying we should go back to that now, but I do hope that school stays true to its principles. I don't think the teachers should be forcing students to pray if they don't want to, though.

So, you openly support a public US school that is harassing a student for having different religious beliefs? How quaint...

I don't approve of harassment from either side, but suing people over arbitrary offense isn't the solution either.

Yup. Kitzmiller v. Dover, considering how well-written it was and the fact that the judge who wrote the opinion was a conservative Republican who was appointed by George W. Bush, is likely to be very persuasive precedent.

Actually, they've got a pretty good 1st amendment case considering Supreme Court precedent and persuasive precedent (from Kitzmiller v. Dover).
If the facts of the case aren't really under dispute or if the family can establish them well, then I imagine that any federal court would come down hard on this school, and the school frankly would deserve it.

Last edited by beneficii on 26 Jan 2014, 8:59 am, edited 1 time in total.

It sounds like an awful school with abysmal educational standards. I don't know why anyone would want to send their kids there.

God, guns, guts and religious harassment are what made this country.

The Puritans did not emigrate to this continent so much for religious freedom, but for the freedom to impose their religion upon others.

In what part of Saudi Arabia is this school located?

One of the truly bad effects of religion is that it teaches us that ignorance and blind faith are virtuous states of mind.

Why Do People Have Religion?

* Desire for absolution -- Fear of accountability.

* Desire for acceptance -- Fear of rejection. Believing as the group does -- or pretending to believe as the group does -- acts as a social shibboleth for inclusion in the group.

* Desire for assurance -- Fear of doubt.

* Desire for attention -- Fear of insignificance.

* Desire for certainty -- Fear of uncertainty. Except for a few mathematical constants and fixed principles, science is based on probabilities. This is due to the fact that every determining cause of an effect can not possibly be known. This uncertainty induces anxiety in some people, who seem to prefer the false sense of certainty that unfounded faith provides.

* Desire for conformity -- Fear of individuality. When all act and believe as one, then peace will not be threatened. Any beliefs that differ from doctrine are a threat, and therefor must be demonized, discouraged, or crushed outright.

* Desire for connectedness -- Fear of isolation.

* Desire for knowledge -- Fear of ignorance. Acquiring real knowledge is difficult; it's easier to believe in simple, comforting explanations and call it "Faith".

* Desire for mastery over others-- Fear of enslavement by others. By following the "One, True Religion" people can assure themselves that they are better than others, and therefore have every right and reason to tell those others what to do, how to live, and what to think.

* Desire for meaning -- Fear of irrelevance. Science reduces existence itself to a random energy fluctuation. Believing instead that one's life has a purpose that was ordained by something or someone greater than one's self relieves the anxiety of irrelevance.

* Desire for survival -- Fear of death. Worship the "One, True Religion" and death becomes a mere transition into a better existence.

* Desire for understanding -- Fear of misunderstanding. Fulfilling a desire reduces the associated fear.

* Wishful thinking -- If we believe in something long enough and hard enough, it will come true for us

Thanks. The wiki page linked to a PBS video on the Dover case ( http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/ ... trial.html ) and I like watching videos.

LoveNotHate,

Do you have links to the documents linked to by the Yahoo! article? They each require some sort of Outlook access.

https://www.aclu.org/religion-belief/la ... hool-board

(the legal filings are below on the page)

Here is another write up ...

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/01 ... od-stupid/

Thanks.

Alright! The Blaze!

I highly doubt that's true, but even if it is, Puritans don't represent all who follow Christ.