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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: J. C. Dithers who wrote (89728)	11/26/2004 8:22:36 PM
From: epicure	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 108807

ahem ......... Christian teacher sues his school By Catherine Elsworth in Los Angeles (Filed: 26/11/2004) A Californian teacher who claims he was barred from using documents in history lessons that refer to God, including the Declaration of Independence, is suing his school for discrimination. In the latest row about church and state separation, Steven Williams, a fifth-grade teacher at Stevens Creek School near San Francisco, claims that he was singled out for censorship by the head teacher, Patricia Vidmar, because he is a Christian. Mr Williams alleges that, since May, all his lesson planning has been vetted by Miss Vidmar and any references to God or Christianity weeded out. "It's a fact of American history that our founders were religious men and to hide this fact from young fifth-graders in the name of political correctness is outrageous and shameful," said his lawyer, Terry Thompson. "Williams wants to teach his students the true history of our country. There is nothing in the Establishment Clause (of the constitution) that prohibits a teacher from showing students the Declaration of Independence." In June, the Supreme Court refused to hear the case of a Californian atheist who wanted "under God" struck from the Pledge of Allegiance recited by pupils. Previous story: Something in the way he judged me Next story: News in brief ........ Document s- I wonder what other documents were involved? This is a Christian teacher, and it looks like he has a big Christian axe he wants to grind in the face of public school children. Dollars to donuts there is a lot more than the Declaration of Independence here. And if he is trying to use the declaration of independence to buttress born again claims, he should have another think about that, and read the contemporaneous literature- and even THEN, it isn't a subject 5th graders can take in. Now they could be brainwashed at that age- but really, that's for their parents to do, not dear helpful Mr. Williams. If their parents want to use lots of documents with the word "GOD" in them to teach kids we have a religious government and not a secular one, that's their right as parents. It is not, however, Mr Williams right, thank goodnes. Turn it around now, and see how you would feel about someone bringing in Pagan literature from history, to teach kids how everyone should be Pagan, or agnostic, or atheist... yeah that would be oh so super de dooper ""It's a fact of American history that our founders were religious men ,," I'm rofl- because I'd bet anything our founding fathers would find Mr. Williams and his religion absolutely vile (they were, after all, brilliant rational men, for the most part, and far ahead of their times on the issue of religious tolerance, including tolerance for people who did not believe, the nature of God (see Deism), as well as having a great concern for the separation of church from state.)