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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 15597
[Schools/Ed]
Date Posted:
6/8/2006
9:10:09 pm EDT
Wvox Stats
Views: 6,011
RSS: 15,072
Comments: 12
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Ore. School District Suspends Visits From Youth Pastors
Author: The Associated Press Source: First Amendment Center
Title: ORE. SCHOOL DISTRICT SUSPENDS VISITS FROM YOUTH PASTORS
The Bend-La Pine school district has stopped youth pastors from a local evangelical church from visiting students in the school cafeteria during the lunch hour.
Leaders of Bend's Westside Church used to regularly check in on students who were part of their youth-ministry program. For the last three years, the church members would visit with students about once a month at four middle schools and three high schools in Bend.
But some parents found out about the visits and complained to school and school district officials.
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Community Thoughts: There are 12 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Not Too Worried ... | Jun 9th. at 6:45:00 pm EDT
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Heather (Spokane, Washington) - Email Me
About this kind of thing on a personal level. On a community level, I don't feel it's appropriate, and it makes me wonder just what the motivation truly is behind these youth pastor visits? My experience of youth pastors (especially of the fundamentilist variety) is that of a type of person who is very charismatic in the way of Billie Graham, which is not to my liking.
But on a personal level, having a 12 year old son who is interested in religion and spirituality, I'm not worried about it. These people could proselytize all they want and it would only stimulate dialogue between my son and me. I think this may be the crux of the matter with a lot of parents - whether or not they have the ability to discuss these things openly with their children and allow their children the freedom to express what they are TRULY feeling and thinking.
As my son enters his teen years, I think communication is that much more important - be it about religion, sex, drug use, you name it. If our children fear our reprisal as a result of openning up to us, we won't have the opportunities to guide them in the areas they may really need.
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| Important To Note | Jun 9th. at 4:01:05 pm EDT
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Titania (Smallville, New York) - Email Me
The church did say they were "happy to acquiesece to the suspension of the visits."
Can't really complain about that.
However, if I had children in this school district, I would prefer that the Pastors check on their congregants children during non-school hours. There are plenty of opportunities to check in on them such as at home, at church events, at sports or social events outside of church.
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| Nono | Jun 9th. at 11:59:55 am EDT
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NightLad (Toronto, Ontario) - Email Me
I am opposed to this because it creates an element of hostility for non-Christian kids. It also gives Christian kids the impression that their faith is inherently more ‘right’ and more deserving of respect and attention.
As a teen I would have felt uncomfortable of sitting in the cafeteria while youth-ministers ‘made the rounds.’ Schools should be places of safety, security and tolerance – not religious indoctrination centers.
Sure, pagans could start doing the same thing. But in all honesty, how many of us would do so? Probably not many. I’ve generally found that people in the pagan community oppose this type of thing, because we (quite simply) have more *respect* for the beliefs and freedoms of others.
Maybe that is the crux of why I disagree; I do not view this as a constitutional issue. I view this as an affront to the kid’s individuality and freedoms. They have rights, too – and their rights trump these “youth pastors” whims to corral a bunch of kids during lunch time.
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| Visitation? | Jun 9th. at 10:58:21 am EDT
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Ahr-Ohn (Bridgeport, Connecticut) - Email Me
"We're just there to visit with the kids and encourage them," said Steve Stern, Westside's youth-program coordinator. "We don't have Bible studies or anything."
It's possible that some kid was inspired, by these visits, to prostletize, with poor manners. The Razor that I'd use is Parental Consent, since the Pastors have no right to teach, without such, any more than the Teachers do. If some kid wants to attend, parental consent should be required, in accordance with, for Christian Pastors, "Honor thy Father and thy Mother," as well as the legal concept of Right of Creation.
"In 2000, the Molalla River School District tightened lunchtime visitor rules after parents complained that a church youth pastor was offering "faith-based" answers to students concerns."
Well, these answers might not be the best possible Faith-Based Answers, but such questions should be asked somewhere, and different answers should be considered. Of course, we could ask about the Faiths of Wicca, Satanism, Humanism, Scientology, and The Flying Spaggetti Monster, but I find the proper response is given in Christian Scripture, "Do not use one set of Weights for your Friends, and another for Strangers."
Many are the Wisdoms of Christianity, and many are the Teachers of Christianity who worship this Wisdom, and believe it will lead them unto Heaven, sight unseen.
Boy, the above looks downright quotable...
"But Bend-La Pine Superintendent Doug Nelson said he received reports that the pastors were using the visits to organize youth-group members and perhaps introduce other children to the program.
"The result of that is that students who were not members of their church could be influenced and that clearly creates an entanglement about which we have to be concerned," Nelson said."
It sounds like a legitimate concern, since the Pastor on site should not discourage other from joining, nor interfere with parental rights. Questions like this are why Clara Barton founded Public Schools in New Jersey, and may even touch on why Aradia founded Public Education in the first place.
Arawn
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| Contrary To Public Opinion, | Jun 9th. at 10:28:31 am EDT
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motibutton (Chicago, Illinois) - Email Me
I have no problem with Fundamentalist preachers visiting schols. There should be, according to the First Amendment, free exercise of religion. So long as they don't block other religions, such as us Pagans, from coming on to the school grounds during lunch or other non-class times, there should be, in my opinion, no barrier.
Why are we so afraid of them? Do we imagine they will convert our kids? If we have any brains at all, and if we have been good parents who encourage our kids to discuss things with us, we can certainly answer any questions the kids have and counter any argument the preachers fill their ears with.
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| Even The Fundies Have Rights But | Jun 8th. at 11:51:40 pm EDT
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Libertarian (Langley, Washington) - Email Me - Web
If they want to meet with their own young people during recess and on their own time, I have no problem. I do have a problem if any school time or poperty is used by the fundies to promote their own particular brand of faith. That is not what a public school is for.
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| It's About Damn Time. | Jun 8th. at 9:41:17 pm EDT
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Batman (Madison, Wisconsin) - Email Me
Personally, I tire of hearing how so many Fundamentalist Christian preachers have been visiting said number of public schools to "visit with their congregation" when in fact it's nothing more than a lame excuse and realistically a weekly fishing expedition to see if they can recruit & brainwash more young people who sometimes tend to be too naive to know any better. These are the same folks who think that if they can get them hooked on thier particular brand of intolerant religion early enough, than it's more numbers (equals $) for his congregation. If I were one of these parents who had a child attending this school, I'd be livid. They have no business whatsoever being there, and they no this. There is no valid reason to visit a public school except for obvious monetary and political reasons. Interesting - I wonder how these preachers would feel if a government-represented official stopped by their church to visit his 'fellow employees' just to "offer encouragement". Don't you think he would find it rather odd? Yeah, that's what I thought. Sorry, "Reverend", but I'm afraid that one of your PR stops isn't going to be at my kid's school. Not if I have anything to say about it. After all, who WOULD Jesus hate?
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| Doesn't Seem To Bad | Jun 8th. at 9:41:02 pm EDT
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MoonCat (White Haven/Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) - Email Me
Well... if the pastors weren't trying to push kids into any particular youth group I don't see any problem, I mean no reason pastors couldn't be there to help kids with problems they may not be comfortable talking about with anyone else. As long as other ministers were allowed I don't think the shcool district would really be violating any laws. heck why not have the pastors meet the kids in another room?
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