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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 19587
[Civil]
Date Posted:
4/15/2008
11:47:43 am EDT
Wvox Stats
Views: 8,751
RSS: 20,346
Comments: 35
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What’s Wrong With This (Religious) Picture?
Author: Charles C. Haynes Source: First Amendment Center
Title: WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS (RELIGIOUS) PICTURE?
Assigned to draw a landscape, a senior at Tomah High School in Tomah, Wis., drew a path surrounded by mountains and clouds leading to a cross. At the top of the picture, he put the words “John 3:16 A sign of love.”
Most public school art teachers I know would accept the drawing, evaluate the technique, and put it on the wall with other student artwork.
Instead, the teacher at Tomah High told the student (identified as A.P. in court documents) to remove the religious reference, claiming that it infringed upon the rights of other students. When A.P. refused, the teacher showed him a school policy that prohibits art projects depicting “violence, blood, sexual connotations, [or] religious beliefs.”
A.P. calmly tore the policy in half and was promptly thrown out of class.
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Community Thoughts: There are 35 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Equality | Apr 17th. at 12:58:21 pm EDT
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Lady Catherine (West Palm Beach, Florida) - Email Me
I'm just wondering if the conservative christians who get so upset about Jesus not being "allowed" in schools realize that if they can talk about Jesus my children can talk about the Goddess and the God and that if they can draq crosses and bible versus my children can draw pentacle and recite the Rede... as long as they don't get upset when the pentacle gets hung on the wall I have no problem with them hanging a cross on the wall... But for some reason O'm sure they will have problems with that. That very situation is probably why the school has such a policy. Not because they equate religion with vilence or sex, but because they are all very polarizing subjects that everyone has opinions on, so why not leave it as a personal choice and not allow it to split the student body?
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| That's Why I Homeschool My Artist... | Apr 17th. at 1:37:38 am EDT
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Hadriana (Rome, Georgia) - Email Me
He can draw all the violent, bloody, religious stuff he wants.....but usually he just draws our cat with a sword.
What a way to kill creativity. I imagine nudes aren't allowed either.
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| My Problem... | Apr 16th. at 6:24:50 pm EDT
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Rev. Jeanene Hammers (Hillsboro, Oregon) - Email Me
...with the situation is simple - the school policy seems to feel that images of a religious nature are equal to violent, bloody or sexual images.
What I mean is, most of us here can understand why an art class would not allow a student to submit artwork that depicts a gang rape, a graphic beheading and so forth. These make sense, to a greater or lessor degree. But why did the school add religious to the list?
I wonder about this as rules and laws are passed AFTER someone does something that others disagree with, and they realize there is no rule or law against it. If we understood WHY religion was added to the list, we may understand the situation better.
Personally, I feel that the rule was in place, he broke it and was disrespectful. If he disagreed with the rule, then he, and his parents, should have addressed the rule beforehand, and in a more appropriate manner.
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| I Stand Corrected | Apr 16th. at 5:43:04 pm EDT
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Aritimi Morgana (RotterdamJct/Schdy/Scotia, New York) - Email Me
I made some booboos in my post and thanks to the fellow poster who spotted them. I was tired and not paying close attention to the article. So thanks for clearing that up.
The kid tearing up the rulesheet---that was a dumb thing to do and clearly he did it for attention in regards to what he felt was 'religious discrimination'. Perhaps he's a little too brainwashed to be recovered from religous madness. Anyhow. There were better ways to deal with this situation.
It's funny---so many religious themes creep into art, even in high school, yet no one seems to pay close attention. I recall when I was in high school I had to do a clay bas-relief of a painting; I did a rendering of St. George and the Dragon. A religious image---but wait, it's historical, so I won't get in trouble. I think the only reason i did that one was because it had a dragon in it. I had almost thought about doing one of those bulls from the Gate of Ishtar (I think) , but got a little intimidated because of the detail. i also did a paper batik of the zodiac for another art project, complete with pentacles in the 4 corners of the paper (this was before I began following my pagan studies) . My art teacher liked the design very much. I still remember the colors i used; magenta, indigo, sunset orange, a little red, some violet. But no one saw it as religious. I wonder now how it would've been received.
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| When I Was In High School... | Apr 16th. at 12:52:46 pm EDT
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NightLad (Toronto, Ontario) - Email Me
I attended an extended arts program. I was deeply into expressing my faith at the time, and in line with this I often included pagan imagery in my paintings, sculptures, etc. In graphic design class I created a functional cloak and emblazoned rune symbols centered around a pentagram using silk-screening. I still have it. Nobody gave me guff, and I graduated with top marks.
If the kid wants to express his faith in his art, I saw let him. Art is for self-expression, and if a persons faith is a deeply rooted aspect of who they are, who the hell is the school to tell him to censor his drawing?
The only exception I could possibly think of is if a person uses their faith as an excuse to promote intolerance or violence. But here, that was not the case.
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| PC Teacher | Apr 16th. at 4:33:46 am EDT
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Moonlight Wolf (Bradford, England) - Email Me
I certainly don't think that the student was doing anything wrong by having a religious reference in the picture.
It's another example of PC madness striking the classroom. Providing that students don't try and force other students to worship as they do then I don't see why any student should be in hot water for his or her religious beliefs.
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| Teacher Was Wrong | Apr 16th. at 2:09:33 am EDT
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Eddie Black (Beaverton, Oregon) - Email Me
It will be nice when we can have a society where people can freely practice their religion (that means Christians also) without fear.
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| Seems To Me | Apr 16th. at 1:23:30 am EDT
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Ander s. Drake (hays, Kansas) - Email Me
that the first amendment would protect freedom of speech and religion almost any where. In the first place I do not see any reason for the school to forbid all religious art, unless the art is in some way condemning other religions or has some tie to violence. Students should have the right to explore their artistic imagination even if it's religious. We the people have the rights, the government is prohibited from forming a state religion or any one on their behave. Frankly, I would have torn up the policy too. If it’s not superfluous with the constitution than its unlawful, just like stealing is.
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| This Kid Has Cajones | Apr 15th. at 11:14:48 pm EDT
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Greenman (Columbus, Indiana) - Email Me - Web
I believe the school's rule on art is fundamentally wrong, based on his right to freedom of expression. For a school to totally *ban* religious symbols in a student's art work is wrong.
Now, if it were the teacher promoting a religious symbol, or the school pricipal hanging a religious picture in the school-- that is clearly the state establishing religion as a state employee is doing it. But this was a student, and it is wrong for the state to infringe on his freedom of expression of religion.
For the student to tear up the school's rules that were contrary to his constitutional rights was truly heroic-- even if he is a bible thumper! he still is in the right. And I will defend his right-- especially failed to respect his rights.
If this kid were a Wiccan, we would be cheering him and defending his right to express his Wiccan beliefs.
My prediction is that this school is going to learn a hard lesson about the First Ammendment-- it cuts both ways: government cannot establish nor infringe on the freedom of religion.
bb,
Cernowain Greenman
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| Soooooo... | Apr 15th. at 11:09:39 pm EDT
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Aramara (Kailua-Kona, Hawaii) - Email Me
Here's an easy solution...you break the rules by portraying a religious subject. Then you futher break them by ripping up a copy in front of the teacher and the class; you should get detention or suspension. You do not complete the assignment; you get a big fat F!
Simple. So easy any kind of Sheeple should be able to follow along!
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| To The Poster Who Was Offended... | Apr 15th. at 9:45:33 pm EDT
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DodiaFae (Rhode Island, Rhode Island) - Email Me
that the teacher ripped up the picture, Please Note: The teacher did NOT rip up the picture. The student ripped up the school rules in front of the teacher and class.
While I agree that the students should be able to artistically express their beliefs (so long as they're not shoving it in anyone else's face) , the kid was wrong to do what he did. If he knew of the rules before creating the drawing, he was doubly in the wrong, because there is a MUCH better way to go about a protest than what he did.
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| Equality For All......... | Apr 15th. at 9:08:23 pm EDT
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Thorin (Newaygo, Michigan) - Email Me
If it's "No religion period" as the policy for the school, then the student has no leg to stand on. He should be reprimanded severely for destroying a copy of the school policy so blatently (SP) , in addition to having his picture sent home. As someone who has worked in classroom since 1993, if a school has a "No religion" policy, then there are NO exceptions. Period. End of story.
Hope he gets what's coming to him.
JMO
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| What's Wrong With This Picture? | Apr 15th. at 9:05:49 pm EDT
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Elderhia (Far North Dallas, Texas) - Email Me
With the picture of the landscape, nothing.
With the picture of a high school student ripping a copy of the rules in half in front of his teacher...quite a bit. Yes, we *are* supposed to get in trouble for showing disrespect for a teacher in front of the teacher. Welcome to real life.
If he didn't follow all the directions, if he didn't do the assignment he was supposed to, then take what he hands in and take points off when you grade it. He still drew a landscape. Yes, he was most likely rebelling against the class rules, or maybe he just got a really neat idea and decided to go for it in spite of the rules, or possibly he forgot about the rules because he is a teenager and teenagers tend to put things they don't want to do - or not do, as the case may be - out of their minds. Whichever it was, drop his grade for the assignment and tell him to pay attention next time. Don't confront him in front of his natural audience and let him put on a show. If he wants to argue the rightness (in this case, wrongness) of the rules, he can argue with the principal in the office - or his parents can, or his lawyer can. I believe you can also debate school rules with the school board to even greater effect, and with possible news coverage to boot.
I went over and looked at it; it's a nice picture, if you like that style of art. Go take a look. Also check out the smoking peep, I couldn't tell if that was art or a science experiment.
Find More info -- HERE
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| Addendum | Apr 15th. at 8:35:06 pm EDT
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Gina (Sacramento, California) - Email Me
Felt I had to add.
If my kid is drawing a goddess and rips the rules in two, he gets a smack, and hard onthe side of the head from me prior to grounding.
BTY, FYI. Most painters , etc. worked in religious images because at the time the church had a strangle hold, on society and all thought, and they were PAID to do religious art. Not a one insisted on drawing angels around the society matrons' portraits they were commissioned to paint.
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| My Opinion | Apr 15th. at 8:29:41 pm EDT
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Gina (Sacramento, California) - Email Me
As a parent, my opinion is that he is a KID. As a KID if he gets away with ripping up the paper with the rules being shown him, he is being empower to come home and rip the light bill in my face if I show it to him (same lackof respect for authority and adults) to ask him to help conserve energy now that dad is out of work.
I'm sorry. No religion in a public school means NO religion in a public school. I have met many of those little sneaky mind -controlled kids who find ways to sneak in what they want then look all innocent. Funny, that's what their parents are doing too, at school meetings, when they are innocently suggesting we do away with evolution and accept bible teaching in school (because of their christian looooove for us) .
You tell them you are not a christian, that it insults you, and they answer j"esus loves you". You tell them to shut up and they will. (sometimes) Plotting how to get around you, though. Then they brightly say as they're escaping out the front door, "will pray for you, Jesus is love".
Yes, kids plot. I was a kid. I plotted how to get around parents and adults. Yes, my kids plotted and stretched boundaries if the could. Yes, my grandkids still do. It's our JOB to show them exactly and firmly where the boundary is. In cement, not rubber band.
I have lived the whole little "lemme sneak in Jesus" personally. Something they hate if we do it, and loudly complain and whine if we do it.
Wake up, America. They won't stop 'till we are GONE. Open hearts is one thing. Bleeding all over the carpet is quite another.
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