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| Witchvox Chapter: Wren's Nest News | Chapter Page Views: 54,881,817 |
 Tenn. School's 'Praying Parents' Prompts Lawsuit Author: Melanie Bengtson Source: First Amendment Center Online Title: TENN. SCHOOL'S 'PRAYING PARENTS' PROMPTS LAWSUIT A group of parents that gathers regularly in the cafeteria of a Tennessee elementary school to pray for the institution and its students and faculty recently got an unexpected response to their petitions — a lawsuit. The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee filed the suit, alleging that officials at Lakeview Elementary School in Mt. Juliet violated the First Amendment by promoting the group, Praying Parents, as well as other religious-themed activities. The ACLU filed the lawsuit on Sept. 27 in U.S. District Court on behalf of John and Jane Doe, parents of James Doe, who attended kindergarten at Lakeview during the 2005-2006 school year. The plaintiffs withdrew their son from Lakeview and are home-schooling him during the current school year, the lawsuit states, “[b]ecause of [school officials’] intent to continue unconstitutional actions and the Plaintiffs(’) fear that their child is being subject to religious proselytizing.” | |
| Community Thoughts: There are 11 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Part Of A Tradition... | Nov 18th. at 10:39:30 am EST |
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Celtic Lullaby (Jefferson, Maryland) - Email Me of hypocrisy. If it were any other group, said group would be tossed off the campus so fast the police wouldn't even have time to get there. Hope the cops bring an ambulance or two with them, though. Those non-christian students and parents will need some patching up. Clearly this, like the pole and other completely inappropriate religious events that take place on school property singles out non-christians students for pressure and ridicule. In this case, it is actually an embarrassment to the students who see their moms involved. We limit our rituals and prayer to home (with the occasional group gathering on NON FEDERAL, NON PUBLICLY FUNDED grounds) . Is it too much to ask the same from everyone else? |
| Praying-- Or Preying? | Nov 17th. at 7:57:16 pm EST |
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bigcat (peoria, Illinois) - Email Me The object here is disruption. These Parents sound like the type that go around to offer up prayers publically to humiliate those kids who find them disruptive and unwelcome. While prayers are in themselves inoffensive- when offered for the right reasons- as a real source of comfort, in troubled times, the fact that a group goes around praying over people in places where they really have no business being and passing out pamphlets can be seen as a form of dominance over those who may be truly offended by it. |
| I Wish. . . | Nov 17th. at 12:30:15 pm EST |
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Dynnys Derwydd (Lubbock, Texas) - Email Me . . .I could remember which book of Paul's said it best, "The onus of teaching the Gospel to children falls upon the parents." Okay, I believe it actually states, "Father," and we all know that Paul was a misogynist Still the fact remains that it is the responsibility of individual parents in their individual homes to rear their children as proper Christians. It is not the duty of the State in any form (local, state, federal) to do so. Oh, I don't mind anyone praying for me, if they're praying for the right reasons; health, welfare and a general blessing. Now, if they're trying to "save" me, then so be it, but just know that I found my salvation in the Love of both Goddess and God, and quite frankly I don't need theirs. If these parents truly wish to be Christians, then may I suggest they read their New Testaments, their Second Covenants, and realize they have no right to force their beliefs upon others. Fight with knowledge, not in ignorance. honi soit qui mal y pense, Dynnys Derwydd "There's Po'er in the Blood!" Ew, that sounds like an infection! |
| Card Reading | Nov 17th. at 11:46:39 am EST |
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Ahr-Ohn (Bridgeport, Connecticut) - Email Me "According to the lawsuit, a Praying Parent visited James Doe’s classroom and gave cards to the students telling them the parents had prayed for them. Praying Parent flyers were also given to the students to take home to their parents." How about, if the card read "You have been cursed by a Satanist; your abidance in class is a nurturing of Makind's Degeneration?" There's not a lot of difference between that, and unwelcome prayer. The problem, is that this cult meeting is a way of nurturing Parental Involvement, and that Schools should encourage Spiritual Development. How do we involve conflicting cult groups, in a positive manner, without becoming a War Zone? Public School simply can't be publicly funded, under the First Amendment, since it is a Proffession, and therefore Religion. This leaves it in the hands of Magicians. Arawn |
| Promotion Vs. Exercise Of Religion | Nov 17th. at 11:01:10 am EST |
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Morning Light (Fairplay, Colorado) - Email Me This issue comes up over and over again, and yet people still don't understand, or maybe they refuse to understand, the difference. After school activities, religious or not, are allowed as long as they don't violate laws, state or district rules. So you can have religious clubs of any sort whatsoever, as long as the school or school staff do not endorse such activities. Club sponsors, for instance, are just that sponsors with minimal interaction with the groups activities. Sponsors are there to insure that all laws and rules are followed. Sponsors can participate, minimally, but they cannot dominate or run the activities. During School hours, club activities are usually not allowed. The exceptions being before school or during lunch. But even here the same rules apply which were mentioned above. Sponsorship of religious activities by staff and administration during school hours, or afterhours is a violation of the establishment clause pure and simple. Allowing religious groups or religious individuals to run activities during school hours is also a violation of the establishment clause. School sponsored activities where religious groups/individuals are allowed to run those activities are violations of the establishment clause. Seems simple doesn't it. ) O ( |
| Common Misspelling | Nov 17th. at 10:48:15 am EST |
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Terry (Irvington, Virginia) - Email Me This article botched a common set of spelling and grammar issues. These parents are in the school to prey on students, not pray for students. The violent oppression and predatory hate cult abuses against non-xtian students, or even xtians of real or alleged sexualities often used to choose targets of systemic predatory stalking, harassment, and cult abuse, has made "Pole People" the cause and (deserving) target of violent attempts at self defense by students in some school systems, where administrators conspired in the RRR violence and oppression rather than responsibly field repeated complaints of abused students and stop the patterns of school supported abuse. Alliance Defense Fund is the Scottsdale, AZ based partner of Community Defense Counsel, both offshoots of National Family Legal Foundation, whose roots are with Citizens for Decent Literature. That 1960's organization is best known for supporting efforts to define "pornography" via the Jacobellis v Ohio. That suit is best known for a standing joke, that "pornography is whatever gives the judge a hard on". Potter Stewart's legal opinion in that suit actually described the reasons why it's rightfully impossible to define terms such as "pornography" in valid US law, because they're so deeply rooted in arbitrary personal perceptions based on prejudices and factors not legitimately the basis for any US legal standard. Sadly, other courts have been less honest or mature, in cases such as "Pacifica", where a particular variant of religious constructs of "indecency" was made part of US case law, rather than similarly dispatched as impossible to so much as legitimately define. Pretty much any and every legal action involving Scottsdale, AZ based ADF or CDC is suspect, given those organizations' and their predessor groups' long record of tactical legal efforts to circumvent Constitutional standards by dirty legal and financial tricks. As with any RRR bastions of "morality", it's notable their original root organization was founded by someone who went on to become a convicted felon. Perhaps a better name for such an RRR operative organization would be HIA, Hypocrisy in Action? The parent and school sister organization could then become CAA, Child Abusers of Amerika. |
| Have Given This Much Thought | Nov 17th. at 10:15:37 am EST |
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Lea (Cedar Park, Texas) - Email Me I agree, let them do this in their church or at home, there is absolutely no reason for this in school during school hours. Their motives are purely to bring more children into their fold. I see no other reason for it and the simple fact that not every child in the American public school system is christian creates problems. Once again, my daughter deals with this in her middle school. The meet at the pole thing, I have seen, right out front, you can hear them, they make sure of that and she is forced to walk right by. Dropping her off I have watched her walk by shaking her head no as they hold out hands to her trying to get her involved. I also know that she takes a lot of heat from them because she doesn't and even one teacher. Currently, I am keeping notes on the teacher, just in case she causes more important problems for our daughter, and if she does I will be down there causing problems for her. School these days is difficult enough for our children, they don't need to be bombarded with religious problems as well. Blessings of the Day. |
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