Public School's Decision To Ban Gideon Bibles Met With Anger

[Liberalman]

Public Schools’ Decision To Ban Gideon Bibles Met With Anger

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/public-schools-decision-to-ban-gideon-bibles-met-with-anger/article2395236/

“A public school board's decision to ban distribution of Gideon Bibles to students has unleashed a wave of threatening calls and hateful emails.”

“Some messages to Ontario's Bluewater District School Board express racist sentiment and question trustees' patriotism.”

Parents pay school taxes like the rest of the people and I have to wonder what rights do parents have these days in the kind of education they get?

 

[Machjo]

Public Schools’ Decision To Ban Gideon Bibles Met With Anger

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/public-schools-decision-to-ban-gideon-bibles-met-with-anger/article2395236/

“A public school board's decision to ban distribution of Gideon Bibles to students has unleashed a wave of threatening calls and hateful emails.”

“Some messages to Ontario's Bluewater District School Board express racist sentiment and question trustees' patriotism.”

Parents pay school taxes like the rest of the people and I have to wonder what rights do parents have these days in the kind of education they get?

I disagree with the school's ban if it's merely a Bible being distributed without interpretations added in, since it is undoubtedbly a part of world culture; and especially if it's the KJV owing to its being a standard part of the English litterary cannon.

However, to oppose the ban with hate, threats and racism just goes to show how those opponents have no clue what the Christian faith is supposed to be about. And to question one's patriotism over this is bloody well scary if they're voters, if they're actually linking one's faith to their national identity. Remember, Jesus was not Canadian.

Certainly they could have tried to argue the case using some grey matter and not the unChristian vomit they obviously decided to spit out.


Another argument in favour of voucher schools.

 

[taxslave]

It is one thing to make bibles available to those that want one. Entirely different to force them on all school kids without giving them books from ALL the other world religions as well.
Kind of like the born again I work with keeps insisting there is only one true god but he kind of shuts up whenever I ask him which religion has the direct line.

 

[Machjo]

It is one thing to make bibles available to those that want one.

Agreed.

Entirely different to force them on all school kids without giving them books from ALL the other world religions as well.

The way I understood it, it was the Gideons and not the school that was giving out the Bibles. If that was the case, then the school's responsibility would merely be to make sure any religious organization can give out the sacred texts of their religion.

While I am for granting that freedom of course, I would not say that it's an extremely major issue if it is banned seeing that the sacred texts of all major religions are generally publicly available anyway. The way those "Christians" reacted to the ban though was shameful.

 

[L Gilbert]

I don't think banning anything accomplishes anything. Allow it, all of it from any religion, but do not force any of it on anyone or use it to annoy anyone. Decisions affecting parents and their kids should not be made without discussing it with them first.

“Some messages to Ontario's Bluewater District School Board express racist sentiment and question trustees' patriotism.”

That's just stupid.

 

[MHz]

The ones with a desire to read one will find a way. Seems like a pork-barrel deal for the Bible publisher as they lose out on profits, I doubt they care if anybody actually reads them as they are also found in most hotel/motel rooms

 

[Machjo]

The ones with a desire to read one will find a way.

Agreed.

Seems like a pork-barrel deal for the Bible publisher as they lose out on profits, I doubt they care if anybody actually reads them as they are also found in most hotel/motel rooms

To the best of my knowledge, the Gideons are not-for-profit.

 

[MHz]

I don't think banning anything accomplishes anything. Allow it, all of it from any religion, but do not force any of it on anyone or use it to annoy anyone. Decisions affecting parents and their kids should not be made without discussing it with them first.

How about a common class called 'religion' and over the year cover the major ones. A level headed summary might be beneficial to students who gave racist/bigoted parents so they break free from that prejudice and place it against liars and crooks, where it properly belongs.

To the best of my knowledge, the Gideons are not-for-profit.

The one who actually prints the books is a for profit business, paper and ink and presses are never free. Not for profit give them a tax-free status also does it not? Somebody is getting wages, on a 'good year' would the wages have to rise or is the extra money turned over to the Gov as a voluntary tax?

 

[Niflmir]

I'm not religious in any way, but I certainly have specific beliefs that could most easily by promoted by inflicting propaganda on young people.

In particular, I believe that we need to relax our nudity laws. It shouldn't be illegal (in my opinion) to be completely naked anywhere in public (of course entry to restaurants or other places can be banned on hygienic grounds). So I would be very interested in seeing erotica distributed to grade 4 students so that they become desensitized to nudity before the majority of them enter puberty.

Now there are two very good reasons about why I would never attempt to do this. I'll just leave them unsaid.

 

[skookumchuck]

Up till the past 20 years or so nearly all school kids in Canada were raised with some form of Christianity omnipresent in their schooling and everyday life. The majority seemed to sort it out themselves. Some, IMO, who were of a personality that was a bit obsessive, or perhaps had been in a hardcore religious family, remained staunch.
Change is always tough but i would say to give access to all mainstream religeous dogma in schools makes sense. There is little room for advancement in the modern world with a cloistered view of society and life.

 

[gerryh]

How about a common class called 'religion' and over the year cover the major ones. A level headed summary might be beneficial to students who gave racist/bigoted parents so they break free from that prejudice and place it against liars and crooks, where it properly belongs.

Oh, you mean like the Catholic Schools do?

 

[L Gilbert]

How about a common class called 'religion' and over the year cover the major ones. A level headed summary might be beneficial to students who gave racist/bigoted parents so they break free from that prejudice and place it against liars and crooks, where it properly belongs.

I'm guessing that this has nothing to do with classes and everything to do with having personal effects at school.
Course studies do include comparative religion classes anyway.

 

[Machjo]

Oh, you mean like the Catholic Schools do?

Are the courses objective? If so, good work.

I never got any education in "world religions" or anything else of the sort in Catholic school (nor later in secular school for that matter), but rather just figured it out on my own.

I'm guessing that this has nothing to do with classes and everything to do with having personal effects at school.
Course studies do include comparative religion classes anyway.

We have to admit that just giving out the Bible is pretty objective in that it's not trying to impose any interpretation of the Bible, but merely presents it as is and let's the reader judge for himself.

 

[Niflmir]

Are the courses objective? If so, good work.
I never got any education in "world religions" or anything else of the sort in Catholic school (nor later in secular school for that matter), but rather just figured it out on my own.

I also studied most of what I know on my own. That also goes for a lot of things that currently make up my occupation even.

I always wanted to know more about the practice of Zoroastrianism, but the few Iranians I have met were Muslims, although they were able to tell me a little bit about it.

 

[Gavin Morgan]

It is one thing to make bibles available to those that want one. Entirely different to force them on all school kids without giving them books from ALL the other world religions as well.
Kind of like the born again I work with keeps insisting there is only one true god but he kind of shuts up whenever I ask him which religion has the direct line.

There is absolutely no reason why the holy books of religions, other than Christianity should be given the the same ranking as the Holy Bible.

Those who follow those other books/religions are nothing but Johnny-come-latelies who want to harvest the bounty of religious freedom they never planted.

As soon as the Bible gets recognition and merit in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Algeria, Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia, Iraq, Bangla Desh, Libya, Nigeria, etc. as the followers of the Koran demand that Western society give their holy book we can talk about equality and fairness.

Until then, go back to any and all the aforementioned countries and shut your mouth.

 

[Machjo]

I also studied most of what I know on my own. That also goes for a lot of things that currently make up my occupation even.

I always wanted to know more about the practice of Zoroastrianism, but the few Iranians I have met were Muslims, although they were able to tell me a little bit about it.

AVESTA -- Zoroastrian Archives

Some Zoroastrian texts are available here in English it would seem.

There is absolutely no reason why the holy books of religions, other than Christianity should be given the the same ranking as the Holy Bible.

Those who follow those other books/religions are nothing but Johnny-come-latelies who want to harvest the bounty of religious freedom they never planted.

As soon as the Bible gets recognition and merit in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Algeria, Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia, Iraq, Bangla Desh, Libya, Nigeria, etc. as the followers of the Koran demand that Western society give their holy book we can talk about equality and fairness.

Until then, go back to any and all the aforementioned countries and shut your mouth.

I'd met an indigenous Canadian Muslim a few years ago. I'd also met indigenous Canadian Baha'is. Are you now telling me that they should go "back" to Iran?

 

[Niflmir]

AVESTA -- Zoroastrian Archives
Some Zoroastrian texts are available here in English it would seem.
I'd met an indigenous Canadian Muslim a few years ago. I'd also met indigenous Canadian Baha'is. Are you now telling me that they should go "back" to Iran?

Thanks for the link.

Mostly I was interested in aspects of its practice. I had heard that there was some prejudice towards the practice of it in current Iraq for instance. It is one thing to study books and another thing to talk with people. I tend to be more of the bookish variety...

 

[Machjo]

Thanks for the link.

Mostly I was interested in aspects of its practice. I had heard that there was some prejudice towards the practice of it in current Iraq for instance. It is one thing to study books and another thing to talk with people. I tend to be more of the bookish variety...

I found that it's always worth reading the authorized text of the religion since not all practitioners are necessarily knowledgeable of their own religion and even those who are can come up with particular interpretations, or mix in some ethnic components to the religion that are not found in the texts of the religion itself and therefore not found among practitioners of other ethnic groups. This can ahppen in any religion.

 

[L Gilbert]

There is absolutely no reason why the holy books of religions, other than Christianity should be given the the same ranking as the Holy Bible.

Why? What makes Christianity more important than anyn other religion? Especially to people of other religions? Why would a Hindu, for instance, place more inportance on Christianity than their own religion?

Those who follow those other books/religions are nothing but Johnny-come-latelies who want to harvest the bounty of religious freedom they never planted.

How would you know?

As soon as the Bible gets recognition and merit in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Algeria, Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia, Iraq, Bangla Desh, Libya, Nigeria, etc. as the followers of the Koran demand that Western society give their holy book we can talk about equality and fairness.

Until then, go back to any and all the aforementioned countries and shut your mouth.

lol How about you take your Christianity back to the middle east where it started, too?

 

[Gavin Morgan]

AVESTA -- Zoroastrian Archives

Some Zoroastrian texts are available here in English it would seem.



I'd met an indigenous Canadian Muslim a few years ago. I'd also met indigenous Canadian Baha'is. Are you now telling me that they should go "back" to Iran?

No, all I am saying is that the Koran/Quoran should have the the same kind of reception in Canada/USA or for that matter any civilized Western countries as the Bible gets in any of the countries I mentioned in my post.