Religion
Related: About this forumPagan mom outraged after school gives son Bible
Ginger Strivelli calls it totally inappropriate
BY Larry Mcshane
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, December 20 2011, 1:27 PM
Ginger Strivelli is a different kind of Bible-thumper: The self-proclaimed pagan would like to smack school officials for giving her son access to a copy of the good book.
Its totally inappropriate they think they can get away with this, an angry Strivelli told the Asheville Citizen-Times after her fifth-grade son came home with a Bible.
Its absolutely unbelievable, and their attitude is ridiculous.
The scripture showdown began when Strivellis son came back to her Weaverville, N.C., home after school on Monday carring a copy of the Bible.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/pagan-mom-outraged-school-son-bible-article-1.994410?localLinksEnabled=false
I'm with her.
knowledgeispwr
(1,489 posts)And the school allegedly just leaving the bibles in a box for people to pick up doesn't make it okay either.
FarCenter
(19,429 posts)That would pretty well innoculate him against the Christian religion.
deacon_sephiroth
(731 posts)Of course I'm not pleased that the school is chosing to participate in the recent war on the constitution that the religious right is waging, but the best thing for the mom to do is sit down with her kid and open that bad boy up. There's no faster way to reject christianity than to actually read its "holy book".
Starboard Tack
(11,181 posts)Doesn't want junior exposed to any religious books that don't support her religious beliefs. She might benefit from reading a few books on child psychology and parenting.
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)humblebum
(5,881 posts)Serious SARCASM.
ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)Some Christians love to target your kids, and they receive social protections not "offered" to non-Christians.
Can you imagine the outrage that would occur if the school was giving kids books on demonology, kaos magick, sex magic, Satanism, etc.? Many, many people would freak, even though those belief systems are equivalent to Christianity.
Starboard Tack
(11,181 posts)Prejudice and censorship are rarely, if ever, justified. The harm done to the boy's psyche by the mother far outweighs his exposure to a book. By imposing her beliefs on him and announcing to the world her intolerance of different views, she has subjected him to potential ridicule, scorn, embarrassment and harassment from his peers.
I don't endorse the school, or any of it's teachers handing out bibles, but her reaction was way out of line.
laconicsax
(14,860 posts)Starboard Tack
(11,181 posts)If you disagree with what I said, feel free to express your thoughts. I don't like anyone, including school teachers and parents who try to limit children from ideas and beliefs different to their own. Two wrongs don't make a right.
laconicsax
(14,860 posts)LAGC
(5,330 posts)Daughters getting their dad drunk and having sex with him. Men killing other men to take their wives. God ordering armies to smash children's heads in and kill everyone but the virgins to be raped. Palming off your wife to a ruler as your 'sister.' Burning your daughter alive because you made 'god' a promise. And so forth.
I think there's valid reasons for waiting until kids are adults before exposing them to that kind of smut.
kids watch TV, kids have access to Internet and public libraries and they have friends who show them "filthy magazines".
skepticscott
(13,029 posts)When parents CAN shield their children from that sort of thing, do they have a right to? Do parents have a right to decide what religious propaganda they want their children to be exposed to, and to decide that they don't want their children proselytized to?
tama
(9,137 posts)have right - and obligation - to fuck up their children any way they do, because that's what they do, anyway.
I say 'fuck up' (with tongue in cheek) instead of 'raise' because I'm a parent too and that helps to ease the load of not being a perfect parent in a perfect world. Believing that relaxing and not trying to be a perfect parent actually - or hopefully - helps me to be a better parent, just by being my imperfect self.
And for that matter, I'm not interested in any universal moral code nor judgments of others or "rights" based on this or that universal moral code, so I'm not the guy you should ask that question.
TygrBright
(20,733 posts)AND
...North Windy Ridge principal Jackie Byerly said any group interested in distributing material the same way would receive approval to do so.
Okey-dokey, let's make a list:
The Q'ran, of course.
Book of Mormon
That weird Moonie tome
The complete works of L. Ron Hubbard, natch!
Definitely the Rig Veda
Oh, but why confine it to religious groups? The PUBLIC SCHOOL Principal said "Any group"...
So... NAMBLA got any material they wanna distribute?
How about the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion?"
Hey, maybe one of those "Make a bomb or incendiary device at home from common household items" tomes would be of interest to the students!
Shades of the Seven Silurian Sand Gods defend us...
disgustedly,
Bright
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)Meaning, your point about being open to "any group" is spot on, and it shows why religion, of ANY kind, has no business in a public school. Nor does ANY private interest group (NAMBLA! HA! I see what you did there. for that matter. Curriculum alone belongs in the school. End of story.
Starboard Tack
(11,181 posts)Teaching about religions and philosophy and how they have influenced society in a historical context is totally appropriate. There should be no bias or censorship.
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)But nice try at diversion.
Starboard Tack
(11,181 posts)Why should comparative religion and philosophy not be taught in schools? You can't hide kids from the history of mankind. I'm not talking indoctrination, but education. Just because you or I don't subscribe to a belief system doesn't mean we or our kids shouldn't know about them. Do you think a school should not allow books about religion in school libraries?
Meshuga
(6,182 posts)...if a teacher gave out copies of the satanic bible to his/her students at that same school he would be fired immediately.
Starboard Tack
(11,181 posts)Satan originated in the Old Testament. The mother is supposedly pagan. Don't think pagans do the Satan thing.
tama
(9,137 posts)by LaVey. A book about atheistic "satanism" or "ethical egoism".
tama
(9,137 posts)By all means, let all those who want to donate books for pupils to grab a copy, if they want. All those books you mentioned and Satanic bible on top. What's wrong with freedom of information, freely distributed but not forced?
TygrBright
(20,733 posts)DawnBrooks
(4 posts)they were only kidding. when strivelli showed up with her pagan books they decided to review the policy
Meshuga
(6,182 posts)That is very inappropriate.
EvolveOrConvolve
(6,452 posts)Sure it's wrong to give the Bible out at school, but I've usually found that a good reading of the Bible is the best way to turn kids off of it. Seriously, the Bible is a train-wreck, literary-wise. It's just terrible.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)Starboard Tack
(11,181 posts)LAGC
(5,330 posts)Daughters getting their dad drunk and having sex with him. Men killing other men to take their wives. God ordering armies to smash children's heads in and kill everyone but the virgins to be raped. Palming off your wife to a ruler as your 'sister.' Burning your daughter alive because you made 'god' a promise. And so forth.
I think there's valid reasons for waiting until kids are adults before exposing them to that kind of smut.
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)Starboard Tack
(11,181 posts)If we just ignore it, maybe it'll gather the dust it deserves.
have generally fucked up, if you take a look at how things are in the world. I don't see that as reason to put parents rights on the pedestal...
trotsky
(49,533 posts)Even public schools in the USA?
Aspects of western society are decried by so many individuals - but these same individuals (conservative AND liberal) will turn around and promote Christianity's founding and ongoing role in the success of western society.
Seems to me a little like god belief itself - you take the credit for the good, but blame the bad on something else.
tama
(9,137 posts)that the answer is to deny free distribution of information to "protect children" from Christianity, Satanism, Trotskyism etc.
trotsky
(49,533 posts)And just to nip this in the bud, because it always comes up, my username has nothing to do with the historical Trotsky.
tama
(9,137 posts)of your war with Christians. I support free distribution of information, also for Christians, and don't see how making copies of Bible available and free to take if some pupil wants to take amounts to "pushing". If you were denied the possibility to freely distribute a book that you like in the same way, then that would be censorship and pushing one world view over others and denial of freedom of information. So instead of nagging at Christianity, you could see this as an opportunity to spread the ideas that you like?
The mother could as well instead of getting infuriated make copies of her Book of Shadows - or some other Wicca-book - and distribute it the same way.
trotsky
(49,533 posts)Starboard Tack
(11,181 posts)No bible, no TV, no video games, no nursery rhymes, no history, no news, no politics. Get real. We live in an obscene world. I say expose them to as much as possible if you want them to have a chance at survival. Be there for when they need you. If you want them to read something, tell them not to. If you don't want them to read it, shove it down their throat.
Sounds like you have a lot of prejudice against one particular book, but I notice you found the good bits.
Nihil
(13,508 posts)Maybe I'm just one of those theists who really couldn't give a shit about someone else's beliefs?
Perhaps just too militantly apathetic?
humblebum
(5,881 posts)witchcraft, or sorcery allowed in the school. Harry Pottery? Wizard of Oz? Of any of the popular books available today about witchcraft. Where does one draw the line?
LAGC
(5,330 posts)I'd have no problem if the Bible was allowed in the school library filed under the fiction section, where it belongs.
humblebum
(5,881 posts)many "how to" books on the subject. Personally, I consider atheism to be fiction, but again pure personal opinion there.
LAGC
(5,330 posts)...for distribution by atheist teachers to all their students.
After all, turn-about is fair play, is it not?
Goblinmonger
(22,340 posts)That doesn't even make sense. Not believing in a god isn't real? So are you saying there isn't such a thing as not believing in gods and that we are all fooling ourselves?
Sometimes you might want to actually think about what you are typing rather than just thinking "hey, this would be a good shot at atheists."
mr blur
(7,753 posts)unless you're in the habit of offering illogical nonsense as opinions.
It's a meaningless statement.
Are you just trying to start an argument, or do you really not know what you're talking about?
humblebum
(5,881 posts)humblebum
(5,881 posts)I guess I do consider atheism as "illogical nonsense", as you point out, in many respects.
Goblinmonger
(22,340 posts)would account for a witchcraft counter to the Bible? Yikes.
And as demonstrated below, you clearly don't get the irony of your statement.
humblebum
(5,881 posts)just how far something could be carried to extremes. I wonder if her son would have brought home something on Saxon witchcraft, would she have had the same reaction?
DawnBrooks
(4 posts)because they decided handing out religious material was a bad idea the VERY day she brought pagan materials for distribution
Mariana
(14,849 posts)How utterly shocking.
Do you have a link? Did this sudden reversal of policy even make the news?
tama
(9,137 posts)Which books would you censor, if any?
humblebum
(5,881 posts)a kind or none.
tama
(9,137 posts)and I agree. I wonder is there someone on this board who actually disagrees with what you said.
jeepnstein
(2,631 posts)Perhaps she should have taught her child not to accept certain kinds of printed material. I know there are certain books that I have taught my young children I don't want them reading. It's not censorship, it's parenting. I also don't let my nine year olds surf porn on the internet. A fifth grader is old enough to understand the rules a parent imposes.
She just did more harm than good for her cause. She has now shown a young boy a way to really punch mom's buttons. She has an emotional reaction to the Bible. So the kid is going to wonder what's in it that makes it so powerful. Forbidden fruit and all that kind of stuff. We've been that way since the beginning of mankind. Tell us we can't have something and we'll not stop until we taste a bit of it.
Having said all that I don't see the schools as a really good venue for distributing religious literature. It is almost certain to create more controversy than intelligent discussion if you even try. That doesn't mean I think the Bible, or even several different ones, shouldn't be in the school library. For that matter I think literature from all the major world religions should be in any good library. But having missionaries visiting and distributing tracts or Bibles is not smart or acceptable in a public school.