Faith Renewed For Local Students Wednesday

[beam me up scottie]

Faith renewed for local students Wednesday
Thursday, September 22, 2005 10:19 AM CDT
Mark SchlachtenhAufen
The Edmond Sun

United by their love for Christ and their concern for a spiritually broken world, students Wednesday met at local schools for the annual "See You at the Pole" event.

Nearly 150 students gathered early in the morning at the Edmond North High School yard where they prayed for their school, for their community, for President Bush and for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

They also prayed for non-Christian students in their school and wrote their names down on paper.

In a solemn, symbolic offering, they nailed the pieces of paper to a wooden cross, set up beside the flag pole.

http://www.edmondsun.com/articles/2005/09/22/front/front.txt

[WhollyHeretic]

1. That is frightening especially since it has been done at many schools.

This quote was absolutely absurd: "Matthew Cates, an North senior, said some Christians are afraid to share their faith at school. The event gives them a chance to see other Christians."

They are afraid? The nutjobs are writing down the names of other students and nailed them to a cross. That seems like a death threat as far as I'm concerned.

[trotsky]

2. Apparently you didn't get the memo.

It's Christians that are persecuted in today's world, not anyone else. How the majority faith can claim they're persecuted, is not a question we are allowed to ask. They just ARE, ok?

[WhollyHeretic]

6. Oh, yeah that's right. (smacks forehead) I don't know how I could forget

something so obvious. Just like how the republicans are persecuted when they control the White House, both houses of congress, the supreme court, and the media. I'll just go back to the corner, I wouldn't want to infringe on their rights by speaking or thinking.

[beam me up scottie]

3. This is a world wide movement.

They want all students to do start doing this.

http://www.syatp.com/02home.html

[WhollyHeretic]

7. For some reason I'm thinking of Night of the Living Dead

Though the zombies were a lot less frightening.

[beam me up scottie]

8. You got that right.

A whole new generation of bible-bots, pushing their agenda on every campus.
The younger ones remind me more of Damien.
:scared:

[WhollyHeretic]

9. I've definitely met a few that remind me of Damien.

With all this talk of horror movies I think I'm going to have to put one on.

[beam me up scottie]

10. Have you seen Dog Soldier?

If you haven't, I can't recommend it enough.

[WhollyHeretic]

11. No I hadn't heard of it, I just looked it up on IMBD, it looks interesting

Thanks for the recommendation, I'm always on the lookout for good new horror movies.

[beam me up scottie]

12. Me too.

I was a member of Green Cine for a while.

Their member's movie lists gave me lots of great leads.

[NAO]

4. Their religion is based on a brutal, bloody human sacrifice

Because they are so acclimated to their religion, Xtians do not even notice the savage nature of their beliefs.

- the notion that "God wants blood";

- that God commanded, and was temporarily placated and pleased by slaughtering animals, chopping them up and splattering their blood on alters;

- that God likes the smell of burning flesh;

- that God's best and final answer (to the problem he created) consists of him taking on flesh so he could shed blood for everyone (because God is pissed, and the only thing that will make him forgive us is BLOOD)

These notions are just savage and brutal and ludicrous beyond belief. Xtian hymns speak of being "washed in the blood", "a fountain of blood", "the shedding of blood"...what is this, a major world religion or "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"?

[beam me up scottie]

5. Actually,

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was less bloody.
I'm into the genre and love that movie.
A cult classic, you know.

[Az]

13. Wanna see tolerance in action?

Have a bunch of pagans place a bunch of pentacles with Christian names around the flag polls. The school would be burned down within the week.

I remember a couple of similar incidents. There was a school that was hosting a bible study group after classes. Perfectly legal. It was student lead. Did not involve any teachers or staff guiding them.

But then a group of atheists decided they wanted their own bible study class. At first the principal rejected it. But they pressed the issue. Finally they consented.

The community raised such a stink that the principal canceled all after school programs.

Another case. A library in order to raise money sold bricks being placed the sidewalk outside. You could place a small symbol or statement on your brick. Pretty soon the religous messages starting coming in. But once the wrong beliefs showed up and demanded their bricks the community rose up again and the entire program had to be scrapped.

Setting aside the inappropriateness of placing nonbelievers names on crosses (an implement of death and torture), allowing people to express their beliefs in the public square is not a problem. As long as everyone recieves the same treatment and rights. And thats where it falls apart. The religious right does not want to share the public square. Thus no one gets to push their belief in the public square.

[beam me up scottie]

14. No kidding.

And those cases will be forever remembered as examples of atheists trying to remove god from public life.

[Kailassa]

15. KKKs became CCCs

I'm far more afraid of the Clueless Christ Clan than of any arab terrorists. Nailing names to a cross is so KKKish it's not funny.

[beam me up scottie]

16. Can you imagine

someone doing that to your kid?
I'm surprised angry parents haven't sued the school.
I sure the hell would.

[Kailassa]

17. yes, but ...

I'd be wanting to, but what law could you sue them under? It feels threatening, but how could you prove in court it was a threat?

[beam me up scottie]

18. Praying before school is one thing.

Targeting non-christians, nailing a list of their names to a cross and praying for them on school property is another.

I would be curious to see what the ACLU would have to say about this.

If you visit the site I listed above, the worldwide movement is very careful to state exactly what they can get away with.

I think this one group is going cowboy.

[Kailassa]

19. and it's not alone

I know you're not into tin-hat theories, Scottie, but I'll tell you mine anyway. I do have a reason for these beliefs, but they are personal experience and hear-say, so it's pointless to list them here.

I believe that many of the weird and suicidal cults we have seen in the last 40 years have been set up by a group working through the FBI, as experiments in how to use religion to control people.

The sort of "Christianity" we see today, including the new Hillsong church in Australia which is so beloved of the right-wing politicians, are an ideal way to set up an organisation to do the bidding of whoever is behind it. With threats, bribery, (Hillsong gives out large "loans" to its converts,) and a miracle or two, (easy enough to organise if people want to believe in them,) groups of kids can be made to do absolutely anything.

[beam me up scottie]

20. Well, now that is not so far fetched.

Our government is already using religion as mind control, on a much less radical scale, but out in full view of the public.

Just look at how Chimp McBlinky declares a Nat'l days of prayer and uses churches as the background for his photo-ops whenever his ratings drop.

And how they use the fear of islam to terrify the masses into submission.

Leaders have been using it to control the population since its invention.

If terrorist organizations can brainwash muslims into doing just about anything, I doubt our government would be blind to that kind of opportunity.

[Az]

21. I do not believe we need tin foil hat theories to make sense of this

It is a struggle older than this nation let alone the FBI. Dogmatic Authoratative Religions once ruled western society. The echoes of that power structure are still part of religious belief in many ways.

It is the belief that they hold the moral authority that gives rise to their reaching for power. It is these old religions trying to reach into government once again and reclaim what they once held.

[beam me up scottie]

22. Who's using tin foil theories to explain the bible bots mentioned above?

Don't you have your hands full elsewhere in this forum?
You're preaching to the choir in here.
:evilgrin:

[onager]

23. Well, THAT takes the cake...er, Death Cookie...

(Reference for Jack Chick fans) :evilgrin:

And you just KNOW how this will be spun by the Xers if anyone dares complain:

"Oh no, it's not intimidation! We're just concerned about so many of our classmates being unsaved!"

A-R-G-H!

I's just my opinion, but this seems almost as intimidating as something like The Nuremberg Files website. They're putting NAMES of "unsaved people" on public display, where even the most unbalanced lunatic can stroll by and make a little list.

[Az]

24. Its more troubling than that

It indicates they took the time to find the nonbelievers. Its not like we circulate a list of who's who in atheism. They are looking for our children.

[muriel_volestrangler]

27. Lyrics time: Peter Gabriel - Not One of Us

It's only water
In a stranger's tear
Looks are deceptive
But distinctions are clear
A foreign body
And a foreign mind
Never welcome
In the land of the blind
You may look like we do
Talk like we do
But you know how it is

You're not one of us
Not one of us
No you're not one of us
Not one of us
Not one of us
No you're not one of us

There's safety in numbers
When you learn to divide
How can we be in
If there is no outside
All shades of opinion
Feed an open mind
But your values are twisted
Let us help you unwind

[beam me up scottie]

25. Smells like terrorism to me.

But the good kind, of course.

[Qibing Zero]

26. At least the extreme christians that mock crucify and punish themselves

by 'bearing the pain of jesus' are only being hostile toward THEMSELVES.

This is just sick, not that it's surprising. =P

[FM Arouet666]

28. This is very troubling

To have my name posted on a cross as an offering would be a very disturbing event.

Is there a conflict with the establishment clause in this story? The students have the right to gather and pray, they have the right to pray for non-christians and make their offerings, my question is, what about the cross which is set up next to the pole.

Is the cross left in place as a tribute once the prayer session is over? By doing so, is the school implicitly supporting a particular religion? Can a group of satanists pray at the pole and offer up names of christians for damnation? If not, why not.

If they want to pray, great, pray away. The inclusion of others which do not hold their faith is repugnant.

[Kailassa]

30. not just "posted"

The names were NAILED to the cross, not just posted there. That's not an offering. In a country where the Ku Klux Klan used to play their games with crosses, that is a clear threat.

[FM Arouet666]

31. That is how I interpreted the issue as well.......

Very treating speech....

[Bill McBlueState]

29. when the sun rose in Korea

When the sun rose in Korea later that day, kids there went to school, and instead of having a bizarre magical ritual to start the morning, I guarantee you they learned about math and evolution and physics and chemistry. It's no surprise that our graduate programs in the sciences are dominated by international students, who arrive much better prepared and ready to work than mushy-headed Americans who grew upon a diet of Jesus and McDonalds.

Ok, done ranting.

[GOPFighter]

34. Whoa!

You got something against McDonalds? :evilgrin:

[cosmik debris]

32. Imagine a response

A huge clown face (as big as the cross or bigger) labeled "Wacko Nut Jobs" or "Chronic Masturbaters" and thumbtack names to it!

[GOPFighter]

33. GAG!

This sent shivers up my spine. And I noticed that unlike most newspaper articles, there wasn't a single dissenter quoted. No parent or student who said something like "Nailing non-Christian's names to a cross goes beyond common decency in my opinion."

This is intimidation pure and simple and it must be stopped by the schools.