Facebook Oversharing Teacher Tells Students to Get Out If They Don't Like "God's Truth"

[William769]

Although a Florida teacher's incendiary comments on Facebook about same-sex marriage weren't enough to get him fired, he has yet another problem — his course syllabus tells students that he teaches "God's truth," and if you don't like it, then get out.

The new allegation was unveiled Thursday when social studies teacher Jerry Buell defended himself at a news conference hosted by Liberty Counsel, a group that volunteers its lawyers in religious cases across the country. Together they've maintained that Buell had a First Amendment right to react to enactment of marriage equality in New York by calling the development a "cesspool" that made him sick.

"I made a political comment, and all I did was affirm with passion the decision by 62% of the voters in the state of Florida in the constitutional amendment that they had in 2008," Buell argued, according to video from the Orlando Sentinel. "Residents of Florida do not approve of same-sex marriage."

The superintendent sided with Buell on the Facebook question earlier this week, but Orlando news outlets are reporting that Buell's syllabus, which he says he's used for years, is being questioned by school board authorities. The syllabus includes this warning to students: "I am a man of God and I try to be like Jesus every day. I teach God's truth, I make very few compromises. If you believe you may have a problem with that, get your schedule changed, 'cause I ain't changing!"

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/08/26/Facebook_Oversharing_Teacher_Tells_Students_to_Get_Out_if_They_Don_t_Like_Gods_Truth/

And to anyone that has argued he is protected by 1st Amendments rights, I say FUCK YOU!!! The Students protection of their 1st Amendments rights (freedom of religion) comes first. Now chew on that!

[Deep13]

1. He's working for the public and if he can't handle it, the exits are well marked.

The students have to be there and have a right to be there. This teacher doesn't.

As a side note, why does "God's truth" contain so many lies.

[atreides1]

4. God's Truth

Was written by men, with an agenda...that's why it contains so many lies!

[dtexdem]

11. What god?

Baal?

[Deep13]

16. Thor

[Deep13]

17. Well sure, I guess that's what I was implying.

Simply put, it's all made up.

:hi:

[Skip_In_Boulder]

2. New day, new level of craziness in the country.

[atreides1]

3. I wonder?

When during his day does he try to be like Jesus?

[Starry Messenger]

5. Geeze louise.

I wonder how he kept getting away with putting that on his syllabus. Tenure doesn't make you bulletproof. Political comments are one thing, but waving your opinion around like it is holy writ is usually frowned upon. Church/state separation, right? What a dick, I hate to think of all of the GBLT students he may have had over the years who had to endure his class.

[notadmblnd]

6. please post a link to this sob's facebook page

[William769]

8. If I knew it I would.

I don't use face book & don't have an account & I haven't figured out how to search it without an account.

[CurtEastPoint]

12. Voila. It's private so you'll have to 'friend' him. I suggest not.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1385517057

[CurtEastPoint]

13. Of course there is another page (seriously) "Spupport Jerry Buell" on which I found these gems:

GOD BLESS YOU JERRY BUELL AND I AM POSITIVE HE WILL!!! In America if you are an illegal alien, murderer, rapist, thief or anti-Christ, YOU ARE OKAY AND LOOKED UP TO. If you are tax payer, live by he laws of our land, have a job, support your family without help from the Welfare System YOU ARE A BAD PERSON. There is no shame in America, no guilt, no character and people wonder WHY our country is going to Hell in a handbasket???? HOMOSEXUALITY IS A SIN, IT IS ABNORMAL PERVERSE BEHAVIOR, ALWAYS HAS BEEN, ALWAYS WILL BE!!!! HOORAY FOR JERRY BUELL!!!!!

And I think this one is made up but...

Thank God he was able to go bak to School...God is not asleep...I HATE FAGGOTS..AND NO ONE, YES NO ONE CAN GET THAT OUT OF ME!!!!! THEY ARE DOOM FOR HELL!!!! YES HELL!!!!...NASTY BITCHES!!!!

[dsc]

7. when it was limited to facebook I think it was a first amendment issue

but not now. The syllabus is supposed to be about his class not him. Jesus has no place in his syllabus, anymore than my being gay should be in mine.

[Amimnoch]

22. Which is greater: Free Speech, or right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?

I'd always thought it was sad that one of the greatest lines of the Declaration of Independence was never included into the US Constitution.

I've been on the fence with the Facebook thing myself. What the jackass posted was hateful, and potentially hurtful to his students.. but at the same time, freedom of speech isn't supposed to be just for the speech we like or agree with. However, there is an additional question that has to be asked.. does his facebook post have the real potential to threaten the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness for others? Where there is such a large amount of document evidence of this kind of language inciting violence, bullying, and in some cases even the death of other students then how can it be accepted as protected under free speech??

Example: I go on facebook, I offer $500,000.00 for someone to kill my hubby (DON"T DO IT!!!), then some random someone kills my hubby.. Am I at fault? Should the law have to wait until someone actually kills my hubby before they can act against me? Of course not! That would be absurd!

So, then, why is it acceptable to protect postings that have a known history of causing injury, and the deaths of others??

I fully agree that adding that shitty message to his syllabus leaves no more room for grey area, he took his hateful opinion to work, as a public educator, he should be fired.. period, but to me, I really don't think of it as being that much of a "grey" area to begin with.

[dsc]

26. If he grades fairly and is fair in his classroom

his facebook page should be irrelevent to his keeping his job. Otherwise Christian students could lobby to remove me.

[HockeyMom]

9. "God's Truth"?

I have worked in Education both in Florida and NY. In NY in a Public School I had a child I worked with as a 1:1 aide ask me about the cross his Mom make him wear. Dear Mr. Buell, it was not my JOB to tell this kid about religion, or "spread the word", even though this child was catholic, and I spent 12 years in catholic school learning HIS religion. Not my job in Public School, besides which, after all that PRAYING, I no longer believed in it.

Mr. Buell, RELIGION has no place in Public Schools. You want kids to learn religion, YOU go teach in a parochial school. I, purposefully, DIDN'T send my own kids to parochial school so they would NOT have to be preached to (been there, done that), so why would I want them to have to be subject to the same in PUBLIC SCHOOL?

[Deep13]

20. Well put. nt

[TlalocW]

10. So, if you can't handle God's Truth, don't show up in pre-Algebra

Cuz it won't be pretty. "Why do we need to solve for x? CUZ JESUS DIED FOR YOUR SINS!"

TlalocW

[provis99]

14. "I am a man of God and I try to be like Jesus every day"

"and I prove it by threatening my students!"

[Deep13]

18. Can we nail him to a tree? nt

[_ed_]

23. Well, he's actually on solid ground there if he's trying to be like Jesus

Luke 19:27: "But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them--bring them here and kill them in front of me.'"

[William769]

24. The parable is about judgment day.

Reread the whole thing with that in mind and see if it makes sense to you.

[WildClarySage]

15. wwjh

who would jesus hate?

[Deep13]

19. Guys like this.

Hypocritical, greedy, attention-whores.

[Deep13]

21. Church and state issues aside...

...I don't want my tax money being used to spread malicious lies about my friends.

[RetiredTrotskyite]

25. That Fucking Bastard...

The heat needs to be kept on until we get his sorry bigoted ass fired. Of course the Superintendent sided with this prick...they're all in the same big(oted) bed together.

[NMMNG]

27. Susan B. Anthony pegged them right

"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."
— Susan B. Anthony