You know....

[PassingFair]

If I ran an "Atheist School" or a
camp for Freethinkers, and some parents
enrolled a believing child, who questioned
non-belief, and the Freethinking PARENTS
wrote letters and e-mails demanding that
I expel the believing child....

I would tell them to FUCK OFF.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=214&topic_id=202215&mesg_id=202215

[Random_Australian]

1. Aye, that's what I thought. In case people hadn't noticed, young people have and

change religions and beliefs. Even if that kid came to school like that, or even if you only accepted believers, you'd still have to expect people to question religion. Most of the catholic schools here in Aust are hotbeds of atheism because no-one likes the religion they are being taught. At all!

In short, you should expect people to say all sorts of stuff about beliefs. Children learn by asking and watching, not magic. And you know what? They won't necessarily believe anything you say.

Expelling someone for that would be stupid. Writing in letters demanding the student be expelled is something much, much more.

[PassingFair]

2. I could NOT believe some of the attitudes....

I TOLD my brother that there
would eventually be trouble,
but his wife INSISTED that the
girls go to THIS particular
school.

If I were him, I would be
demanding copies of the
complaints.

[cosmik debris]

3. That thread sure turned sour quickly

I would have never guessed that parents would react that way about an 8 yr old, but when DUers reacted so acrimoniously, I was speechless.

[PassingFair]

4. They have a "right"!

Totally unable to see the
difference between what's right
and what they can get away with
when in power.

Jeez.

[laconicsax]

7. Were you really that surprised?

Or am I just that jaded?

[cosmik debris]

8. Yes, I was.

When adults pick on children it always surprises me.

When they pick on children that they don't even know, I am appalled.

[moggie]

5. They're not just trying to kick her out of the school

You just know that, if some parents are going that far, they and others have probably told their kids not to have anything to do with her. One incautious comment could potentially make her life miserable for some time to come. The school is certainly within their rights to have a word with her about good and bad ways of expressing your beliefs, but it's pretty much a Christian school's job to mould kids into good little believers, and if they're defeated at that by an eight-year-old, they're not very good at it. As for the other parents, it's disgusting but not surprising. If the school provide any genuine ethical guidance, they'll tell those parents politely but firmly that you don't conduct witch-hunts against children.

As for the R/T reaction, I see some of the usual suspects there. Nasty pieces of work. Their god must be so proud.

[PassingFair]

6. It makes me angry....

but now my brother "wins" against
my sister-in-law.

She's not a fundie, she's a snob,
and wanted her girls to go to the
"best" school.

She never DREAMED they'd pull this
kind of crap.

I feel bad, because their only options
are home-schooling, moving, or
having my sister-in-law take an aide
job at the local public school so she
can keep an eye out for their safety.

Funny thing is that she used to teach
BIOLOGY at a Catholic High School, and
cannot get a job at the public schools.

:crazy:

[ihavenobias]

11. Those aren't great options.

Although I should be careful, I see the last time homeschooling was brought up (in GD) a gang of home-schoolers assaulted the thread.

[moggie]

12. Oh, but you have an AGENDA

And you have BIAS! :sarcasm:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

9. OMG there's a "Catholics aren't Christians" bigot in there!

Asshole.

[PassingFair]

10. She thinks more highly of atheists than she does Catholics....

funny!

Have you been hanging out with Critters2?

Your language pattern seems familiar....

:P

[moggie]

13. Plus an "atheists have no basis for morality" bigot

It's like a cavalcade of stupid.

[PassingFair]

14. I have two of them on ignore ...

I didn't like being called a liar every
time I posted.

Their "arguments" consisted of:

"You're a liar" and "Prove it".

What do they want? Blood evidence?

[muriel_volestrangler]

17. I've just had a "atheists can't ask Christians to aspire to Christian standards" moment

Apparently it's OK for other religious or 'spiritual' people to call Christians out on hypocrisy, but atheists just look 'foolish' when they do it.

[onager]

15. The majesty and omnipotence of Gawd Awmighty...

Defeated by an 8-year-old.

:rofl:

Thanks for giving me one of those rare days when I actually feel some hope for humanity.

I tried to read the whole thread, but couldn't finish it. Maybe later.

[PassingFair]

18. I''m not questioning their "right" to toss the kid....

They can't admit that it is "wrong" in
every sense except the legal one.

I reminded them that it was "legal" and
withing the rights of the church to BURN
heretics a couple of centuries ago, but
it doesn't make it moral.

To DU's credit, only a handful actually
defend the shunning.

[rrneck]

16. If all you have is

a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Someone who has dedicated their entire life to a belief system is going to find it very difficult to be non biased about it. And that's fine. But it's a bad idea to take the position that just because they believe something they should have some special place in our culture where their beliefs cannot be questioned. The notion that we should create places in our culture where what amounts to a corporation with the imprimatur of divine right can indoctrinate children without oversight is a formula for sectarian chaos.

If someone wants to have a religious school, fine, let them have it. But don't let's pretend that it's anything but a place where people get indoctrinated. Education and indoctrination are two different things.

That's why we have a first amendment.