Parents of third graders outraged at diversity tape

[Masterj]

I KNOW that one day society will look back and see how ridiculous and morally and legally wrong this all was. Homosexuals should have EQUAL rights and be able to marry. Just like slavery, oppression of women, ethnic cleansing......this will rank right up there. I just hope I live long enough to see it.

We will Linda. I truly believe with all my heart we will.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Yup, I know about your old Guv. What a mess, eh? I felt bad for his wife.

Science is making great strides in backing up your and my belief that people are born that way. We see it in nature all the time. How they reconcile that is beyond me. I've read a variety of answers, but none that make sense to me. When you couple the concept of only one time around with the concept of if you have sex, you burn in hell forever... well, it just doesn't make sense to me at all.

And what you said here is so good, I think it deserves to be said again:

I KNOW that one day society will look back and see how ridiculous and morally and legally wrong this all was. Homosexuals should have EQUAL rights and be able to marry. Just like slavery, oppression of women, ethnic cleansing......this will rank right up there. I just hope I live long enough to see it.

I felt bad for his wife too. I also feel really bad for him.

BTW ...........Isn't pre-marital sex a sin. Aren't ALL sins equal? I'll never believe murdering someone is equal to taking the Lord's name in vain, no matter what the Bible says. In the Bible weren't most women about as valued as an ox or *advertiser censored*? Wasn't God "into" animal sacrifice? Hmmmmmmmmmmm

We've come a long way..no need to stop now!!!

 

[Dark Knight]

It's public school. If a parent doesn't agree with what is being taught, that parent has every right to yank their children and send them to private school or homeschool them.

I would suggest they homeschool and keep their children locked in the house 24/7 to thwart reality as long as possible from creeping in. At least that way we wouldn't be forced to listen to the whining!

If that isn't convienant..........Don't worry, when your kids get home from public school you and everyone else are free to cram their little heads with whatever you think is important.

Since it's a public school, I have a better idea: Why don't YOU take YOUR kids out and homeschool them and cram their heads whatever you want. You're more interested in ideological domination than equality if you think your views and your kids are the only ones important. "We" aren't leaving and we won't lay down for you.

 

[IrishMist]

Speaking of hyprocracy, did yo hear about that school in... hmmm... I think it was Virginia. Anyway, the board said no to sending flyers home with kids advertising a vacation bible school. So Jerry Falwell jumped into the fray, made a big fat hairy deal, and got his way. All good, right??

Well, it was all good, till a Wiccan church wanted to send home flyers for a pagan winter celebration!!! Ha!

Free speech arguments went right out the window there, I'll tell ya. The religious folks were going nuts over these poor kids having a pagan celebration forced on them!!

I went and looked it up, it was in [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Albemarle County, Virginia.


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[IrishMist]

Since it's a public school, I have a better idea: Why don't YOU take YOUR kids out and homeschool them and cram their heads whatever you want. You're more interested in ideological domination than equality if you think your views and your kids are the only ones important. "We" aren't leaving and we won't lay down for you.

It doesn't work that way because of the separation of church and state.

 

[Dark Knight]

I'll never believe murdering someone is equal to taking the Lord's name in vain, no matter what the Bible says. In the Bible weren't most women about as valued as an ox or *advertiser censored*? Wasn't God "into" animal sacrifice? Hmmmmmmmmmmm

We've come a long way..no need to stop now!!!

Oh my gosh! You really don't know what you're talking about, do you? :hand: I love you, anyways. :blowkiss:

 

[Linda7NJ]

We will Linda. I truly believe with all my heart we will.

Me too!

I have very heated arguments with my own mother about this very issue. What I find most odd is she has lots of gay male friends but doesn't believe they should be able to marry. It's because of her & my early exposure to other people's life styles that I am so passionate about this topic!

Different generation I suppose.

 

[Dark Knight]

It doesn't work that way because of the separation of church and state.

You need a new crutch, IM. I didn't even mention religion in that post, lol.

 

[Jessiebell]

You know, I went to an art school for my college education, the artistic fields attract a large gay crowd so I had/have countless gay friends. I saw so many times the effects that people that think it's wrong to be gay have on the gay community and some of the stories are just plain horrific. How ANYONE can think that it is "God's" will to make these perfectly wonderful people suffer as they are prone to do from time to time from this thinking is just so horribly heartbreaking to me. I choose to think that people who think in the manner just plain don't understand the pain they inflict - because otherwise it makes me feel a good deal of anger.

At the same time - the respect that I hold for my gay friends that aren't afraid to hide who they are - despite the pain they open themselves up to - is so amazinly huge! This kind of strength has been so inspiring to me and helped to get me through some very hard times in my life.

 

[narlacat]

What exactly are you referring to here? What is that and who is They and what "things"?

This is just like when I ask my husband where something is and he says "Over there - on the thing".

lol, I don't know who DK was referring to, but for once I don't think he was referring to me!
Least I don't think he was..

Funny, men huh?

 

[IrishMist]

You need a new crutch, IM. I didn't even mention religion in that post, lol.

I have enough crutches, DK.

I'm sorry I misunderstood. What were you referring to, then?

 

[Linda7NJ]

Since it's a public school, I have a better idea: Why don't YOU take YOUR kids out and homeschool them and cram their heads whatever you want. You're more interested in ideological domination than equality if you think your views and your kids are the only ones important. "We" aren't leaving and we won't lay down for you.

Ummmmm Dark Knight we've had this conversation before.....my son isn't in public school I'm the atheist that sends her child to a private Christain school!

Remember me now?

 

[IrishMist]

You know, I went to an art school for my college education, the artistic fields attract a large gay crowd so I had/have countless gay friends. I saw so many times the effects that people that think it's wrong to be gay have on the gay community and some of the stories are just plain horrific. How ANYONE can think that it is "God's" will to make these perfectly wonderful people suffer as they are prone to do from time to time from this thinking is just so horribly heartbreaking to me. I choose to think that people who think in the manner just plain don't understand the pain they inflict - because otherwise it makes me feel a good deal of anger.

At the same time - the respect that I hold for my gay friends that aren't afraid to hide who they are - despite the pain they open themselves up to - is so amazinly huge! This kind of strength has been so inspiring to me and helped to get me through some very hard times in my life.

Wonderful post, Jessiebell.

While all my adult friends have been out long before I knew them, I give a little cheer each time one of my kid's friends do it. I've known the majority of these kids since they were in Kindergarten, and it just does my heart proud that they are being who they are. (Sadly, a couple are paying a high price for it. )

 

[Jessiebell]

Ummmmm Dark Knight we've had this conversation before.....my son isn't in public school I'm the atheist that sends her child to a private Christain school!

Remember me now?

LOL! My older daughter went to a private Catholic preschool - but I took her out for Kindergarten because I wasn't sure how to handle the religious teachings that she would get beyond preschool. Do you mind me asking how you handled it?


Also - how do you hide your evil red glowing atheist mark on your forehead when you drop your child off? I had a damned hard time with that!

 

[Jessiebell]

Wonderful post, Jessiebell.

While all my adult friends have been out long before I knew them, I give a little cheer each time one of my kid's friends do it. I've known the majority of these kids since they were in Kindergarten, and it just does my heart proud that they are being who they are. (Sadly, a couple are paying a high price for it. )

Thank you IrishMist.

That is very sad - My children are still very young -so I can only imagine how hard it is for you - as a mother - to see kids go through this. It was sad enough to see it happen to my peers. I'll bet the "mama bear" in you threatens to surface often for them!

 

[Jessiebell]

lol, I don't know who DK was referring to, but for once I don't think he was referring to me!
Least I don't think he was..

Funny, men huh?

LOL! Yes they are funny ducks.

 

[IrishMist]

Thank you IrishMist.

That is very sad - My children are still very young -so I can only imagine how hard it is for you - as a mother - to see kids go through this. It was sad enough to see it happen to my peers. I'll bet the "mama bear" in you threatens to surface often for them!

You'd think so, but not so much. For alot of these kids, I'm a "trusted adult". It brings out the "counselor" in me more than anything else!!

I have never interfered between parents and their kids, even if I didn't agree with how the parents raised their kids. I did give one young man a safe place to stay. I used to really worry about him, but he stopped in here not last Christmas, but the year before, and he's coming into his own. His Dad, especially, did not take his coming out well. At all.

 

[Dark Knight]

Ummmmm Dark Knight we've had this conversation before.....my son isn't in public school I'm the atheist that sends her child to a private Christain school!

Remember me now?

LOL! Hi Linda! Yes, I recall how confusing that was, lol, sorry. How are ya?

 

[csds703]

Not everyone agrees what a bias is, so it isn't the school's job to raise our kids for us. I notice when the those who like THAT idea were asked if their kids could be taught things THEY didn't agreen with, those same people suddenly didn't want the school's to raise their kids. It's quite hypocritical.

Dk
I still don't think that prayer or one group's religious beliefs should be taught in public school.
I understand the moral dilemna for somebody with your faith, but you have to admit that intolerance leads to bad things. There are still gay kids who get bullied and even worse, beat up and killed.

I know that your religion and many other religions believe that homosexuality is a sin, and you can teach that at home. I don't have to agree.

Schools teach about birth control also. Some schools even hand out condoms. I teach abstinence at home, but I know that my daughter is better off knowing about STDS and birth control.

A 45 minute lesson on diversity and tolerance is alot different than school prayer.

 

[Linda7NJ]

LOL! My older daughter went to a private Catholic preschool - but I took her out for Kindergarten because I wasn't sure how to handle the religious teachings that she would get beyond preschool. Do you mind me asking how you handled it?


Also - how do you hide your evil red glowing atheist mark on your forehead when you drop your child off? I had a damned hard time with that!

ROFL! I wear a headband! Seriously, though........I think at the elementary & middle school level there isn't much in the religious teachings ( at least in the school my son attends) that morally I don't agree with.

As you can tell, I am not a hard core, rub your face in it, obnoxious atheist that wants to change the Pledge of Alligence. It's my own personal belief and I do not feel the need to brainwash my child into my way of thinking. At this age (9) I often casually explain to him that not everyone believes the same thing. We have conversations about different religons and how they are different and that some people simply don't believe. Once he commented that a certain belief was stupid and silly and I reminded him they thought the same of his belief. It really put it in perspective for him. As far as I can tell, he respects diversity.

*****As a parent, I think it's my job to teach my child to think for himself. ****

He doesn't know what I believe. I just provide as much information as I can so he can grow up and make a educated choice. Right now he considers himself a Christian and I support him in that. I would also be EQUALLY supportive if he was gay.