Schoolboys get detention for refusing to kneel and "pray" to Allah in RE class

[tricia]

I would be so pissed off my head would most likely explode.

For some reason Jeana, your post made me LOL..I mean really LOL. My dogs jumped they were so surprised.

While I am very impressed with how civil you all are being, considering you are discussing religion, pretty please keep on topic. The topic being the news story in the first post.

Thanks Kids...
Love,
Mom

 

[Taximom]

I would be so pissed off my head would most likely explode.

Do we have a smilie for that? I would like one, please.

 

[4eyedbuzzard]

Has anyone seen this? http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/07/sclicense.plates/index.html

South Carolina is making a state issued Christian license plate. In FL we have a Choose Life license plate. It ruffled a lot of feathers. I wish they would give everyone the same tags.

But without these plates, how else would the cops know who the Christians are? The police in SC need to be able to focus on pulling over all those satanic heretics ouit there ya know.

 

[Pandora]

I'm a Christian and I think the plates are a bad idea. Why? Because we all do stupid things when we're driving and I'd rather people not be negatively influenced about my faith. I can't tell you how many of those dang fish stick'ums have made me wonder if the "fishers of men" shouldn't be in boats instead of cars!

 

[hipmamajen]

I'm a Christian and I think the plates are a bad idea. Why? Because we all do stupid things when we're driving and I'd rather people not be negatively influenced about my faith. I can't tell you how many of those dang fish stick'ums have made me wonder if the "fishers of men" shouldn't be in boats instead of cars!

I think of this, too! I don't put any signs of my beliefs on my car, because I don't want my driving to reflect poorly. I can just imagine someone seeing me make a bad lane change or any of the zillion other stupid little things I do and thinking, "WWJD? Well I hope he wouldn't do THAT!"

 

[Karole28]

Teacher has been suspended

A school spokesman said she was suspended over the allegations - but also for 'ongoing inquiries centred around other practical issues'.


Joan Feenan, director of Cheshire County Council's children's services, said: 'This authority is naturally concerned about complaints we have received from parents.

 

[Jeana (DP)]

For some reason Jeana, your post made me LOL..I mean really LOL. My dogs jumped they were so surprised.

While I am very impressed with how civil you all are being, considering you are discussing religion, pretty please keep on topic. The topic being the news story in the first post.

Thanks Kids...
Love,
Mom

When we were kids, we always told my mom not to have an kniption. That's what I always picture when someone's head is about to explode! LOL

 

[Taximom]

I'd like to know who made the decision to give the detentions to these boys. What's going to happen to him/her?! I guess it could have been the same teacher though.

 

[Ciara]

I'd like to know who made the decision to give the detentions to these boys. What's going to happen to him/her?! I guess it could have been the same teacher though.

Karole28 has updated with a link about two posts up. Thanks Karole
The teacher has been suspended. She literally did try to force these boys into this. I would be causing holy hell if I was a parent at that school.

 

[Taximom]

I was asking about who assigned the detentions, which might not have been the teacher. (Sometimes it is someone higher up.) Seeing as it was a substitute teacher, I just thought it might have been someone else. (ETA: After reading the article AGAIN I see the teacher is the one that assigned detentions.) Blaming dying brain cells here.

 

[Ciara]

Happens to me all the time Taximom

 

[Taximom]

Happens to me all the time Taximom

If I could, this would be my avatar:
:doh:

 

[Nova]

I see where you are coming from, and I've heard what you are saying before, BUT Yahweh and Allah aren't just two names. The entities behind the names differ in character, also. Quite drastically. Many believers of all religions will not agree with you, because the differing characters of Yahweh and Allah lead one to believe they are indeed different entities.

I totally agree with your second paragraph......I believe this is probably just a case where an individual teacher deviated from the curriculum, at least I hope so!

My own concept of God has evolved over the years, but S/He's still the same God. There is one supreme being, and about as many ideas of His/Her nature as there are human beings. In fact, that is one very ancient definition of God: the being who does NOT change, while all matter is in a state of flux.

There's something very primitive and superstitious about insisting that everyone who disagrees with one must be worshipping a "different" god. Rather like animistic traditions in which each neighborhood, as well as each object in that neigborhood, has its own spirit or deity. I don't have a problem with animism, per se; it is a very effective way to recognize the spirit in all matter. But religions such as Christianity and Islam are very much reactions against animism and it seems odd that "People of the Book" would perpetuate the concept of "different gods," despite language to that effect in the OT.

Yes, I know that Chrisitians and Muslims believe all "other" gods are false ones, but even that notion keeps the idea of multiple supreme beings alive.

And that doesn't even being to address the problem of insisting that only one's own concept of God is valid, a notion which makes for a finite and rather limited supreme deity.

 

[Details]

To me, there's something a bit dismissive about insisting that everyone else's God is actually your God. I think if they say he's different, he's different. Your concept of God is not exclusive, but theirs is. As much as we might wish otherwise, the God they believe in is not the God you believe in - they think you are worshiping someone who does not exist, or something else - but not God.

You are entitled to your beliefs, of course, but so are they. IMO, and this is a pretty abstract concept in my mind - when you say their God is the same one, you're dismissing their strongly held beliefs.


Which, of course, is one reason why the schoolboys think it's wrong to pray to Allah - to them, he's a false God, and they are forbidden to pray to him. I think it's wrong because prayer of any kind should never be forced, nor even lead, in a school setting.

 

[Ciara]

To me, there's something a bit dismissive about insisting that everyone else's God is actually your God. I think if they say he's different, he's different. Your concept of God is not exclusive, but theirs is. As much as we might wish otherwise, the God they believe in is not the God you believe in - they think you are worshiping someone who does not exist, or something else - but not God.

You are entitled to your beliefs, of course, but so are they. IMO, and this is a pretty abstract concept in my mind - when you say their God is the same one, you're dismissing their strongly held beliefs.


Which, of course, is one reason why the schoolboys think it's wrong to pray to Allah - to them, he's a false God, and they are forbidden to pray to him. I think it's wrong because prayer of any kind should never be forced, nor even lead, in a school setting.

I have to agree with you Details as I would not pray to Allah and do not see him as "my" God. I see Allah, not so much as a false God, but he is just not "my" God as a Catholic and really its as simple as that. I too believe that it would be "wrong" for me to pray to Allah so therefore I would not do it for nobody and especially if they were trying to make me do it.