Declaring himself independent against this...
Stephen J. Williams, a 5th grade teacher at Stevens Creek School with an 8-year tenure in the Cupertino Union School District in California, has been ordered to refrain from using such documents as the Declaration of Independence as teaching tools because said documents contain references to God.
According to the suit, Mr. Williams, as well as other teachers, "frequently supplements the district-approved textbook with curriculum-related handouts" to "satisy Califonia History-Social Science standards for the fifth grade."
What might have gotten him in trouble is this...
A handout entitled "What Great Leaders Have Said About The Bible"
Now, I hardly take issue with teaching students about "great leaders'" opinions on the best-selling book of all-time. In fact, I take issue with the reality that students in public schools aren't actually reading the bestsellingest book of all-time rather that just others' opinions on it. [This presumably due to mass paranoia interpretata of the establishment clause. But that's a whole other thing, deserving of its own [future] post.]
Williams brings it on with this...
Reference this...
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. [...]
1st Amendment
Thomas Jefferson's Letter To the Danbury Baptists
Alliance Defense Fund
Think none of this is a violation of your rights? Consider reading this...
Earlier this week there was another Neo-God-fearing education tale from the Maryland public school system? I never got my post finished, but several other bloggers covered this...
Michelle Malkin Oh, Dear Lord
Secure Liberty Rewriting Americn History - The PC Way
Captain's Quarters Faithophobia Dumbs Down Maryland Education
California Yankee Thank Anybody, Except God?
The Sundries Shack The State of My State's Education
The Llama Butchers Pilgrims' Progress
ConsterNations Maryland’s PC-Infected Schools Establish History-Free Classrooms for Thanksgiving
Pardon My English What's A Pilgrim
Carnivorous Conservative It's Called Progres
No Illusions Public Schools Airbrushing Away America's Religious Roots
Rob at Say Anything has us pondering this...
I wonder if this school district would teach students about Ramadhan without mentioning Allah?
And RepublicanWitch echoes what I'm always saying about this...
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?" (regarding the attacks on Sept 11).
Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives."
"And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"
"In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.
"Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school . the Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK."
"Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide)."
"We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK."
"Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves."
"Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.
Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing?
Posted by: Wombat | November 24, 2004 at 11:10 PM
Please contact me if you want your comment restored. I find it strange, though, someone would protest the constitution, bill of rights, all amendments as "god" driven. They are not; they are human driven, and specifically driven by a tax revolt.
And, even more interesting than that is this continual reference to the bible as a factual, non-fiction. Contemporary citizens of this world understand that the bible cannot stand up in any court of law. There is no factual relevance or evidence and it is all hearsay. It is the greatest STORY ever told, and an invention of the human brain. As with Islam, as with Judaism, as with any "religion" dependent on the concept of a "being" that is god in control of events. The only thing we think we know for sure is that humans are gatherers of knowledge. Not to be confused with using knowledge correctly, as ancient historians clealry got everything wrong about the man that was Jesus, and Islam intentionally abandoned the "recitation" (and science) somewhere in the dark ages. Christians don't want to even touch the idea that Jesus suffered from a hellacious mental disease. If one separates his message from his actions, then his history becomes a little more clear: His message was one of peace and civility, but his disease put him on the cross. We hospitalize and medicate those with schizophrenia who are plagued by the same symptoms Jesus historically is documented with.
God was not there for innocents like Margaret Hassan.
I once heard a rabbi say that "god was sleeping" during the nazi holocaust. While I could concede that if there is a god, she/he/it would be badly in need of sleep; but the evidence shows that god was not sleeping; god was not, and is not, there.
If there were a god and we were his/her/its children, we would undoubtedly set the cosmic record book for being the biggest bunch of delinquents known to anywhere/time in existence and I can't imagine that we wouldn't be in a perpetual "timeout".
One thing I know for sure: A bunch of islamofascist jerks killed three thousand of our citizens and I'm still pissed! I get really riled knowing that they are made rich and use tools supplied by european based civilization. Without us, they would no doubt still be humping their camels in the desert. Our mistake for not just getting rid of them when we were then less civilized. Our mistake, not god's.
Posted by: jimmo | November 25, 2004 at 02:30 PM
Why do liberals consantly refer to the constitution when they talk about "freedom from religion"? What constitution are they refering to???? Not the U.S. Constitution. Nowhere does the constitution say "freedom from religion". The Constitution does say we have the freedom OF religion. In other words, we, as Americans, have the RIGHT to practice our religion without government interference.
The constitution also refers to prohibiting the government from establishing a religion. This is far from anything resembling "freedom from religion". So, if my children want to bow their heads in the school cafeteria to ask God to bless their' food, our local government has established a law prohibiting their' free excercise of religion...IN COMPLETE CONTRADICTION to the clause that states "congress shall pass no law"....if congress can't pass it, how in the world can a local government or judge pass it.
Posted by: CelticKnight | November 25, 2004 at 10:52 PM
Good heavens! Is this the anti-Snopes blog I've stumbled into?
No, no fifth-grade teacher should depart from the state-approved standards to mis-state history.
What that man was trying to do is a sin. It's good the principal stopped him, and I hope California law will back the principal.
Yes, the Declaration makes references to deity. No, it doesn't identify the God of Abraham. No, Jefferson was not a founder of Falwell's "Liberty Road" Baptist Church. No, Franklin wasn't even Christian. No, Washington didn't kneel to pray all over Delaware, in the snow -- in fact, he refused to take Christian communion his entire adult life.
Kids should be taught the facts. Our Declaration is miracle enough without making up false tales about it.
Posted by: Ed Darrell | December 28, 2004 at 08:16 AM