EXTRA: Declaration of Independence Banned at California School
http://www.catholic.org/cathcom/national_story.php?id=11419
A California teacher has been barred by his school from giving students documents from American history that refer to God -- including the Declaration of Independence.
By Dan Whitcomb
11/26/2004
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California teacher has been barred by his school from giving students documents from American history that refer to God -- including the Declaration of Independence.
Steven Williams, a fifth-grade teacher at Stevens Creek School in the San Francisco Bay area suburb of Cupertino, sued for discrimination on Monday, claiming he had been singled out for censorship by principal Patricia Vidmar because he is a Christian.
"It's a fact of American history that our founders were religious men, and to hide this fact from young fifth-graders in the name of political correctness is outrageous and shameful," said Williams' attorney, Terry Thompson.
"Williams wants to teach his students the true history of our country," he said. "There is nothing in the Establishment Clause (of the U.S. Constitution) that prohibits a teacher from showing students the Declaration of Independence."
Williams asserts in the lawsuit that since May he has been required to submit all of his lesson plans and supplemental handouts to Vidmar for approval, and that the principal will not permit him to use any that contain references to God or Christianity.
Among the materials she has rejected, according to Williams, are excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, George Washington's journal, John Adams' diary, Samuel Adams' "The Rights of the Colonists" and William Penn's "The Frame of Government of Pennsylvania."
"He hands out a lot of material and perhaps 5 to 10 percent refers to God and Christianity because that's what the founders wrote," said Thompson, a lawyer for the Alliance Defense Fund, which advocates for religious freedom. "The principal seems to be systematically censoring material that refers to Christianity and it is pure discrimination."
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Should the Declaration of Independence be banned from schools because there is a reference in it to the Christian faith ?
What's your opinion on this issue ?
Originally posted by ivanhoeThat's just silly, even from someone like, say, rwingett's point of view. One does not promote independent thought by witholding information from children.
EXTRA: Declaration of Independence Banned at California School
http://www.catholic.org/cathcom/national_story.php?id=11419
A California teacher has been barred by his school from giving students documents from American history that refer to God -- including the Declaration of Independence.
By Dan Whitcomb
11/26/2004
LOS ANGELES (Reut ...[text shortened]... se there is a reference in it to the Christian faith ?
What's your opinion on this issue ?
Originally posted by ivanhoeNo, of course not. This is an atrocious decision.
Should the Declaration of Independence be banned from schools because there is a reference in it to the Christian faith ?
What's your opinion on this issue ?
Let us not rewrite or bury unfashionable pieces of American history. What next? Should we refrain from revealing to students that we enslaved Africans and slaughtered the original inhabitants of this country? We became the richest nation in the world by getting our land and labor for free. This historical fact should not be kept secret, nor should it be kept secret that those Americans did it all believing they had God's blessing to do so!
Kribz
Should the Declaration of Independence be banned from schools because there is a reference in it to the Christian faith ?
Where in the Declaration of Independence is there any mention of the "Christian" faith? There are passages regarding the "Creator" and "Nature's God" but no mention of Christianity or Jesus Christ.
I'll wait for the school board's attorneys to comment before I make even a preliminary judgment; lawsuits tend to present one side of the argument only in the Complaint.
Originally posted by ivanhoeI think that one of the "values" things that the left doesn't yet understand is the censorship thing. Ironically, it has always been their mantra that "right wing fanatics" are not tolerant.
EXTRA: Declaration of Independence Banned at California School
http://www.catholic.org/cathcom/national_story.php?id=11419
A California teacher has been barred by his school from giving students documents from American history that refer to God -- including the Declaration of Independence.
By Dan Whitcomb
11/26/2004
LOS ANGELES (Reut ...[text shortened]... se there is a reference in it to the Christian faith ?
What's your opinion on this issue ?
Who tries to ban the free expression of religion on every occasion? Who bans text books because they don't fit into the mandate of Marx to "gain control of all institutions"? Who fights to eliminate all religion and impose the religion of "atheism" for the purpose of promoting the same Marxism?
I think this is perhaps the most perfect example I can offer to Lefties about what the "values" thing really is. It is not gayness or abortion (at least entirely). It is their intolerance and need to censor.
It is their unrelenting efforts at censorship and denial of freedoms in the guise of elite doctrinaire Marxism.
This is why I have insisted so much on poo-pooing "old warn out commies"... in a hope of humorously igniting a question in them. That question is "Why must we continue the policies of Marx? Why do we have to control all of the schools? Why must we fight so dogmatically for atheism? Why must we oppose business and commerce under the well memorized mantra of "evil corporations"?
That Marxist dogma is a failure -- is not to be doubted. El Salvador is the best example. They (lefties) fought tooth and nail to try and retain the marxists in lieu of letting people choose for themselves. Blatant dictatorism was prefered. Because? You tell me. Same thing I have been preaching here. And today... So called "intellectual" lefties support FARC over the efforts of a free people to fight the dope dealing leftist commies.
You know what it boils down to? I'll give you my opinion.
Lefties hate change. For example, the left wing of the Democratic party in the US has not changed a single goal or policy in their political agenda in the last 60 years. They are institutionally incapable of change. They are frightened to death to even have to concider the possibility. Same as Europe.
On the other hand, Republicans are "radicals"... and damned proud of it. They see the demise of the UN under corruption and cast it away. Radical. They see the rise of facism and choose preemtive war instead of waiting for the "fruition" of the facist state as has already been tried on several occasions this past century. Radicals and proud. While the Left is stuck defending marxism. Dead, done, silly marxism. What a rally cry that invokes.
I think it is a really serious matter that a teacher can't read and study the Constitution document in teaching US History. I don't know if you noticed, but also banned by the school principal were the writings of all the founders. If they contained any reference to religion or God. This must be at least ten percent of history. Wow! Go Lefties. Re-write history by exclusion. That works. Stalin did it. Mao did it.
I hate censorship of any and all sorts. I only say that when the KKK and their ilk of american bashing lefties worldwide has free roam, don't try to shut me up from calling them fools and proving it with argument. Other than that... lets talk about it.
Originally posted by ivanhoeMaybe he was incorrectly stating (as you did) that the Declaration of Independence made references to the "Christian faith" when it clearly does not. Maybe you should wait and hear both sides of the story before you jump to conclusions; although I see SVW has broken the world record in conclusion jumping already in this thread.
Like what ?
Originally posted by ivanhoeHe was warned before, he might have been "pushing buttons" to see how far he could go, but I'll just have to wait for the rest of the story to come out. (I don't know exactly what's in the document, but I'll take No1's word it doesn't reference Christ)
Like what ?
Originally posted by KneverKnightDon't take my word; I'm a lawyer for cripes sake!! Just go to: http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm and then maybe Ivanhoe will show us where the DOI makes "reference to the Christian faith".
He was warned before, he might have been "pushing buttons" to see how far he could go, but I'll just have to wait for the rest of the story to come out. (I don't know exactly what's in the document, but I'll take No1's word it doesn't reference Christ)
Originally posted by no1marauder" ..... documents from American history that refer to God ...... including etc. ...... "
Don't take my word; I'm a lawyer for cripes sake!! Just go to: http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm and then maybe Ivanhoe will show us where the DOI makes "reference to the Christian faith".
Please don't take my usage of the term "Christian faith" too literal.
Originally posted by frogstompI understood Joe perfectly. To him his religion is not a thing to try and hide. He is a christian. So he interchanged it with the broad concept of "Religion".
How else would you have people take the usage? Comical?
The truth is as true for christianity as for any religion.
Marxists just need control of all "religious institutions". They never discriminate between christians and buddhists. All were/are banned. Just as this school principal [subject of thread] is trying to do. To further the "cause". Whatever that has become.
Anyway. Go Joe. You are just as entiteled to an opinion as any of the brain wiped knuckle heads on this site.