Far-Right Religious Extremists in Tennessee Attacking Public Education

Posted on | September 14, 2013 | 94 Comments

Oh . . . wait a minute. No, I’m sorry — that’s what the headline would be if Think Progress wrote this story. Let me try again:

Teacher Tells Ten-Year-Old Memphis Girl
She Can’t Write About God for Assignment

Memphis mother Erica Shead said she was angry after her 10-year-old daughter Erin, told her Wednesday, she wasn’t allowed to write about God for a school assignment.
“It was so cute and innocent. She talked about how God created the earth and how she’s doing the best she can,” said Shead.
Erin is a student at Lucy Elementary.
Shead said Erin was told she can’t use God as an idol for the assignment.

It’s Shelby County, Tennessee, so maybe you’re thinking Erica Shead and her daughter Erin are just typical hillbilly Bible-thumpers.

Doesn’t quite fit the Think Progress narrative. I mean, First Amendment freedom of religion — not like that’s a civil right or anything, eh?

After 10-year-old Erin’s writing about God was rejected, she tried again with Michael Jackson. That was OK. Jeff Dunetz blows a gasket:

Just to summarize for a moment; the teacher said that the creator of the universe, Lord, God himself could not be used as an idol but an accused pedophile who died of a drug overdose was a good choice? Please someone tell me what I am missing?

It’s about attitudes, Jeff. Public school is no longer about teaching facts. It’s not about teaching skills. It’s about teaching attitudes.

Hostility toward religion — rejection of the Bible and of divine authority — is essential to the project of modern public education.

Lesson One: There is no God.

Lesson Two: Your parents are stupid.

Lesson Three: Being gay is awesome.

Whatever comes after that is optional, but it’s important that these fundamental principles be taught in elementary school, or otherwise children might grow up to vote Republican.

And that would be a tragedy . . .

Category: Education, Religion

Comments

94 Responses to “Far-Right Religious Extremists in Tennessee Attacking Public Education”

Why yes, there IS a great deal of religious intolerance, and bigotry and trampling of civil rights in America today | The Daley Gator
September 14th, 2013 @ 10:17 am

[…] And, as this story illustrates, it is usually being perpetrated by the Statists on the Left! Stacy McCain suspects The Lutheran Radical Atheist Menace? […]
Dandapani
September 14th, 2013 @ 10:24 am

Then should could have used one of the 330 million gods or goddesses to choose from! Aum.
Dandapani
September 14th, 2013 @ 10:28 am

Based on my biased opinion, Buddhism is acceptable and preferred by the Left since it is essentially Hinduism without any God! Imagine that a religion without a God. Tailored made. I don’t mean to offend any Buddhist, but Gautama was in fact a Hindu prince before he rejected his religion and became the Buddha.
Rosalie
September 14th, 2013 @ 10:47 am

Sadly, it’s no longer education; it’s indoctrination.
Cassiewithkids
September 14th, 2013 @ 11:03 am

RT @rsmccain: “Public school is no longer about teaching facts. It’s not about teaching skills. It’s about teaching attitudes.” http://t.co…
BryanJFischer
September 14th, 2013 @ 11:20 am

Public school: you can’t make the Creator your “idol,” but a drug-overdosing pedophile is just fine. http://t.co/mcfVw3Xjef
Joe Dokes
September 14th, 2013 @ 11:25 am

Right, and (correct me if I’m wrong) Gautama said sometime to the effect of, “Hey, look, I’m just a guy looking for answers to the same problems you have. Don’t look to ME as if I am the answer, ‘kay? Cuz I’m not.” Yet what showed up not long after he croaked? Statues of Buddha to which reverence is paid and to which prayers are directed.

When man ignores the God Who Is, he becomes some form of idolator every single time.
Gwamma
September 14th, 2013 @ 11:25 am

If you leave your children in these indoctrination
Screwels then complain about it, earns you a smack
Upside the head
MoronPres
September 14th, 2013 @ 11:53 am

“Teacher Tells Ten-Year-Old Memphis Girl
She Can’t Write About God for Assignment
Memphis mother Erica Shead said… http://t.co/H8vipbwark
servative
September 14th, 2013 @ 12:28 pm

RT @rsmccain: “Public school is no longer about teaching facts. It’s not about teaching skills. It’s about teaching attitudes.” http://t.co…
Art Deco
September 14th, 2013 @ 12:31 pm

Mediocrities in the educational apparat being pre-emptively deferential to a combine of the mediocre and the malicious in the legal profession. That is education in our time.
ComradeArthur
September 14th, 2013 @ 12:35 pm

RT @rsmccain: PUBLIC SCHOOL: “Lesson 1: There is no God. Lesson 2: Your parents are stupid. Lesson 3: Being gay is awesome.” http://t.co/eO…
stjohnswoods
September 14th, 2013 @ 12:36 pm

RT @rsmccain: PUBLIC SCHOOL: “Lesson 1: There is no God. Lesson 2: Your parents are stupid. Lesson 3: Being gay is awesome.” http://t.co/eO…
ComradeArthur
September 14th, 2013 @ 12:37 pm

10 year olds school essay about God.
REJECTED.
She writes about the pedophile, Michael Jackson, instead.
OK.
http://t.co/B3uAaErDji
stan25
September 14th, 2013 @ 12:56 pm

She can write about Mohammad. That would get her an A+
Unix-Jedi
September 14th, 2013 @ 2:08 pm

‘Xactly. In every case that I’ve known of, it’s been an attempt to get the student to write about things that they know, or learned, from real people, in the real world.

And is thus challengable/defendable. (If the religious side were so easily done, we wouldn’t have but one and one sect, now would we?)
Frances_D
September 14th, 2013 @ 2:40 pm

STRANGER THAN FICTION! Far-Right Religious Extremists in Tennessee Attacking Public Education http://t.co/zhIkcqT3zs
rmnixondeceased
September 14th, 2013 @ 3:23 pm

Then she could have gotten into a brawl with the Sikh kid behind her …
1776 Freedom Fighter
September 14th, 2013 @ 4:02 pm

Great ‘toon, Jeanette; here’s a pic along the same lines, revealing the disturbing Obummer agenda:

I’m a newbie here, alerted by my dear friend @ZillaoftheResistance:disqus
She told me of the many awesome patriots here!
????? ??? ?????
jimveejr
September 14th, 2013 @ 4:09 pm

Lesson One: There is no God. Lesson Two: Your parents are stupid. Lesson Three: Being gay is awesome. @rsmccain http://t.co/dhj9miWW6j
rsmccain
September 14th, 2013 @ 4:32 pm

RT @jimveejr: Lesson One: There is no God. Lesson Two: Your parents are stupid. Lesson Three: Being gay is awesome. @rsmccain http://t.co…
BobBelvedere
September 14th, 2013 @ 4:39 pm

RT @jimveejr: Lesson One: There is no God. Lesson Two: Your parents are stupid. Lesson Three: Being gay is awesome. @rsmccain http://t.co…
FreeLion7
September 14th, 2013 @ 4:50 pm

RT @jimveejr: Lesson One: There is no God. Lesson Two: Your parents are stupid. Lesson Three: Being gay is awesome. @rsmccain http://t.co…
jejukin
September 14th, 2013 @ 5:41 pm

“Public school is no longer about teaching facts. ”

The Bible names pain, death, suffering, etc as the results of man’s sin. Problem? The geological record makes very clear that there was pain and death before any trace of man was here on earth (fossils of creatures eating each other, freezing/burning to death, crushed, broken, etc).

Doesn’t matter if the Earth is billions of years old or just several thousand years old. This point doesn’t rely on carbon dating (or similar dating of other materials) to verify, because I’m talking about a sequence of events, not a particular date or age. Layers of the geological record far and wide report the same finding, everywhere on earth: creatures were being eaten, broken, dying and suffering long, long before anything even slightly resembling human feet walked the land.

…Yet the Bible names all that as a result of the fall of man. That can’t be, because we know those things were happening on earth before humans were ever here. That much is incontrovertible, because the layers of the geologic record provide a very clear sequence of events.

So, that sums up a galaxy-sized hole in your faith, after less than two minutes worth of examination. One of many such holes, but when you lay claim to infallibility, it only takes one false to tear the whole thing down. It’s kind of an impossible standard to hold up.

So, what kind of so-called facts do *you* want taught in school? Your faith is pie in the sky, on the one hand supposing that existence must have a beginning, but in the very other hand readily accepting a creator who himself had no beginning.

If I must accept that something is infinite, I may as well ascribe that notion to existence. Since we’re here, there’s a pretty good case for existence, well, existing. And while the jury’s still out on this “God” fellow, most faith is based solely on the Bible and I’ve already pointed out one way (of many, albeit a particular favorite of mine) we can concretely show that it is in fact a fallible book.
goddessoftheclassroom
September 14th, 2013 @ 6:14 pm

If the child had chosen Jesus/Mohammad/the Buddha, I would fight FOR that teacher to my last breath.
defendressofsan
September 14th, 2013 @ 9:57 pm

Far-Right Religious Extremists in Tennessee Attacking Public Education
http://t.co/HkcPRUwule
yidwithlid
September 14th, 2013 @ 11:06 pm

RT @rsmccain: Far-Right Religious Extremists in Tennessee Attacking Public Education http://t.co/8YwbsLZ3Ub
1776 Freedom Fighter
September 15th, 2013 @ 1:14 am

You’re right, Rosalie, the mother should fight it.

But what if it goes beyond crummy teachers? Here’s a grim ‘toon showing an Evil Grandma:
Quartermaster
September 15th, 2013 @ 1:01 pm

The problem you have is that what you cite depends on the assumptions of your frame of interpretation. Geological age is particularly sensitive to this, and you have no way around it.

Muslims would be shocked that you think “most faith” based solely on the bible. I’m shocked and I’m not Muslim. Those with the largest component of faith in their lives are Atheists and Evolutionists. You have just demonstrated this assertion as well.
Quartermaster
September 15th, 2013 @ 1:04 pm

Then you stand foursquare against the Constitution, and one day it will come back and bite you on the posterior rather hard. You would be fighting for something that teacher has no right to as well. But, you atheists couldn’t careless about anyone else’s rights, just your “right” to be constant source of trouble to everyone else.
MadJewessWoman
September 15th, 2013 @ 2:00 pm

Far-Right Religious Extremists in Tennessee Attacking Public Education http://t.co/CgQGYo9AlO
ophidianpilot
September 15th, 2013 @ 2:03 pm

RT @MadJewessWoman: Far-Right Religious Extremists in Tennessee Attacking Public Education http://t.co/CgQGYo9AlO
SkyeShepard
September 15th, 2013 @ 2:06 pm

RT @MadJewessWoman: Far-Right Religious Extremists in Tennessee Attacking Public Education http://t.co/CgQGYo9AlO
SkyeShepard
September 15th, 2013 @ 2:11 pm

Hostility toward religion-rejection of the Bible & divine authority is essential 2 project of modern public education http://t.co/Hx8Q7dQwzg
Rosalie
September 15th, 2013 @ 2:36 pm

That only makes sense to a liberal/prog.
shemararae
September 15th, 2013 @ 3:33 pm

RT @MadJewessWoman: Far-Right Religious Extremists in Tennessee Attacking Public Education http://t.co/CgQGYo9AlO
Bob Belvedere
September 15th, 2013 @ 4:34 pm

Welcome. I’ve read you over at Zilla’s and you’re a good egg.
rsmccain
September 15th, 2013 @ 10:57 pm

RT @yidwithlid: RT @rsmccain: Far-Right Religious Extremists in Tennessee Attacking Public Education http://t.co/8YwbsLZ3Ub
prosehaikus
September 15th, 2013 @ 11:02 pm

RT @yidwithlid: RT @rsmccain: Far-Right Religious Extremists in Tennessee Attacking Public Education http://t.co/8YwbsLZ3Ub
Miley Cyrus Tongue Warrantee Recall Alert!!! | Regular Right Guy
September 16th, 2013 @ 3:01 am

[…] don’t want to insult Tennessee, they have way more than enough with the NEA, but inbreeding has to have figured into this sometime over the last three decades. […]
1776 Freedom Fighter
September 16th, 2013 @ 9:01 am

Thanks very much, Bob; your kind words are appreciated 🙂

Seems like you’re a legend here at Stacy’s blog. I just finished a quick look at your fascinating blog.

I took a one day break from Disqus, and now am playing catch-up:

Could we please send some prayers for Zilla? I recently learned from her fiery Twitter feed:
********
?Tried to drive to hospital. Got pulled over. Cop called ambulance. In ER now. Had some IV in ambulance.

Home again, just now. Long night
I got back home just after 3?
***********
Twitter pic from her visit to the hospital is here:

Feel better soon, Zilla!
{{{{ Hugs! }}}}
1776 Freedom Fighter
September 16th, 2013 @ 9:31 am

Well said, Rosalie; you’ve now inspired a pic I recently posted at NewsBusters, but it fits nicely here:
robcrawford2
September 16th, 2013 @ 2:14 pm

Fits with the idea that the next crusade from the left will be acceptance of pedophilia.
robcrawford2
September 16th, 2013 @ 2:20 pm

“The Bible names pain, death, suffering, etc as the results of man’s sin. Problem? The geological record makes very clear that there was pain and death before any trace of man was here on earth (fossils of creatures eating each other, freezing/burning to death, crushed, broken, etc).”

You’re confusing categories — plants and animals vs. humanity.

You’re also confusing the physical with the spiritual.

Man, I’m an agnostic and I get that.