Are Christians persecuted in this country?

[RandomGuy]

Gutsy High School Student Exposes Teacher Who Compared Atheism to Smoking—Wins Scholarship


Sarah Sheppard, a student from Katy, Texas was awarded a scholarship for her efforts in standing up to her high school teacher who was preaching Christianity to his students during economics classes, Raw Story reported.

According to Sheppard, the teacher explained how atheism was against human nature stating, “the mind rejects the concept of atheism” just like the body rejects smoking.

In a speech delivered at the Humanists of Houston meeting in Texas, Sheppard explained how she recorded her teacher on her cell phone after he began to talk about religion inappropriately and then sent the recording to the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF).

FFRF consequently contacted the Katy school district and thanked the 19-year-old for reporting the incident. In the following semester, the high school teacher told students in the same class that Sheppard had taken away his right to talk about Jesus.

Subsequently, Sheppard wrote about her experience for the Freedom From Religion Foundation Scholarship Essay contest and won 4th place and $500 last month. However, not everyone has been so supportive of the proud, atheist's actions:

“I had a few friends in the same class that were angry with me and said I destroyed his freedom to religion, but in reality his actions were unconstitutional and were not related to economics at all…This was economics class, not Sunday school", she said.

"From this event I learned that even though I grew up with a shy personality I can still have a passionate and assertive voice that fights for what is constitutional,” she wrote in her essay.

http://www.alternet.org/belief/gutsy-high-school-student-exposes-teacher-who-compared-atheism-smoking-wins-scholarship?akid=10950.187590.EEpciu&rd=1&src=newsletter898329&t=5
Essay itself:
http://freethinkersara.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/freedom-from-religion-foundation-scholarship-essay-4th-place/

There is a certain myth, popular among Christians in this country, that they are being somehow persecuted en masse by people like the Sarah Sheppard.

I think they tend to conflate people standing up to the privileges that the majority religion has taken for itself in this country with actual persecution.

[boutons_deux]

The "Christians are persecuted" LIE told by fanatical, extremist Christian Taleban is really:

"We authoritarian, white/Christian supremacist, intolerant, hate-filled assholes are being blocked from imposing our perverted, extremist, politicized "Christianity" everywhere and on everyone, blocked for denying people's right to freedom FROM (our) religion".

[TeyshaBlue]

Gutsy High School Student Exposes Teacher Who Compared Atheism to Smoking—Wins Scholarship


http://www.alternet.org/belief/gutsy-high-school-student-exposes-teacher-who-compared-atheism-smoking-wins-scholarship?akid=10950.187590.EEpciu&rd=1&src=newsletter898329&t=5
Essay itself:
http://freethinkersara.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/freedom-from-religion-foundation-scholarship-essay-4th-place/

There is a certain myth, popular among Christians in this country, that they are being somehow persecuted en masse by people like the Sarah Sheppard.

I think they tend to conflate people standing up to the privileges that the majority religion has taken for itself in this country with actual persecution.

It's a predictable reaction as what has been considered the norm for a couple of centuries is gradually displaced by society's evolution towards secularism. That's a pretty broad brush characterization by moi, but I have no desire to write a dissertation on the subject.:lol

[Blake]

There's a war on Christmas.

[Blake]

FFRF consequently contacted the Katy school district and thanked the 19-year-old..

If she were just a little older, she could have bought a round of brews for her class with that $500

[pgardn]

He has a captive audience of students and he believes his rights are being trampled?

Let him go preach in the middle of the school yard during passing period. That way his fellow teachers can nail him to a cross, since that's apparently what he wants.

[pgardn]

This particular example is a very fat pitch BTW.
There are other examples with a much richer flavor.

The body rejects it... What a horrible analogy, he should be fired for doing such a bad job of proselytizing.

[RandomGuy]

This particular example is a very fat pitch BTW.
There are other examples with a much richer flavor.

The body rejects it... What a horrible analogy, he should be fired for doing such a bad job of proselytizing.

Not having common sense or an ability to think critically is something of a prerequisite for apologists and proselytists. The only way such beliefs are persistent is if the person holding them tricks his or herself it to thinking it makes sense.

Such is the pitfalls of taking things on faith with no good reason or evidence to support assertions.

[RandomGuy]

It's a predictable reaction as what has been considered the norm for a couple of centuries is gradually displaced by society's evolution towards secularism. That's a pretty broad brush characterization by moi, but I have no desire to write a dissertation on the subject.:lol

I would agree it is predictable. People grow used to their privileges and forget or never fully realize that that those privileges are something afforded them, but no one else in the minority.

[FromWayDowntown]

The "persecution" of Christians in modern American society rivals the "persecution" of whites throughout the civil rights movement.

[RandomGuy]

The "persecution" of Christians in modern American society rivals the "persecution" of whites throughout the civil rights movement.

Exactly.

[DarrinS]

When I was in elementary, we were still reciting the Lord's prayer after the pledge. That seemed to stop somewhere between 4th and 5th grade.

[SnakeBoy]

When I was in elementary, we were still reciting the Lord's prayer after the pledge. That seemed to stop somewhere between 4th and 5th grade.

I'm not sure if no longer forcing all children to participate in Christian prayer would qualify as persecution.

[boutons_deux]

I'm not sure if no longer forcing all children to participate in Christian prayer would qualify as persecution.

Forcing anybody to do anything, esp adults forcing children, is violence.

Then add in a specific religion's practice forced on kids in a secular, taxpayer-funded school, and you get very obvious violation of separation of religion and state.

btw, the secular prayer of The Pledge of Allegiance is bullshit, too, esp the myth, the propaganda of "one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

"under God" was added in anti-communist hysteria of 1954. Fouding Fathers weren't a particularly religious bunch and specifically legislated AGAINST theocracy they saw in Europe.

"indivisibile" is max bullshit, as the VRWC has pushed successfully for 40 years to divide Americans, aka weaken them ("divided we fall") against each other with their 3-card-monte racket. ( 4 cards now with the abortion card).

"with liberty and justice for all." ... if you have enough money. Otherwise, you're enslaved to poverty, and early death, and to getting screwed in court, if you can even afford to get into court.

[exstatic]

The "persecution" of Christians in modern American society rivals the "persecution" of whites throughout the civil rights movement.

[boutons_deux]

And let's not forget today's mercilessly bullied and persecuted 1%ers and their incessant whining.

[RandomGuy]

When I was in elementary, we were still reciting the Lord's prayer after the pledge. That seemed to stop somewhere between 4th and 5th grade.

So do you think this was an attempt to persecute Christians?