Buddhist Student, Religious Liberty Prevail In Louisiana

[cbayer]

https://www.aclu.org/blog/religion-belief/buddhist-student-religious-liberty-prevail-louisiana



03/14/2014

By Heather L. Weaver, ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief at 10:10pm

Imagine if your child was ridiculed in front of his classmates for his religious beliefs until he was physically ill. Can’t believe it? Neither could we, and that’s why the ACLU and the ACLU of Louisiana sued the Sabine Parish School District on behalf of C.C., a sixth-grader of Thai descent and a practicing Buddhist. You remember C.C.: He was chastised by teachers and administrators at his Louisiana public school for his religious beliefs. School officials also repeatedly, and illegally, imposed their religious beliefs on students in a number of ways.

Today, C.C. and his family won. A federal district court entered an order requiring the school district to refrain from unconstitutionally promoting or denigrating religion. The court’s order also mandates in-service training for school staff regarding their obligations under the First Amendment.

When we filed the lawsuit, many people were shocked by the allegations. In addition to denigrating C.C.’s Buddhist faith by calling it “stupid,” school officials suggested he should transfer to another school with “more Asians.” They also taught creationism in science class, incorporated prayer into class and nearly every school event, hung a portrait of Jesus over the main entryway, and participated in a number of other activities that blatantly violated the separation of church and state.

The court’s order, which took the form of a “consent decree” agreed to by the school board, ensures that these unlawful practices will be discontinued in Sabine Parish and brings the case to a close. We applaud the board for doing right by C.C., his siblings, and all district students.

more at link

[longship]

1. The harassment of the family is disgusting.

Apparently even after they won in court. Or, maybe because they won in court.

Religion-based hate has no place in the world. The extent to which religions cannot respond to this kind of thing is the extent to which maybe religion is the crux of the problem.

I am disgusted by this.

And I know that this post simultaneously supports and maligns religion.

[cbayer]

2. Agree that religion based hate has no place in the world.

Hating specific ideas, and in particular those that lead to infringing on the rights of others, is fine.

Hating someone because they are a certain religion or have no religion is wrong.

I'm not sure what you mean by religions not responding to this kind of thing.

[longship]

3. Well, where are these people getting these ideas?

From the pulpit, of course.

[cbayer]

4. True and it is shameful.

People chose their churches and I hope that those leaving their religious affiliations will demand something new.

That's where the power is. The religious right needs to be marginalized and repeatedly exposed for what they are.

Those that offer alternatives may end up the winners here. At least I hope so.

[longship]

5. Alas. That's going to be difficult.

[Beartracks]

6. Or the example of their parents and peers. n/t

[longship]

11. But where do THEY get these ideas?

Again, the answer is, the pulpit. That's the deal.

[Jack Rabbit]

12. You are not maligning religion at all

You are maligning sectarian bigotry. That is only religion insofar as it proclaims one faith to be the only true faith and doesn't respect other beliefs or worse, as was the case here, believers of other faiths. The worst examples of this sort of thing are Charlemagne slaughtering Saxon pagans and the Spanish Inquisition. The persecution of Jews in Europe was so vile that it was tinged with racism, which led to the Holocaust.

[skepticscott]

13. And that "sectarian bigotry" is dictated by some people's religion

and has been all through history. And their religious beliefs are every bit as deeply held and valid as anyone else's. Your description of "religion" fits the faith of hundreds of millions.

[Jack Rabbit]

14. I'm not saying it isn't, however, this is America

This is the country where Roger Williams and William Penn came to demonstrate that a society that holds to the principle of religious freedom can be a strong and cohesive society. I know that the school district told CC and his parents that they should expect religious intolerance in that part of Louisiana and I am also quite aware that Louisiana tried to secede once. We didn't let them and we aren't about to let them do it 150 later. A Buddhist child, even in that part of Louisiana, has as much right as a white Southern Baptist to be treated with respect toward his faith and not have government agents, namely his teacher in a public school, tell him that if he wants better grades then he should accept Jesus. Louisiana is still part of America and no one should experience what CC did anywhere in America. Not a Buddhist, not a Muslim, not a Jew, not even a wrongheaded bastard like Jerry Falwell or Bryan Fischer.

You are correct in saying that a sectarian bigot's religious beliefs are a deeply held and valid as anyone else's. I am aware that America has been the home of a proud heritage of religious freedom from the aforementioned Messrs. Williams and Penn, it is also the home of a vile strand of sectarian bigotry from Cotton Mather to the aforementioned Messrs. Falwell and Fischer. I will refrain from calling such witch burners heretics because I am not a Christian and do not believe it is my place to tell a Christian what Christianity is. I can say that if they are right all who reject Christianity are going to Hell and that Christianity is anything like they say it is, then I will continue to advocate for peace on Earth and justice for people and proudly take my place in Hell when the time comes.

In addition, I have a very strong libertarian streak when it comes to such matters as religious faith or one's interpretation of one's own faith. In short, let us resolve to bow to the guardians of orthodoxy and praise them for what they are: self-appointed asses who have taken it upon themselves to pontificate to we lost, ignorant souls on what is orthodoxy and what is heresy. To such pontificates and grand inquisitors, let us say: Gentlemen, fuck off.

[PumpkinAle]

7. To the faux Christians

this isn't about Christ's teachings and love, it is about brainwashing and hate against those who they are unable to force think their ideas.

[packman]

8. It's all about lazy people not voting

A school board election, not worth my time. SO, the Domino Effect is now in place. The local pastor, or religious wing-nuts gets elected and they appoint a fellow winger as superintendent of schools, who in turn hires more of his friends who think like him/her as principals of the school who interview and hire teachers who believe as they do.

Frankly, I'm amazed that more rural, predominately Baptist areas aren't under this type of scrutiny.

All because of a stupid election that was so stupid that we didn't want to get off our fat asses to vote.

[cbayer]

10. The republicans understand this very well and have put tremendous resources

into local elections and particularly into school boards.

Some have been trying to get democrats to pay closer attention to this, but we have really missed the boat here.

And it's going to take a lot of effort to turn it around.

[marew]

9. I'll take the kindness and compassion towards all sentient beings taught by the Buddha...

over Paul Ryan's and other GOTPers very phony "Christianity" any day!