Lawsuit alleging anti-Christian statements to go forward

[Safe-Keeper]

The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages and attorney fees, says Corbett typically spent "a large portion of class time propagating his personal views to a captive audience." He railed against Christianity and Christian viewpoints on topics such as birth control, teenage sex, homosexuality and erectile dysfunction, according to the lawsuit.

Now, this I can agree whole-heartedly with. I have an anthropology teacher at my school who's so biased it's a shame. She takes every opportunity to spout her warped political and social views and doesn't even try to be objective. It was a major pain, and I ended up dropping the class after having had her as a teacher for one and a half years. I just couldn't take it anymore.

 

[Nogbad]

??

And how does ED fit in to European History?

Not tonight Josephine?

It is perfectly possible to cover a broad range of topics in passing but harder to make them a main issue. If it is one student who has an issue then one wonders where the problem might be. If a lot of students have an issue then that is a different matter.

 

[A Christian Sceptic]

This story reminded me of this:

http://michellemalkin.com/2006/03/02/unhinged-teacher-caught-on-tape/

A World Geography teacher who was recorded going on an Anti-Bush rant.

 

[Gazpacho]

Advocates for Faith and Freedom was nice enough to send me copy of the amended complaint.
http://home.comcast.net/~mylesw/Farnan.pdf

There are a few quotations that seem to have nothing to do with religious belief per se

 

[bignickel]

I had a history teacher in H.S. who spouted off every opportunity he got about how liberals were destroying America. He once tried to show how Tri-Star Pictures was trying to warp our 'fragile little minds' by producing such stuff as "Silent Night, Deadly Night" (or whatever killer Santa movie was out in the 80's), and picking apart the corporate groups that make up Tri-Star to show their 'liberal agenda'.

For some reason, it never occurred to me at all to sue. Perhaps I might have had a case if I sued because a teacher was wasting my precious class time with stupid conspiracy theories.

 

[Nihilus]

Assuming the claims are valid, and the quotes aren't being distorted, taken out of context, or lied about, this is a legitimate claim. IMO, telling his class that they shouldn't be Christian is just as bad as telling them that they should.

However, it's definitely not cut-and-dried. I can easily see where a discussion on the use of Christianity (or any religion, really) to manipulate the public would lead to such statements. I can also see a Christian student wanting to "get" an outspoken, atheist teacher and digging for ways to get him fired.

Echo.

 

[Marc L]

Advocates for Faith and Freedom was nice enough to send me copy of the amended complaint.
http://home.comcast.net/~mylesw/Farnan.pdf

There are a few quotations that seem to have nothing to do with religious belief per se

I can definitely see the kid's point on a couple of those statements. A few of them, though, looked more like drawing a comparison, not just being disparaging. I'd still like to know more about the entire context of the discussions, though.

Marc

 

[pipelineaudio]

Its funny how exactly parallel this is with the canadian thought crimes legislation/truth is no defense thing

Its even more interesting to see how left and right are exactly flipped on that case vs this one

Not that I expect critical thinking or skepticism around here lately, Im just saying, its something to think about

 

[Cleon]

Its funny how exactly parallel this is with the canadian thought crimes legislation/truth is no defense thing

Its even more interesting to see how left and right are exactly flipped on that case vs this one

Not that I expect critical thinking or skepticism around here lately, Im just saying, its something to think about

What the hell are you talking about?

 

[Fnord]

....because you so obviously need a refresher in constitutional law.

Perhaps, but I'm not alone. Ask a tenth-grader what the sixth amendment says, and they're likely to say "Thou shalt not kill".

 

[ImaginalDisc]

Perhaps, but I'm not alone. Ask a tenth-grader what the sixth amendment says, and they're likely to say "Thou shalt not kill".

Do you have a poll to back that up, or did you pull your implication that most students confuse the Bill of Rights for the Ten Commandments out of your pious behind?

 

[thaiboxerken]

Perhaps, but I'm not alone. Ask a tenth-grader what the sixth amendment says, and they're likely to say "Thou shalt not kill".

If true, this only goes to show that our education system is poorly lacking. It's nice to see that you compare your education with tenth-graders though.

 

[Lisa Simpson]

And...I just got called for jury duty at the very courthouse this trial will be taking place at. So, what are the odds a militant agnostic like me would get on this jury?

 

[Fnord]

If true, this only goes to show that our education system is poorly lacking. It's nice to see that you compare your education with tenth-graders though.

What do you expect from the American Public School system? What with the teachers' unions fighting against merit-based pay and promotion, the administrators padding their own payrolls, the school boards fighting over whether Evolution, Creationism, or both will be part of the curriculum, and the government cutting back on funding for education to pay for GWB's private little war, it's a wonder I can think at all!

(Apologies to Paul Simon ... the musician, not the politician.)

BTW: Constitutional law simply is not my forté -- electrical engineering is. I sacrificed a future as a "Rennaissance Man" in favor of receiving a regular paycheck.

 

[thaiboxerken]

What do you expect from the American Public School system?

Not much, but even less if Christians like you get their way.

 

[Fnord]

Not much, but even less if Christians like you get their way.

... and it's all so easy, too!

 

[Radrook]

The college I attended had professors ranting off subject about their racial discriminatory preferences, and their avant garde sexual preferences. So I hesitate to attribute this to the public school system and tend to view it more as a cultural characteristic extremely expressed in some individuals. Unfortunately, at the university level-some of these predisposed individuals view tenor as a license to dispense with all emotional inhibitions. The true victims in this whole charade are the students who depend on these buffoons for the quality of education but who are subjected to such gratuitous tripe instead.

 

[Tricky]

The college I attended had professors ranting off subject about their racial discriminatory preferences, and their avant garde sexual preferences. So I hesitate to attribute this to the public school system and tend to view it more as a cultural characteristic extremely expressed in some individuals. Unfortunately, at the university level-some of these predisposed individuals view tenor as a license to dispense with all emotional inhibitions. The true victims in this whole charade are the students who depend on these buffoons for the quality of education but who are subjected to such gratuitous tripe instead.

What was your major? Religious studies?

 

[Aoidoi]

And...I just got called for jury duty at the very courthouse this trial will be taking place at. So, what are the odds a militant agnostic like me would get on this jury?

As you've already heard about the case, probably pretty bad regardless of your agnosticism.

Interesting case. I had a few teachers who were very devout in one way or another, but none of them were ever obnoxious enough to push religion during class (nor, for that matter, were any athiest or unsupportedly anti-religious views pushed that I recall). We had some pretty wide ranging discussions in my AP European History class, including references to Catherine the Great's supposed fondness for horses, so I can see how any number of things could end up under discussion. With a good teacher in a history class many topics can make for interesting and fruitful discussions.

I'd be interested to hear if other students felt he was pushing the subject, or if this particular student was singled out, and whether it was deservedly so. Even in a history class sometimes wrong is just wrong, after all.

Or maybe he stepped over the line. I suppose more info will come out over time.

 

[linusrichard]

What was your major? Religious studies?

No... Vocal Performance, apparently.

Unfortunately, at the university level-some of these predisposed individuals view tenor as a license to dispense with all emotional inhibitions.

Give me those manly and reserved baritones any day.