Teacher accused of burning cross on student's arm

[usaftmo]

"School administrators in Ohio voted Friday to begin the process of firing a middle school teacher accused of burning a cross into a student's arm and refusing to keep his religious beliefs out of the classroom."

"Freshwater was also reprimanded several times for refusing to move his Bible from his classroom desk and teaching creationism alongside evolution, according to the 15-page independent report. The report also cites evidence that Mr. Freshwater told his students that "science is wrong because the Bible states that homosexuality is a sin and so anyone who is gay chooses to be gay and is therefore a sinner."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/20/teacher.cross/index.html

:eyes: :crazy: :eyes: :crazy: :eyes: :crazy:

[Mr. Blonde]

1. Why become a science teacher if

you don't believe science has the right answer on anything?

[flor de jasmim]

Same reason that...

people who "don't believe in government" go into politics, I guess! Change it from the inside.

[Deja Q]

2. Well, if there's any better way to teach a kid that satanism is better,

this imbecile of a teacher will surely find it.

Let parents have the say on religion. Let schools be for EDUCATION only. No indoctrination of any personal beliefs; they are irrelevant in such institutions. Reading, writing, arithmetic, and common sense manners are universal. One's beliefs, crude slogans on t-shirts, et cetera, are not.

[saltpoint]

3. I don't see what the big deal is on this story. The New Testament is

crammed full of times when Jesus did that to people.

You can't go 3 or 4 verses in the Bible without another account of Jesus burning crosses into people's arms. It pervades his ministry.

Why gang up on this one teacher in Ohio?

Sheesh.

[usaftmo]

4. I'm scared to think of what version

of the Bible you're referring to.

Your post is so wrong on so many levels...not sure where to begin. Perhaps I'll start with your indirect endorsement of what this teacher did.

By the way, this happened in Ohio not Florida...oops...too bad you didn't pay attention.

[saltpoint]

5. There's only one version, buddy. If it ain't the King James, it ain't the BIBLE.

Haven't you seen the bumperstickers?

I amended the states per your suggestion.

But as to the New Testament, I reassert my position that Jesus is nothing if not a figure who advances his ministry by burning crosses into the the arms of passersby in every town he visits in the gospels and every so many versus.

You can't miss a thing like that. This teacher PERFECTLY captured the spirit of Jesus of Galilee!

[usaftmo]

6. Here's a clue...

Shakespearean English didn't exist when Jesus was alive, so your theory about the King James version of the Bible has no merit with me at all.

I'm glad you fixed the mistake of mixing up states.

Still disappointed of your endorsement of a teacher who brings his personal religious views into the classroom...despite several reprimands from his management...and brands a minor. To me it seems this guy shouldn't be a teacher anymore; not to mention what could be considered physically assaulting a minor.

Oh the details you've intentionally overlooked. Sheesh indeed.

[saltpoint]

7. Your only jealous because that Ohio teacher is living at the foot

of the Cross!

I'm sure Jesus and the Twelve spoke in the same tongue as the King James Bible. That's the language it's IN, for godsake.

[usaftmo]

9. You are truly pitiful.

The King James version of the Bible was first published in 1611.
"The Authorized King James Version is an English translation of the Christian Bible begun in 1604 and first published in 1611 by the Church of England."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorized_King_James_Version


Jesus spoke Aramaic, with some Hebrew and Greek. You've never seen the Passion of the Christ have you?
"Most scholars believe that historical Jesus primarily spoke Aramaic, with some Hebrew and Greek, although there is some debate in academia as to what degree. Generally, scholars believe that the towns of Nazareth and Capernaum where Jesus lived were Aramaic-speaking communities, that he was knowledgeable enough in Hebrew to discuss the Hebrew Bible or had access to Aramaic Targums, and that he may have known Koine Greek through commerce as a carpenter in nearby Sepphoris and because Greek was the common language of the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Accordingly, Jesus is believed to have addressed primarily Aramaic-speaking audiences."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramaic_of_Jesus

I have no gripe with a teacher (or anyone else) being a Christian. I also find it very interesting that you still have no complaints with this teacher injecting his personal religious beliefs to a classroom of students...as well as no complaints about branding a minor.

Your ignorance is quickly becoming legendary. McCain could use you on his staff...you'd blend in perfectly.

I believe you that the King James version of the Bible is in English. Where you're wrong is that Jesus didn't speak English. Oops

[saltpoint]

10. I've seen the pictures. Jesus was a white guy with blondish hair who

spoke English.

How else could the guy who wrote the King James Bible have recorded the ministry IN ENGLISH! Huh?!

[Gold Metal Flake]

11. Give it up, OC, some people just can't be led to the truth.

[usaftmo]

13. Incredible!

Jesus on a dinosaur! Too bad the dinosaurs were extinct several thousand years before Jesus was born.

[saltpoint]

14. They were not. They were all over the place. The Middle East is known

for its rocky terrain, and from all the pictures, dinosaurs liked rocky terrains.

Why would they be somewhere where there weren't rocks? That makes no sense.

[usaftmo]

15. You're so ignorant that it's becoming funny.

The dinosaurs were extinct 65 million years ago. If Jesus walked the earth 65 million years ago, then this wouldn't be 2008...this year would be 65,000,000.

"Non-avian dinosaurs suddenly became extinct approximately 65 million years ago."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaurs#Extinction

By the way, have you ever been to Europe or South America? There's millions of men that are white with blond hair that don't speak English. Oops...another bubble of yours got busted.

Another recap of your warped logic:
1) a teacher injecting students with personal religious beliefs = good
2) a teacher physically assaulting a minor = good
3) Jesus and his disciples spoke 17th century English
4) Jesus was on the earth as the same time as the dinosaurs

[saltpoint]

16. Look, buddy. I have a Jesus bobblehead doll AND a brontosaurus bobblehead

on my dashboard, and I'm damned proud of both of 'em.

[usaftmo]

18. Ok, I'm happy for all 4 of you:

you, both of your bobblehead dolls, and your dementia.

I'll leave you alone now so you can frolic and play in that space between your ears.

In 7 years on this site I've only put 4 people on ignore. Congratulations; you just made #5.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

22. I'm truly flabberghasted.

Have you been innoculated to be completely immune to satire, or something?

Or are you parodying yourself, in which case you've completely taken me in but I think you're being overly subtle?

[IA_Seth]

25. Lol

I know, I am trying to decide if he is a master of satire or a complete jackoff, but I haven't decided.

I am hoping for the master of satire.

[A HERETIC I AM]

30. The English have an expression for what Old Crusoe has been doing to this guy.

It's "Taking the Piss"

and OC did a damned fine job of taking the piss out of THAT GUY!

Too funny.

[scarletwoman]

31. I was thinking either "punked" or "pwned", myself. But whatever you call it, it's been hilarious.

[usaftmo]

32. Both actually

At first I thought he was serious, then realized his warped humor.

[A HERETIC I AM]

33. Welcome back! Phew. Starting to worry about you for a sec. n/t

[Gold Metal Flake]

38. The whole thing made my morning!

That was fun!

[usaftmo]

40. Adding you to my ignore list

made my entire day. Please see #39

[Gold Metal Flake]

41. OMG! You Are Precious!

:rofl:

[scarletwoman]

27. Your "rocky terrain" argument is... er... rock solid. I'm convinced!

:rofl:

Thank you for making sense. ;)

sw

[yardwork]

23. Several thousand years before Jesus was born?

I must have the wrong verson of the Bible. I thought dinosaurs had been extinct for something like 60 million years.

[usaftmo]

28. I was trying to be gracious...

you know...trying to reach out to someone horribly ignorant...no success though.

My experience with that person was funny and irritating at the same time.

[yardwork]

35. You and I both know that there are folks out there who would mean every word of those posts.

What is obvious satire to many sounds just like what I heard daily in this particular school system. And yes - mentioning "millions of years" would just add fuel to the fire, as they all firmly believed that the earth was created 6,000 years ago and anybody saying different must be a satanist. Or a commie. Or mebbe both.

[usaftmo]

12. What does a white guy with blondish hair

have to do with speaking English? How can you tell what language a person spoke simply by looking at a picture of him/her?

You obviously are too ignorant to know that the King had translators involved. Just in case going back to my previous post was too complicated, here it is again.
"The king gave the translators instructions designed to guarantee that the new version would conform to the ecclesiology and reflect the episcopal structure of the Church of England and its beliefs about an ordained clergy. The translation was by 47 scholars, all whom were members of the Church of England. In common with most other translations of the period, the New Testament was translated from the Textus Receptus (Received Text) series of the Greek texts. The Old Testament was translated from the Masoretic Hebrew text, while the Apocrypha were translated from the Greek Septuagint (LXX), except for 2 Esdras, which was translated from the Latin Vulgate. Thus, the Authorized Version included the Apocrypha."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorized_King_James_Version

Let's recap what we have from you so far:
1) it's ok for a teacher to put his personal religious beliefs into his class curriculum
2) physically assaulting a minor is ok
3) a white guy with blondish hair = speaks English
4) looking at pics of someone tells you what language that person speaks

Please feel free to show all of us how ignorant you are.

[IA_Seth]

17. Speaking of ignorant..

Perhaps they should have mandatory sarcasm instruction as well.

Lol.

[yardwork]

26. Of coursre all blonde people speak English! What else would they speak?

What are you one of those moonbat commie liberal socialists or something?

[Phillycat]

63. You know this guy's fucking with you, right?

:rofl:

[NancyG]

37. The sarcasm is obvious. To me at least. nt

[usaftmo]

39. It wasn't to me.

To me it sounded like a typical narrow-minded ignorant person. By the time I picked up on the sarcasm I was getting mad. When communicating with a total stranger it's difficult to pick-up on indirect things.

I created a thread regarding a serious issue, but several others saw it as material for satire. That's the thanks I get for initiating a discussion.

I've been stationed in Kansas and currently stationed in Mississippi; believe me...crossing paths with people trying to be serious and sounding that ignorant is unfortunately routine.

Overall I won't have anymore issues with what's-his-name. I put him on ignore, in addition to the others who took great enjoyment in him giving me a hard time.

[uppityperson]

42. Save time, put me on ignore too because I make jokes sometimes too.

AND I'm uppity, so just on general principle, ignore me too.

[usaftmo]

43. All too easy

If you start clowning around on a serious thread, then you get what you deserve.

[uppityperson]

44. Ignored forever, for 1 joke. Sigh. Welcome to the world of hijacked threads.

You mean like this reply, of yours:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3492787&mesg_id=3498649

This teacher should not be teaching, could do with a good prison sentence and perhaps community service while under observation.

[Gold Metal Flake]

45. Oh, wow!

What a sick assshole!

[uppityperson]

46. Here's another one to put on Ignore. Just trying to help out.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=105

[yardwork]

21. LOL! Thank you for injecting a bit of humor into this discussion.

I've been very depressed about this story. At least the school board fired his ass yesterday.

[saltpoint]

54. Hi, yardwork. Yes. Agree with you -- this has been a dismal account

from this Ohio community. A difficult and troubling kind of account that has the frightening ring of actually happening in 21st-century America, when we had hoped we long ago abandoned this kind of Dark Ages thinking.

The other kids in the classroom would maybe serve as witnesses. This teacher's zealotry probably didn't just all of a sudden rear its ugly head -- likely there are other tales to tell, and happily, the teacher was dismissed from duties.

I think the best interview in the country right now would be with this kid's parents.

As others have pointed out in this thread, a phone call to the right attorney might be in order. The school system has some explaining to do. The teacher might have fooled the administrators for a long time by concealing his zealotry and one-mindedness, but if this guy insists on a Constitutionally-protected faith, he should take it to his church and leave it well out of the public arena, including public schools.

Also, I wonder what would have happened if this same teacher tried the same tactic on an 11th grader? Say, someone on the soccer team who could rearrange his face for him?

Schools are up against the wall on far too many issues as it is to expect them to contend with religious nutbags as well.

I believe a Court would likely consider mandated behavioral health counseling for this teacher and I think the kid's parents are owed an explanation and an apology.

[saltpoint]

8. Actually, it's a great teachable moment. I think they should take

Science and Literature out of school curricula and instead devote time each day to missionary projects in the community in which students would be encouraged to rove their towns and cities in small groups burning crosses into people's arms.

Not only would they win a lot of souls for Jesus, but in one fell swoop we could get rid of Science and Literature, which frankly only encourage critical thinking in the young.

[snake in the grass]

19. Praise the Hoard!

Unfortunately it is not very well known, but Jesus actually didn't ride in on a donkey. This is a myth. In fact it was a triceratops. Through a mistake in the translation people to this day believe the donkey story. Thank you for the opportunity to set the record straight. Furthermore, I totally agree with you on the cross branding issue. What better way to spread the love! Some people just don't get it no matter how often you hit them in the face with it. Praise the hoard!

[saltpoint]

47. I heard the same thing -- it was a triceratops. And the three humps of the

dorsal thingies became the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

These things don't just happen by accident!

[yardwork]

29. ...and we all know where that leads.

As a "product" of this school system (and I use that capitalist term advisedly), I am here to tell you that they already devote time each day to missionary projects in which students are encouraged to roam around beating up, verbally harassing, and otherwise intimidating anyone who defends science and literature, not to mention comparative religion.

Edited to add link. Read the other links at the local paper's site, too.

http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/08/05/06/freshwater_upd.html

[bmotteten]

20. If a parent branded a child's arm that way, Child Protective Services would take the child away

What this teacher did was a criminal act and he should be imprisoned for it.

[warrior1]

24. I concur bmotteten

Funny Old Crusoe, ya still got it!

[Dark]

34. HE'S BEEN A TEACHER FOR 21 YEARS!!!?? God I hate Ohio. It's the Florida of the Midwest.

n/t

[yardwork]

36. No, no, not all of Ohio! Many parts of Ohio are very enlightened.

There are even many good, intelligent, thoughtful people in Knox County, Ohio. Unfortunately, it's a very rural place where this kind of insanity is not only tolerated but encouraged by many.

The good news is that the school board voted yesterday to fire the asshole. He's going to fight it, though, and many people in the community are on his side. Good Germans.

[knitter4democracy]

53. Considering the principal who was there when I was there . . .

I did one of my field experiences at that middle school and ran into the guy ages ago when I was at Mount Vernon Nazarene College. I remember my cooperating teacher not liking him and avoiding him, but that's all I remember about him. I never heard anything from the students that I recall. As for my cooperating teacher, how she got a perfect score on her annual review when she was the least competent English teacher I've ever worked with, I'll never know. If the principal thought she was a good teacher, it explains how that guy stayed so long.

[FloridaJudy]

48. When will this jerk get a clue?

He claims they're trying to fire him for "keeping a Bible on my desk". It's not about keeping a Bible on his desk. As far as I'm concerned, that's his own business if he wants to read it between classes. It's about aggressive proselytizing and child abuse.

I'm philosophically a pacifist, but if this cretin burned a cross on my child's arm he'd soon learn how it feels to have a Tibetan singing bowl bounced off the side his head. It's all about the physics of the sound, right? Like how you taught electrical resistance?

[krispos42]

49. Should have used IntraJesus instead

Much more efficient than nuns with rulers.

[Wizard777]

50. Opps wrong place!

[saltpoint]

51. For those who are yet to purchase your Jesus bobblehead doll:

http://www.mcphee.com/items/10972.html

Enjoy!

[FloridaJudy]

57. And for those of us who are "differently religioned"

[saltpoint]

58. LOL!

Gotta get me one of those bobblehead Buddhas. Just gotta.

[FloridaJudy]

59. Archie McPhee

"Purveyors of Popular Culture". Request a catalog: it's a hoot.

http://www.mcphee.com/

[saltpoint]

52. And because they belong together, here's the dinosaur bobblehead as well:

http://ticklespop.com/trdibohedo.html

[IA_Seth]

55. Thanks for the laughs OC! n/t

[saltpoint]

56. Hi, Seth.

I hope you and family and friends are ok in the Iowa flooding.

You have to be some pretty hearty souls to endure what's going on in Iowa right now.

All good wishes, and we're rooting for you.

[IA_Seth]

62. Thank ya, sir!

My immediate family made it through everything ok, but close friends and distant relatives were not as lucky. Businesses, culture, our entire downtown basically destroyed. Our main library - the entire adult collection is thought to be a complete loss.

We'll get through this, and who knows, perhaps it will be a catalyst to rebuild things better than before.

[usaftmo]

60. For those of you who found satire/humor

regarding this topic, it made #8 on the Top 10 Conservative Idiots of the Week. Apparently EarlG and/or the other main admins didn't find this subject funny.

Sheesh.

[IA_Seth]

61. The topic wasn't funny per se....

It was your reaction to the satire that had me rollin!

Not that you are probably reading this if I am on ignore :(

[Phillycat]

64. You realize the Top 10 Conservative Idiots lists are meant to be funny, right?

Dude, you've got a humor chip missing.