Teachers who stomped American flag, Jesus, are gone

[Memphis]

Im just going to leave this here.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/nov/12/kent-man-arrested-burning-poppy

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/03/poppy-burning-northern-ireland-arrests

[compl3x]

If you want to know why some "militant atheists" act like jerks, you need look no further at how theists treat them. Try starting with a mirror.

Militant atheist is a bull****, loaded term to begin with. If you write a book, you're militant. If you're famous and say you're an atheist (e.g. Gervais), you're militant. Hell, If you say out loud you're an atheist, you're a militant.

[McKay]

If there is love in the world then why is there war? Crusades were not from God, that is a human thing. Those rules are not outdated. Do not steal, do not commit adultery, do not kill, etc... are good rules to follow.

I would suggest you read the Bible and study it and you will begin to understand.

Im referring to other rules, no mixing of fabrics, no touching of dead pig, working on the sabbath, 2 gays can't marry, burning down entire cities if they worship a different God, so in reality the Crusades were a God thing, they were obeying the Bible.

And theres no point getting pedantic about "those are spiritual laws, not Gods laws etc". The Bible still tells me to follow them or burn in Hell, and according to Jesus, the Old Testament is still valid.

The Bible still has the gall to say that I'm a bad person, I treat people around me respectfully and nicely, I give to several charities monthly and partake in charity events to help raise money too, yet I'm evil and I'm going to burn in Hell because I don't believe in God.

[Rippleman]

The Bible still has the gall to say that I'm a bad person, I treat people around me respectfully and nicely, I give to several charities monthly and partake in charity events to help raise money too, yet I'm evil and I'm going to burn in Hell because I don't believe in God.

reminds me of this:

blind blackmail

[Stetson]

While I don't have the textbook, I bet it was more like an exercise that was to demonstrate that words have no real power. I doubt the assignment instructions said to put a religious word on a piece of paper (or even specifically Jesus) and stomp on it. Do you know more about this assignment?

I would expect that the same response would happen if you put christianity, catholicism, or mormonism on the paper and stomped it. You are insulting people's religious beliefs and teaching your students that they don't have to respect the beliefs and values of others. The LAST thing this world needs is more religious intolerance.

The teacher made a bad call, that is all there is to it.

Fox News obtained a synopsis of the lesson that got Rotela in trouble.

?Have the students write the name JESUS in big letters on a piece of paper,? the lesson reads. ?Ask the students to stand up and put the paper on the floor in front of them with the name facing up. Ask the students to think about it for a moment. After a brief period of silence instruct them to step on the paper. Most will hesitate. Ask why they can?t step on the paper. Discuss the importance of symbols in culture.?

http://radio.foxnews...p-on-jesus.html

Asking the students to step on the paper was to start a discussion. I don't know what actually went down in the classroom but the idea was not to force students to do it, but to raise the question of why some or most would not do it.

[FloatingFatMan]

Militant atheist is a bull****, loaded term to begin with. If you write a book, you're militant. If you're famous and say you're an atheist (e.g. Gervais), you're militant. Hell, If you say out loud you're an atheist, you're a militant.

Hence my putting it in quotation marks...

[Stoffel]

http://radio.foxnews...p-on-jesus.html

Asking the students to step on the paper was to start a discussion. I don't know what actually went down in the classroom but the idea was not to force students to do it, but to raise the question of why some or most would not do it.

This is what I've been saying all along :)

Thanks for that

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

Good things still happen in this country.

[Stoffel]

Good things still happen in this country.

So you find it OK for a teacher to be fired for following the text books?

Nice one!

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

So you find it OK for a teacher to be fired for following the text books?

Nice one!

Yes if the teacher composted on the flag yes. How about if they place a picture of Mohammed and stomped on it would that be OK as well?

[Rippleman]

Yes if the teacher composted on the flag yes. How about if they place a picture of Mohammed and stomped on it would that be OK as well?

yes it would

[compl3x]

Hence my putting it in quotation marks...

I wasn't attacking you, mate :) I just hate that stupid term. :angry:

Yes if the teacher composted on the flag yes. How about if they place a picture of Mohammed and stomped on it would that be OK as well?

Typical Jihad envy. Are you upset Christians don't respond violently to blasphemy as some Muslims are so quick to?

[Stoffel]

Yes if the teacher composted on the flag yes. How about if they place a picture of Mohammed and stomped on it would that be OK as well?

Yes it would!

[Torolol]

Typical Jihad envy. Are you upset Christians don't respond violently to blasphemy as some Muslims are so quick to?

yeah, but i believe they choose to use jesus name to stomp at,

because they believe that *most* christians wont react so violently like muslims.

thats why the books (and teacher) ordering the student to write jesus name, and not whatever name what that each students might adhere to. (obama, dawkins, einstein, mohammad, moses, etc.. etc..)

[Growled Member]

Yes if the teacher composted on the flag yes. How about if they place a picture of Mohammed and stomped on it would that be OK as well?

Actually no, it would not be okay. Dissing things for no reason is not okay.

[compl3x]

yeah, but i believe they choose to use jesus name to stomp at,

because they believe that *most* christians wont react so violently like muslims.

thats why the books (and teacher) ordering the student to write jesus name, and not whatever name what that each students might adhere to. (obama, dawkins, einstein, mohammad, moses, etc.. etc..)

Admittedly, I only glanced over the original article, but I don't think anyone was forced to stomp on anything. It was an exercise to examine symbols and their importance. Why do we respect/revere certain things. Why is stepping on a flag considered disrespectful? Or stomping on the word Jesus.

the only dumb thing here is the teachers who thought this wouldn't get such an absurd reaction. They really couldn't see this **** coming?

Actually no, it would not be okay. Dissing things for no reason is not okay.

Why? Who decides what is disrespectful? What is acceptable and what isn't?

You can "diss" anything you like. You might lose friends, people might think you're a jerk, but it shouldn't be outlawed.

What is far more repulsive is when people use violence to punish those who have "dissed" them or their beliefs.

[Growled Member]

Why? Who decides what is disrespectful? What is acceptable and what isn't?

People with common sense usually know where the limits are. It's okay to criticize something but most people these days go way too far.

[Yogurtmaster]

Yes if the teacher composted on the flag yes. How about if they place a picture of Mohammed and stomped on it would that be OK as well?

I think the teacher should be fired for doing anything disrespectful like that. Nobody should take a picture of anyone and stomp on it. The flag as well, look at what message he is sending to his students. Being disrespectful should not be shown by any teacher at school to anyone.

I know it's hard for some of you to you grasp (most likely your parents failed you), but you can teach without

being disrespectful and just being a jerk.

Being a jerk and being disrespectful should not be rewarded.

[Rippleman]

you can teach without

being disrespectful and just being a jerk.

People like you will never understand the concept of what he was trying to teach. The whole event INCLUDING his firing proves a lesson that people are too attached to symbols that mean nothing. It was intended to show an example that if you tie something to a symbol, it changes your mindset and you treat it differently then normal. If it was intended to be a demonstration of defiance, personal belief, or other, then you would be correct. Religion is a perfect example of this in the most extreme way as you can tell from the whole uproar. Just as Muslims are idiots about photos about Mohammed, Christians are just as big of idiots to symbolism as well when it comes to letters arranged in a way and placed on the ground.

[chrisj1968]

It's a piece of cloth!!!!!

It only represents whatever you want it to represent.

It may be a piece of cloth to you. But I'm sure of you research your nations flag, you'll learn what the design and colors mean on your flag. but I learned that mine was created to represent on one level, the blood of patriots who died for the ideals of liberty of my nation.

Yes it would!

therein lies the problem. if you stomp on the US flag, you must hate the US and are free to leave the country.

[mudslag]

therein lies the problem. if you stomp on the US flag, you must hate the US and are free to leave the country.

Who made the rule that stomping on the flag equates to hating the US? Maybe you hate something the gov did, maybe you hate that your kid died in a senseless war but you still love the country, maybe hate has nothing to do with it and you stomp on the flag out of spite because some anonymous asshat on the internet said you automatically hate the US for stomping on the flag, maybe that same anonymous person hates your RIGHT to stomp on the flag in the first place and doesn't want people who express their freedom to do something their way so they say get out of the country. Maybe there are a thousand other reasons someone might have to stomp on the flag and NONE of them have anything to do with HATING the US.

FYI they are also free to stay in the country as well, it is a free country after all.

[seta-san]

yes it would

in Islamabad?

[compl3x]

People with common sense usually know where the limits are. It's okay to criticize something but most people these days go way too far.

Be specific. Don't be vague. What is acceptable and what is unacceptable?

[FlintyV]

It may be a piece of cloth to you. But I'm sure of you research your nations flag, you'll learn what the design and colors mean on your flag. but I learned that mine was created to represent on one level, the blood of patriots who died for the ideals of liberty of my nation.

Huh? The US flag is just a slightly modified version of the East India Company flag.

[Open Minded]

They paid the inevitable price for not bowing to the Christian Taliban / uber patriot crowd. I fully agree with the teachers, it was an interesting lesson that raised an interesting point about the way people obsessively worship things like flags.

...but if the teachers were talking about praising Jesus, you'd have a problem with them NOT being fired. I'd bet money on that. A lot of money. :rolleyes: