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Two quick links. And a rantling! Or two!
May. 28th, 2011 10:57 am
High School Student Stands Up Against Prayer at Public School and Is Ostracized, Demeaned and Threatened
I could, at this point, cherrypick a few telling Bible quotes to show these guys up as raging hypocrites... but I'm not going to do that. You know the drill, do it on your own.
Now, coincidentally, the same day I read that article I picked up a new book for the nieces, Penina Levine is a Hard-Boiled Egg. Had I read the blurb more carefully I probably wouldn't've. It turned out to be an "issues" boo, with the issue being that Penina's teacher is an ignoramus. Those, for whatever reason, don't tend to be as good as ones that aren't dominated by a single Important conflict. And this book isn't that great. It's okay, it doesn't have any real flaws that I'm going to go "Wow, this book sucks!", but it's nothing to write home about.
It has two negative reviews over on Amazon. One of them ran "I don't think the teacher's reaction makes sense, and it makes no logical sense that Penina would refuse to do the stupid Easter bunny assignment but be willing to go to church with her friend one day. She shouldn't mix religion with friendship!" (Not an actual quote.)
Now, it turned out that what the reviewer meant about the teacher is that she thinks it makes no sense for the woman to do a 180 by the end of the book after Penina's mom calls the principal. This makes more sense than what I thought she meant, but I still disagree. The teacher never really gets a clue, and acts more like somebody who had her ass handed to her than somebody who really understands about not trampling on the rights of the minority.
As far as visiting with her friend at church, I don't see - and said so - that it's inconsistent at all. CHOOSING to go with your friend to church (and not participating in anything that conflicts with your beliefs or makes you uncomfortable) is not at all the same as being forced or coerced to act as though other people's beliefs are your own.
And this is what really bugs me, is when people say ONE thing and then, when you disagree, claim they said something else. In a reply, the reviewer says that it's just WRONG for Jewish children to ever willingly enter a church because it's condoning years of terrible things done by Christians to Jews, and that SHE grew up without ever inviting her non-Jewish friends over for her holidays or giving them Christmas gifts or anything, and Penina isn't a good example.
Now, quite aside from the fact that there is a wide range of opinions on whether or not it's ever appropriate to participate in somebody else's holidays or worship services (and to what degree), this is not what her original point was. What she said at first is that it's illogical and inconsistent. And now she's saying that what she meant was it's just a bad thing to do. Say what you mean and mean what you say, people! Don't say one thing and then claim you meant something entirely different!
Ugh.
But you know, this person at least seems to have thought a little before reviewing. I disagree with some things she said, but she didn't just say whatever.
Check this one out.
If you can work out what this woman is even attempting to get at, please let me know. All I could figure out is that apparently if your grandma survived the Holocaust by hiding in a Catholic school run by nuns, she was "treading on and upsetting personal religions TRADITIONS" (emphasis hers - and I kinda think that taking (or not taking) Communion is more than a "tradition") and you should be ashamed of her and not let her visit your classroom. Or something. It was a good laugh until I opened up page 127 and figured out what the heck she was trying to talk about in that sentence.
These two links don't really go together, except in that they do.
I could, at this point, cherrypick a few telling Bible quotes to show these guys up as raging hypocrites... but I'm not going to do that. You know the drill, do it on your own.
Now, coincidentally, the same day I read that article I picked up a new book for the nieces, Penina Levine is a Hard-Boiled Egg. Had I read the blurb more carefully I probably wouldn't've. It turned out to be an "issues" boo, with the issue being that Penina's teacher is an ignoramus. Those, for whatever reason, don't tend to be as good as ones that aren't dominated by a single Important conflict. And this book isn't that great. It's okay, it doesn't have any real flaws that I'm going to go "Wow, this book sucks!", but it's nothing to write home about.
It has two negative reviews over on Amazon. One of them ran "I don't think the teacher's reaction makes sense, and it makes no logical sense that Penina would refuse to do the stupid Easter bunny assignment but be willing to go to church with her friend one day. She shouldn't mix religion with friendship!" (Not an actual quote.)
Now, it turned out that what the reviewer meant about the teacher is that she thinks it makes no sense for the woman to do a 180 by the end of the book after Penina's mom calls the principal. This makes more sense than what I thought she meant, but I still disagree. The teacher never really gets a clue, and acts more like somebody who had her ass handed to her than somebody who really understands about not trampling on the rights of the minority.
As far as visiting with her friend at church, I don't see - and said so - that it's inconsistent at all. CHOOSING to go with your friend to church (and not participating in anything that conflicts with your beliefs or makes you uncomfortable) is not at all the same as being forced or coerced to act as though other people's beliefs are your own.
And this is what really bugs me, is when people say ONE thing and then, when you disagree, claim they said something else. In a reply, the reviewer says that it's just WRONG for Jewish children to ever willingly enter a church because it's condoning years of terrible things done by Christians to Jews, and that SHE grew up without ever inviting her non-Jewish friends over for her holidays or giving them Christmas gifts or anything, and Penina isn't a good example.
Now, quite aside from the fact that there is a wide range of opinions on whether or not it's ever appropriate to participate in somebody else's holidays or worship services (and to what degree), this is not what her original point was. What she said at first is that it's illogical and inconsistent. And now she's saying that what she meant was it's just a bad thing to do. Say what you mean and mean what you say, people! Don't say one thing and then claim you meant something entirely different!
Ugh.
But you know, this person at least seems to have thought a little before reviewing. I disagree with some things she said, but she didn't just say whatever.
Check this one out.
If you can work out what this woman is even attempting to get at, please let me know. All I could figure out is that apparently if your grandma survived the Holocaust by hiding in a Catholic school run by nuns, she was "treading on and upsetting personal religions TRADITIONS" (emphasis hers - and I kinda think that taking (or not taking) Communion is more than a "tradition") and you should be ashamed of her and not let her visit your classroom. Or something. It was a good laugh until I opened up page 127 and figured out what the heck she was trying to talk about in that sentence.
These two links don't really go together, except in that they do.
