The politics of fear is an effective tactic. For example, I always vote straight ticket republican because every day I tremble in fear that a pregnant lesbian Mexican Muslim narco-terrorist might sneak across the border with a suitcase nuke, sell meth to my kids, convert them to Islam, drop the anchor baby, blow up the hospital, and marry my sister. And I don’t even have a sister.
The photo you see is from LaPorte High School, just a few miles away from where I lived in Seabrook, TX. What makes it interesting is that the school’s Student Secular Alliance (SSA) was not allowed to post their definition of atheist. Why? Because someone in the school’s administration didn’t want to “disrupt the educational process at LPHS.” Right…because we children begin thinking about something besides Christianity, you just never know what might happen next. Good Lord…they could become (GASP!! Oh, the humanity!!) Liberals.
Granted, this is Texas we’re talking about (unofficial state motto: “If you ain’t got Jesus, you ain’t $#!%”), so a double standard when it comes to anything outside the majority religion is understandable and certainly to be expected. That said, I can’t help but wonder how discussing atheism is potentially disruptivewhile discussing Christianity is perfectly acceptable. LPHS did not grant recognition to SSA until January, and while this can’t be conclusively proven, it would seem school administrators are far more amenable to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) than SSA.
I’d be curious to know what LPHS’ policy if for religiously-oriented groups that happen not to be be Christian. Would they treat Buddhist or Jewish groups differently than Christian organizations? A cursory glance would seem to indicate the presence of something resembling a double standard.
What are y’all so afraid of? Are you so insecure in your beliefs that you’re afraid to have them held up to scrutiny? Religion is supposed to be about belief, not blind obedience.
The Secular Student Alliance is not listed on the school’s Extra-Curricular Clubs/Organization page on the official school website, but the Fellowship of Christian Athletes is.
The SSA meets weekly, 15 minutes after school is over for the day. The FCA meets weekly, during second period.
It would be easy to suspect that the caveat, “disrupting the educational process” is merely code for “protecting” students from ideologies or theologies deemed “dangerous” (i.e.- non-Christiain). This is what happens when the edumication process becomes primarily concerned with indoctrination. After all, when students begin asking questions, they might discover answers that would lead them to think for themselves. When students think for themselves, adults run the risk of their children becoming (GASP!! OMG…there’s that word again!!) Liberals, which to most Texans is morally equivalent pledging allegiance to al-Qaeda.
There’s no way to get in the head of administrators at LPHS, but it doesn’t take a Ph.D. to understand that a Texas high school, being staffed by and having to answer to parents who are overwhelmingly Conservative and Christian, wouldn’t exactly roll out the red carpet for something other than the majority religion. Insecure, uptight Dominionist Christians who view religions other than Christianity as evil and a threat to good, God-fearing, Christian patriots? Perhaps. Given the atmosphere of pronounced religious intolerance that exist in Texas, it wouldn’t be a stretch to draw that conclusion.
So much for the separation of Church and State…or at the very least, the idea of fair access to ideas. Of course, if you view public schools as a vehicle for evangelizing children, I suspect you’re pretty happy with this state of affairs.
