From the NY Times:
Shortly after school began in September, the teacher told his sixth-period students at Kearny High School that evolution and the Big Bang were not scientific, that dinosaurs were aboard Noah’s ark, and that only Christians had a place in heaven, according to audio recordings made by a student whose family is now considering a lawsuit claiming Mr. Paszkiewicz broke the church-state boundary.
“If you reject his gift of salvation, then you know where you belong,” Mr. Paszkiewicz was recorded saying of Jesus. “He did everything in his power to make sure that you could go to heaven, so much so that he took your sins on his own body, suffered your pains for you, and he’s saying, ‘Please, accept me, believe.’ If you reject that, you belong in hell.”
That’d be dandy (if a bit strong) for a Sunday School class, but it’s downright bizarre in an 11th grade history class in a public high school. Dinosaurs on the ark?
The audiotapes are here; listen for yourself. I found the teacher’s statement that “the public schools shouldn’t teach religion… but the scriptures aren’t religion” to be particularly entertaining.
I’d think this was just some eccentric, but the reactions from the community are just as strange:
In this tale of the teacher who preached in class and the pupil he offended, students and the larger community have mostly lined up with Mr. Paszkiewicz, not with Matthew, who has received a death threat handled by the police, as well as critical comments from classmates.
Greice Coelho, who took Mr. Paszkiewicz’s class and is a member of his youth group, said in a letter to The Observer, the local weekly newspaper, that Matthew was “ignoring the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which gives every citizen the freedom of religion.” Some anonymous posters on the town’s electronic bulletin board, Kearnyontheweb.com, called for Matthew’s suspension.
The student has violated the teacher’s rights? Looks like they have some problems with the civics curriculum there, too.
via memeorandum
Comprehensive coverage at The Lippard Blog.
I may be destined for hell myself by agreeing with you – in part. I’d prefer that school teachers not teach religion on an “ad hoc” basis. Not because being in a publicly funded school should shield kids from religion – it shouldn’t – but because too many teachers aren’t qualified for the mission.
I think it’s that we put religion back on the educational table as a course required for high school graduation if for no other reason than we all need to know a little about who we’re fighting and why. It’s a fool’s choice to deny history and that’s exactly what ignoring the world’s religions is.
Little Johnny may be uncomfortable talking about Buddhism for 6 weeks. But probably not. It’s his parents who will get all wound up, either because they’re afraid he’s going to turn Muslim or Christian if he’s not or, if he is, that he’ll turn away from their faith.
The truth is that high school age is old enough to have this information and deal with it. Far better to have all of the facts and be able to make up one’s own mind. Darwin’s had the field to himself long enough.
Actually, Polimom, there are several instances where students have recorded some of their teacher’s more bizarre behavior, and the school has chosen to respond by disciplining the student – for violating a rule (oftentimes buried deep within the fine print of the student code of conduct, or else made up on the spot and applied ex-post-facto) which prohibits recording devices in the classroom.
Besides, everybody knows that dinosaurs were on the Arc – after all, that was the origin of the saying “..and the Tryannosaur will lie down with the Apatosaur…”
Then, of course, you have the ‘lost verses’ which explains what really happened (warning – put the coffee down, and get that cat out of your lap, before proceeding):
“… and the people they sawest the Tyrannosaur lying with the Apatosaur, as did the Lord; and they all sayeth a mighty ‘ewwwwww‘, and the Lord saieth “Yea, I told these beasts they were not to layeth down with those not of their own species”, and the people did stone the Tyrannosaur with stones, and they didst stone the Apatosaur with stones also. And then, yea verily, they did cast their bodies overboard, but this they did not do on the Sabbath, for that would have been work, and thus Inherently Evil: an so the bodies did remain on the Arc, and did begin to decompose; so by the time they were thrown overboard, they did giveth off an odor most foul. Thus sayeth the Lord, this is how the dinosaurs did become extinct: don’t listen to that fool Darwin or those silly paleontologists, for only History Teachers whose names are more unpronounceable than Mine have been given the truth.”
I agree with marc. There should be a world religions class available for high school students. As long as it taught world religions (which is not against the law because it discusses more than one religion and in an educational way). However, I find what this one teacher did to be absolutely disgusting. Cramming your own beliefs down someone else’s throat is not only illegal (in this sense), but it’s wrong, and it’s something the whole country is dealing with, not only in the classroom. I just know that if I had been in the classroom when he began to talk, I would’ve talked back and then walked out. And I would hope that my fellow students would be with me.
Hey, everybody knows that Adam and Eve rode dinosaurs to church on Sunday mornings.
Ed T’s on a roll lately. Getting into the eggnog or something… LOL
I do agree with Jess and marc, though where one would fit that into a high school schedule these days is beyond me. The ignorance that’s displayed about religions other than Christianity in this country is appalling.
I was trying to imagine what I’d have done if this man had been AC’s teacher, btw. My reaction would have been very strong…
And, the ignorance that’s displayed about Christianity in this country isn’t?
BTW, no ‘nog. I can’t do ‘nog any more. It’s all natural.
~EdT.