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Jimmy Peters is only six years old, but authorities in a California school
district have more than their hands full because of his behavior. Jimmy
is "fearsome." He bites and kicks his teachers and
classmates. He is a walking "nightmare" according to the
superintendent who had Jimmy removed from school.
But not for long. A federal judge ordered Jimmy back in. The
district says it spent $5,000 to train elementary staff how to handle Jimmy
when school started. Federal laws have cost the district $30,000 in legal
defenses, and it will owe perhaps $100,000 in plaintiff attorney's fees.
Jimmy can now do whatever he wants to do in his elementary school. And
with the blessings of the federal government.
Raymond Raines is a 10-year old student in the Missouri school system.
He is well mannered, quiet, and studious. Raymond has one
"problem." He prays silently and privately over his lunch at
school. School administrators and teachers have separated Raymond from
his classmates and subjected him to ridicule and scorn.
On at least three separate occasions, and in full view of all other students
in the lunchroom, Raymond was forcibly removed from his seat to the principal's
office -- simply because he bowed his head and prayed silently over his lunch
in the school cafeteria.
Unlike Jimmy, Raymond doesn't have the blessings of the federal government
to back him up in his behavior. The liberals in government fear
Christians as walking nightmares. Raymond was traumatized, stigmatized,
and ridiculed by his peers. His mother had to take her son out of school.
The ACLU is ready to go to court to make sure that Raymond isn't allowed
back in any school to "disrupt" the learning environment.
Jimmy and Raymond have one thing in common. Both will face a federal
district court judge because of their "offensive" behavior at
school. The same people who brought our schools to this warped sense of
right and wrong will decide their fate. Is this insanity or what?
Via The Pathfinder -- Submitted by Don Rowland
May we add that recently we read that -- A group was
prohibited by park officials in Georgia to use the park. They would not
give them a permit for a religious event in the public park even though no one
else wanted to use the park at the time.
A child in Kentucky was told by the administration that he cannot pray or
even mention God at school.
A student who graduated from a private religious school in Arkansas scored a
99 percentile on the ACT but was told that she could not enter a state
University because her high school diploma did not come from a public school.
Mall officials in Tennessee had a man arrested for talking to people about
the Bible on the sidewalks outside the mall.
In Connecticut law enforcement officers told a man that if they can prove
that he gave some religious tracts to a student, he will be charged with
corrupting the morals of a minor.
In Vermont, a kindergarten boy was told that talking about God was not
allowed. The boy had been talking to two classmates about the fact that God is
not dead when his teacher told him that was not allowed at school.
Some people bent on getting rid of religion in America altogether have
confused others about the laws concerning "separation of church and
state." The truth is that the laws say that we are free to express
our belief and show our convictions anywhere. If, however, we are placed
in certain official positions (teacher, counselor, etc.) the law places certain
limitations on us. In the case of student-initiated prayers in schools,
these have been upheld by the courts. Simply because an atheist sees that
you are praying, or overhears you in religious conversation with someone else
is not an infringement on their "civil rights." Infringement or
not, you know that "all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution" (2 Tim. 3:17). The question then is -- are you willing
to live godly and suffer, or do you prefer being a comfortable anonymous
"Christian"? It seems that in the apostle Paul's day they must
have sung a hymn with words which said, "If we suffer, we shall also reign
with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us" (2 Tim 2:12).
Just recently we have been exposed by television to some terrible, terrible
slaughters by certain troubled students who have carried guns to school and
shot and killed classmates and teachers. In most instances it seems they
were probably seeking revenge of some sort, maybe on an ex-girlfriend or on
others who had ridiculed and made them miserable. There has been a rash
of these tragic incidents in various states in the past few months. We
have noticed media focusing closely on the emotional instability of each
perpetrator. They speculate that a variety of forces and factors may have
pushed them toward their ultimate crimes. They have suspected that these
shooting sprees may have been triggered by a diet of violent garbage that they
watched on TV; their parents may have been abusive; their parents gave them
target practice and free access to guns; possibly their parents were ardent
admirers of self-defense, and aggressive in settling disputes, possibly they
have been involved in a group of Satan worshipers who carried out violent acts
on animals, and on, and on.
But, amazingly, there is one of these instances in which the news people
have backed off and become comparatively silent about reasons for the
offender's act. The one that they immediately dropped their motive
speculations about was the attack on a group of classmates who were praying
together before school. Why? Why haven't the news people continued to
pursue the motives of this confused child? Well, we think the answer is
obvious. Many people in the media probably hold the same views as the
young murderer about such religious fanatics who would pray at school, and to
some degree, sympathize with him. Why don't the God-haters around the country
all stand up and say, "Here, here, young man, good for you"?
No, but they might tell him, "Wait now, don't do that; we understand your
frustration with such people, but just wait a few years, wait until you're all
older, and then do whatever you have to." But what about this boy's
parents? We haven't heard much lately. You know that if the hatred
of Christianity (whatever the form) is so intense in the hearts of some that
they publicly demand a stop to innocent little school children offering thanks
for their food in the lunchroom, there is absolutely no telling what vicious
venom they put into their offspring when they talk in private. As we say,
we have not heard this discussed by "main-stream" media. If you
have, let us know. -- R.N.
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