Student Sues Teacher For Anti-Christian Remarks

Will it really make a difference?

Published on December 17, 2007 By KFC Kickin For Christ In Current Events

Here's a news story today from Focus on the Family. We had similar experiences in our HS but didn't go the suit route. I'm not so sure from a Christian POV that's something we should be doing but I can totally understand the frustration. I think most Christians feel as we do. It's not like we haven't been warned. Otherwise the courts would be very crowded with cases such as this.

A San Juan Capistrano, Calif., high school student and his parents filed a federal lawsuit this week, alleging his history teacher violated his constitutional rights by making "highly inappropriate" and offensive statements in class regarding Christianity, the Los Angeles Times reported.

James Corbett, who teaches Advanced Placement European history at Capistrano Valley High School, consistently "demonstrates a sense of hostility toward religion," according to the lawsuit.

The suit, which asks that Corbett be removed from the classroom, contends he told students during class that "when you put on your Jesus glasses, you can't see the truth"; said religion is not "connected with morality"; compared Christians to "Muslim fundamentalists"; and suggested churchgoers are more likely to commit rape and murder.

Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said: "It's a sad fact that those who complain the loudest about any mention of Christianity or religion in public settings are also the first to hide behind the First Amendment to slander faith, morality and country, and indoctrinate our children with repulsive ideas under the ridiculous guise of 'education.'

"This teacher's classroom tirades belong on a personal blog that only he and his mother will read, not masquerading as curriculum in front of impressionable teens."

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Comments (Page 3)

Zoomba

on Dec 19, 2007

Was the teacher abusing their position of power? Probably.
Were any constitutional rights violated? Not unless we added an amendment that says you can't be offended or hear disagreement.

Does it look like we have the full story here? Not entirely.

Context is king here. If we're talking history, especially European history from the Dark Ages through to probably early 1800s, talking about the abuses of Christianity in cases such as Divine Right monarchies, inquisitions, crusades etc is fair game. It's no secret that the Church was a pretty rotten organization on the whole and it was used to prop up some bad people and bad decisions.

Is that the same church as today? No. But if this is an AP history class (European history I'm guessing), then it's covering that period of history. You can't talk about those centuries without covering the nasty things done in the name of God. You can't just sugar coat them or skip those chapters since they're pretty important to history as a whole. Comparing the early Church to fundamentalist Islam is not a wholly inaccurate thing. Both were incredibly intolerant. Both were very violent in dealing with dissenters/non-believers. Both thought that wiping their enemies from the world was God's work.

Now, I also concede the point that not knowing the whole story, it's entirely possible that the teacher was being a jackass and letting his personal contempt for religion take over his teaching history. But I've been in that class (AP Euro History) before, with hyper-sensitive christians, and I remember students complaining about the anti-Christian vibe when any mention was made of any "unpleasant" period in Church history.

For those who think this kid's constitutional rights were violated and this is a valid lawsuit, would you say that it's equally fair game to sue any teacher who makes a disparaging remark about Islam? What if there's a current events class and abortion is discussed and the teacher makes negative remarks about pro-choice policy? Are they fair game? And note I'm not asking for a response like "that already happens... see this Christian website link here!", I'm asking if it is *fair*. I see a lot of complaining about anti-Christian indoctrination, but then I see the same folks standing up to defend fait-based sex ed programs in schools, or are OK with anti-abortion demonstrations on school grounds and so on.

If it's OK to sue over anti-Christian remarks... I have a list of teachers I want to go back at for pro-Christian remarks. This could be a new side-business

kingbee

on Dec 19, 2007

"Teresa Farnan said her suspicions were aroused on the first day of school when her son -- a sophomore honors student required to take Corbett's class for college admission -- asked her whether America was founded on Christian values, which he said his teacher had denied.

"He had learned in the eighth grade that our country was founded by persecuted Christians," said the mother, who describes her family as nondenominational Christian, "so I sent him to school with a tape recorder."

yup...same thing i excerpted from the la times article in an earlier reply.

if it didn't hit ya then, perhaps this time around you'll begin to consider the possibiity this kid's parents and thst good ol' so-called advocate for faith and freedom just may have conspired to target this teacher and are deliberately using the kid as a weapon to take him out.

clearly he spent the eighth grade in some sorta non-public school. 2 years later he's attending public high school where, after only one class session, he was outfitted with a tape recorder and sent back into the fray.

how many of yall keep recorders close to hand in anticipation of some sorta classroom outrage?

those who aggressively aspire to martyrdom make of it a mockery.

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