Evil wears many masks in this world, but none so dangerous as the mask of righteousness. The American Family Association (AFA) is a group of Christian Fundamentalists who have come together in a common belief that the world we live in has been corrupted by immorality. They have decided to fight back against this corruption by trying to re-instate the "proper" religious morals given to us by the Bible. These moral views are narrow minded in the extreme and are often full of hate and prejudice. They often voice their beliefs that abortion is wrong, that homosexuality is a sin, that separation of church and state is a violation of their rights, that the media isn't biased enough in favour of Christianity and much more. The more I read articles from their website (www.afa.net) the more angry and horrified I become. So why do I keep going to their site? It's like a train wreck. I don't want to see, but I can't turn away. I was thinking of ranting about them in my Rant and Roar section, but there is just far too much that I have to say. That's why I have created this section. Every so often, I will chose an article from their website and analyze it. I don't know if they store their articles on their website or if they remove them after time, so you might encounter some broken links.
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I hope no one plans to send their children to Roane County High School in Kingston Tennessee anytime soon, because I think their principal has some serious issues which he needs to work though. Before I dig into Principle Jody McLoud's speech, let's look at the topic being discussed. Controversy has been sparked recently when the U.S Supreme Court ruled that organized prayer before a Football game over a PA system was unconstitutional. Principle McLoud is, of course, outraged that he cannot force his religion onto others. Let's look at the speech he made in defense of his views.
"It has always
been the custom at Roane County High School football
games to say a prayer and play the National Anthem to honor God
and
Country. Due to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, I am told
that saying
a prayer is a violation of Federal Case Law.
As I understand the
law at this time, I can use this public facility to approve
of sexual perversion and call it 'an alternate lifestyle,' and if
someone is
offended, that's OK.
Boy, the word 'tolerance' really isn't in this guy's vocabulary, is it? If he considers homosexuals to be 'sexually perverted' then he must be "mentally perverted'. It's nice to know that there are principals out there who will hate and discriminate their students based on sexual orientation. As if these kids aren't having a hard ENOUGH time trying to deal with High School, now they have to deal with a principal who will hate them just because of the way they feel. It makes me wonder how many children he will scar mentally and how many he already has.
I can use it to
condone sexual promiscuity by dispensing condoms and
calling it 'safe sex'. If someone is offended, that's OK.
The fact is, teenagers are going to have sex whether you approve or not. The least you can do is give them a method of protection. Giving out condoms does not promote sexual promiscuity, it promotes safety. I think Dennis Miller said it best in his book The Rants:
"Well, we need to get the Religious Right to take off their official Ralph Reed blinders and wake up. I know they'd rather have kids learn about sex the same way they did - from disgraced TV evangelists. But look, we all need morality in our lives. But abstinence isn't working for priests these days, so I doubt it's going to work for teenagers cranked up on Nine Inch Nails and fruit coolers. So to all you "Bu-Caynan-ites" out there - just calm down. Nobody's passing out condoms to increase the sexual activity of kids. Condoms don't make babies - people do."
I can even use this
public facility to present the merits of killing an unborn
baby as a viable means of birth control. If someone is offended,
no
problem.
God forbid you teach women that they have the right to choose what happens to their own bodies! What's next, *GASP* will you teach them that they have freedom of speech?! Oh no! Then it'll be anarchy! (Sarcasm's a bit over the top is it? Sorry.) If you want to read about my views on abortion in more detail, then check out my abortion rant.
I can designate a
school day as earth day and involve students in activities
to religiously worship and praise the goddess, mother earth, and
call it
'ecology'.
Now, I'm not sure if McLoud's sanity snapped before he said this or while he was saying it, but one thing is clear, he's completely lost his mind. How the hell did this guy get to be a principle?! Was it some kind of contest? If you run your "The Bible in Pictures" book through your secret Jesus decoder ring and it spells the word "Excommunicate" then you win the grand prize and get to be a high school principal! I think this is the first time I've ever heard religious arguments against recycling. Ok, let's deal with the most obvious thing first. "Ecology" is NOT the religious worship and praise of the goddess, mother earth. Kids aren't sacrificing virgins to volcanoes here, ok? They're just learning not to threw their Twix wrappers on the ground. Let me repeat, they are NOT having group sex in order to please the Earth Goddess. They're just learning about the environment. I mean, you don't hear about too many kids being abducted into cults that like to go around planting trees. Has McLoud ever even TAKEN the courses offered in his school?
I can use
literature, videos, and presentations in the classroom that
depict
people with strong, traditional, Christian convictions as simple-minded
and
ignorant and call it 'enlightenment'.
Well, maybe that's because people like McLoud, with so-called 'strong, traditional, Christian convictions', ARE simple minded and ignorant. If that weren't the case, then he might have something to complain about. I think the word 'enlightenment' fits perfectly.
However, if anyone
uses this facility to honor God and ask Him to bless this
event with safety and good sportsmanship, Federal Case Law is
violated.
Damn that law which forces people to be treated equally no matter what their religion! It's an outrage! (Jeez, I really need to turn that sarcasm knob down a few notches today)! Look, I 've already covered this issue in my review of the article Concerning School Prayer. You can check out my review of it here. The fact is, by having an organized prayer to a CHRISTIAN God, you are ignoring the other faiths and forcing them to pray to a God they might not believe in. That's the point of the law.
This appears to be
at best, inconsistent, and at worst, diabolical. Apparently
we are to be tolerant of everything and anyone, except God and
His
Commandments.
Mr. McLoud is wrong here. People are willing to tolerate God and His Commandments, just not those people who use these things to justify hate and to ostracize others. We tolerate everything but INtolerance, and that's exactly what religious fanatics like Mr. McLoud promote.
Nevertheless, as a
school principal, I frequently ask staff and students to
abide by rules with which they do not necessarily agree. For me
to do
otherwise would be at best, inconsistent, and at worst,
hypocritical. I suffer
from that affliction enough unintentionally. I certainly do not
need to add
an intentional transgression.
For this reason, I shall 'Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's,'
and
refrain from praying at this time. However, if you feel inspired
to honor,
praise, and thank God, and ask Him in the name of Jesus to bless
this
event, please feel free to do so. As far as I know, that's not
against the
law--yet."
Why is this concept so hard for some people to understand? You can pray all you want! That is not now, nor has it ever been, what the separation of church and state is all about. The separation of church and state is against organized prayer because it forces people to pray to something they may not believe in because of what the majority says. By allowing public prayer, you are claiming that prayers of the religious minorities are not as important as the religious majority's. THAT is why organized prayer is illegal in the U.S. You can pray all you want at a Football game. Just don't force Bob who sits two seats over to do the same.
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