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2nd-grader sent home for crucifix drawing [Obama: "We're No Longer Just A Christian Nation"]
AP Report ^ | December 15th 2009

Posted on 12/15/2009 5:44:07 PM PST by Steelfish

2nd-grader sent home for crucifix drawing Dad says teacher became upset when boy drew himself on a cross

Dec . 15, 2009 TAUNTON, Mass. - An 8-year-old boy was sent home from school and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation after he was asked to make a Christmas drawing and came up with what appeared to be a stick figure of Jesus on a cross, the child's father said Tuesday.

Chester Johnson told WBZ-TV that his son made the drawing on Dec. 2 after his second-grade teacher asked children to sketch something that reminded them of the holiday.

Johnson said the teacher became upset when his son said he drew himself on the cross. Johnson, who is black, told WBZ he suspects racism is involved. He said he thinks the school overreacted and wants an apology.

Johnson told the Taunton Daily Gazette, which first reported the story on Tuesday, that his son gets specialized reading and speech instruction and has never been violent in school.

An educational consultant working with the Johnson family said the teacher was also alarmed when the boy drew Xs for Jesus' eyes.

A call to Johnson was not immediately returned.

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: antichristianbigotry; christianstudents; christmas; cross; discipline
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To: freedumb2003
Johnson said the teacher became upset when his son said he drew himself on the cross...

According to the ABC article, he only said that after they'd dragged him down to the principal's office and worked him over for a little while.

He misspoke, or they tripped him up, while they were grilling him in the principal's office, and they grabbed that one utterance and ran with it.

And for that matter:

“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me . . ." - Galatians 2:20

21 posted on 12/15/2009 6:31:41 PM PST by mvpel (Michael Pelletier)
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To: freedumb2003
Look, even non-Catholics know something about Crucifix pictures ~ there are Gazillions of them. They are common. Children draw them too. Nothing strange whatsoever about a Crucifix picture.

What is unbelievable in this story is that the teacher appeared to not know this.

That's where "evaluations" should be directed ~ toward the teacher.

The teacher also needs to go to a First Amendment re-education course. You might well accompany her.

22 posted on 12/15/2009 6:33:25 PM PST by muawiyah (Git Out The Way)
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To: freedumb2003

IMO, we don’t have enough information to draw that conclusion.


23 posted on 12/15/2009 6:35:21 PM PST by savedbygrace (You are only leading if someone follows. Otherwise, you just wandered off... [Smokin' Joe])
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To: freedumb2003

But I’m tempted to draw a conclusion from the fact that the father is trying to make it a racial thing. That happened after the incident, so it doesn’t contribute to the cause at all.


24 posted on 12/15/2009 6:37:32 PM PST by savedbygrace (You are only leading if someone follows. Otherwise, you just wandered off... [Smokin' Joe])
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To: muawiyah

>>What is unbelievable in this story is that the teacher appeared to not know this.<<

Saying it is YOU who is on the cross is not normal and we have no way of knowing what the teacher knows or doesn’t.

You still refuse to actually READ the article I see.

>>The teacher also needs to go to a First Amendment re-education course. You might well accompany her.<<

Is that what you are calling your theological purity indoctrination these days? I see you are one of those “Freedom for me but not for thee” types. You better go back and read that Amendment again.

But I know people like you need to see persecution behind every tree. Else your life would have no meaning. You define yourself by your enemies and, clearly, when the numbers get low you create new ones.


25 posted on 12/15/2009 6:39:51 PM PST by freedumb2003 (Communism comes to America: 1/20/2009. Keep your powder dry, folks. Sic semper tyrannis)
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To: savedbygrace

>>IMO, we don’t have enough information to draw that conclusion.<<

Based on the facts presented in the OP, it appears not to have been punitive. Overreaction? Looks like it to me. But not because of the crucifix, per se.


26 posted on 12/15/2009 6:41:35 PM PST by freedumb2003 (Communism comes to America: 1/20/2009. Keep your powder dry, folks. Sic semper tyrannis)
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To: savedbygrace

>>But I’m tempted to draw a conclusion from the fact that the father is trying to make it a racial thing. That happened after the incident, so it doesn’t contribute to the cause at all.<<

Overreaction and seeing persecution where there is none. Hmmm. Sound like anyone you have read recently? Anyone?

(I think he is setting up for a lawsuit payday)


27 posted on 12/15/2009 6:43:21 PM PST by freedumb2003 (Communism comes to America: 1/20/2009. Keep your powder dry, folks. Sic semper tyrannis)
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To: freedumb2003
Look, it's an MSNBC story ~ bad source on anything with any sort of religious angle. The writer did a poor job laying it out.

It's simply a story of a teacher seeing a quite common picture of a guy on the cross, and then freaking out.

Nothing more to it than that.

The state has an obligation to protect Christians from being assailed by ignorant yahoos simply because they draw a religious picture.

Here we have an ignorant yahoo who is an agent of the state railing at Christians over their imagery.

If there's something more to this it's NOT IN THE PUBLISHED STORY.

28 posted on 12/15/2009 6:46:57 PM PST by muawiyah (Git Out The Way)
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To: muawiyah

>>The state has an obligation to protect Christians from being assailed by ignorant yahoos simply because they draw a religious picture.<<

True. That isn’t what happened here.

>>Here we have an ignorant yahoo who is an agent of the state railing at Christians over their imagery.<<

That isn’t what the article says happened.

>>If there’s something more to this it’s NOT IN THE PUBLISHED STORY. <<

You are the one who is imputing. My conclusions are drawn from the article as written.


29 posted on 12/15/2009 6:48:47 PM PST by freedumb2003 (Communism comes to America: 1/20/2009. Keep your powder dry, folks. Sic semper tyrannis)
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To: Steelfish
"We're No Longer Just A Christian Nation"

So WHEN did the change take place?

ML/NJ

30 posted on 12/15/2009 6:49:34 PM PST by ml/nj
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To: freedumb2003

Lol...if there’s one thing homosexuals and the “you’ll go to Hell unless you accept the Gospel According To Me” brand of Christians can agree on, it’s that being persecuted is something to be craved and sought out on the farthest limbs.


31 posted on 12/15/2009 6:50:48 PM PST by Julia H. (Freedom of speech and freedom from criticism are mutually exclusive.)
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To: freedumb2003
See what happens ~ I feed your paranoia as a joke only to find that you really are that paranoiac.
32 posted on 12/15/2009 6:51:14 PM PST by muawiyah (Git Out The Way)
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To: muawiyah

The child is a special needs student. Maybe he doesn’t perceive things the way we do!!


33 posted on 12/15/2009 6:53:01 PM PST by copwife (All God's creatures have a place in the choir!)
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To: Steelfish; informavoracious; larose; RJR_fan; Prospero; Conservative Vermont Vet; ...
+

Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:

Add me / Remove me

Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of general interest.

34 posted on 12/15/2009 6:53:04 PM PST by narses ('in an odd way this is cheering news!'.)
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To: freedumb2003
You glossed over the good parts. Try reading it again ~ character by character. See what the child does. See what happens to the child. Check out the father. Check out the teacher.

The story is poorly written but it's pretty clear the teacher needs to have her credentials reviewed.

35 posted on 12/15/2009 6:54:17 PM PST by muawiyah (Git Out The Way)
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To: I cannot think of a name

LMAO!!!!!!!


36 posted on 12/15/2009 6:54:45 PM PST by FrdmLvr ("The people will believe what the media tells them they believe." Orwell)
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To: muawiyah

>>See what happens ~ I feed your paranoia as a joke only to find that you really are that paranoiac.<<

No need to backpedal. Just apologize, we can shake hands, and then move on.


37 posted on 12/15/2009 6:55:24 PM PST by freedumb2003 (Communism comes to America: 1/20/2009. Keep your powder dry, folks. Sic semper tyrannis)
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To: heartwood
Somewhere between four and eight is when children start to get the concept of death and it’s a big concept to deal with.

My grandson was four when he asked if we could go in a rocket ship to visit with Jesus up in heaven.

38 posted on 12/15/2009 6:56:21 PM PST by Jeff Chandler (:: The government will do for health care what it did for real estate. ::)
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To: muawiyah

He projects a lot. The fd character just isnt living unless he gets into some sort of personal confrontation with at least one freeper a day. It’s what defines him, see the post history


39 posted on 12/15/2009 6:56:59 PM PST by valkyry1
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To: copwife

Could be. Did you see that citation to Gallatians? The child may well understand more than he’s being credited with.


40 posted on 12/15/2009 6:58:21 PM PST by muawiyah (Git Out The Way)
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