What’s news today?
Open Thread, you decide.
Here’s one of local interest around here. The battle to restrict God from school grounds continues. Even if a child seeking an answer asks a question, repeatedly I’d add, God is off limits. The Superintendent recommended a 90 day suspension for the substitute teacher, but the school board had other ideas. They made an example of him, lest any other teacher get similar ideas.
From LehighValleyLive
“The Phillipsburg substitute teacher who gave a copy of the Bible to a student was forbidden tonight from serving as a substitute for the rest of the school year.
Walter Tutka last October gave a middle school student his Bible. The student apparently heard Tutka quote a Bible passage and became very interested in it, asking several times about the passage, according to Tutka and Joe Imhof, a Tutka supporter and fellow Gideon.
A district policy prohibits the distribution of religious or political literature to students. At today’s Phillipsburg School Board meeting, despite a litany of cries from residents to keep Judeo-Christian beliefs present in Phillipsburg schools, the board voted, with three abstentions, to forbid Tutka from returning to teaching for the rest of the year.”
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Here’s the original story, also from LehighValleyLive
“A Phillipsburg substitute teacher accused of handing a Bible to a student may face suspension for his actions.
Walter Tutka, of Belvidere, received a letter — obtained by The Express-Times — from Phillipsburg Superintendent George Chando last week recommending a 90-day suspension for allegedly giving a student his personal copy of the New Testament during lunch on Oct. 12 at the middle school. The suspension would be effective Oct. 15 2012 until Jan 15, 2013, according to the letter.
The letter states Tutka broke two district polices. One prohibits staff from distributing religious literature on school grounds. The other states if religious material is discussed that staff “be neutral in their approach and avoid using them to advance or inhibit religion in any way.””
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I think this is the school board retaliating against the Gideon’s for this as well.
Also, LehighValleyLive
“As the dismissal bell rang Tuesday at Phillipsburg High School, senior Natalia Pfeifer was appalled at the sight awaiting her outside.
Men from the Christian group Gideons International were handing out orange, pocket-sized copies of the New Testament to students.”
“Though the incident was upsetting to Pfeifer, school officials say the distribution of religious literature was beyond their control: They say it was circulated on public sidewalks.”
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Wandering Views 
Interesting articles. The US is rapidly becoming hostile territory for Christianity. This could be good for the American church.
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It is indeed hostile Ricky.
And yes, I think it will only get worse.
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I see the President has a whole bunch of kids to use as props for his big announcement today. Say it with me now…..
“It’s for the kids”……..
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It has to be asked: What if he’d given the kid a Koran?
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I used to be a Gideon. We distributed Bibles at No. Va. Community College on campus. We stood across the street at Annandale High and distributed them. Once, some staff member came and objected. I told him we were on private property.
He didn’t like it, but couldn’t do anythnng.
AT NOVA, at the end of distribution, I would go into the cafeteria and retrieve a dozen or so NT’s that were left on the tables. The Gideons didn’t much like that because the NUMBER of NT’s distributed was important. But each NT cost about a dollar.
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“If we don’t raise the debt ceiling, how will we pay our bills?”
Carl Levin on CSPAN 8:40 last night.
I think that’s how Ponzi worked.
The definition of financial trouble is borrowing money to pay debt.
How smart do you have to be to realize that it can’t go on forever?
I know, “As long as it doesn’t happen on my watch.”
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First Presbyterian of Annandale backed up to the Annandale HS campus. Kids would cross their property on the way home.
First Presbyterian wouldn’t let Gideons distribute on their property.
😦
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I too used to be a Gideon. Sad day in New Jersey, considering that John Whitherspoon led the New Jersey delegation that signed the declaration of independence.
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Joe,
I just put up a new post you may be interested in. I’d really like to hear your take on it if you have time. Same goes for the rest of ya’s.
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Both the NRA and MR. Obama are wrong. Children should be off limits. The NRA should not have mention Mr. Obama‘s children in their ad and Mr. Obama is wrong for using children as a political propaganda.
I understand why the NRA did what they did, but they are wrong, children are off limits. Mr. Obama kids are off limits.
I understand why Mr. Obama used the Children as a political propaganda move. Groups like Hamas has shown that by using children as political propaganda, it gets people emotional involve in their cause. That is what Mr. Obama desire to do.
He cannot win on ideas so he must rely on people emotional responds in order to win.
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This is interesting and informative:
http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/16/what-is-driving-growth-in-government-spending/
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Gideon Bibles were distributed in our schools until this year. My school is 30% Muslim so the grade five teachers always felt strange distributing the cards (Gideon gave us cards which students had to get signed by their parent in order to receive the NT).
As for the substitute teacher, he should be aware of the rules of his employment and respect them.He (or you) may disagree with it but he signed up and should be aware and abide by the rules. I rarely discuss religion in class but when it comes up I try to be balanced simply because I know if I take a position and the kids will tell their parents then at least one parent will call to complain about my position no matter what position I take. I believe its said religion and politics are two things that shouldn’t be discussed in polite company, I might add the classroom too.
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