Praying group at school

[rlrose328]

My son attends a Charter school that rents rooms from a fairly fundie church.  They regularly have sayings decrying "perversions" on their signboard out front.  The church has been very kind to us, very accommodating... even bought a parcel of land next to their parking lot so we can put portables on it for two classes this year in anticipation of building more permanent classrooms in the future.

There are MANY religious families at this school, probably BECAUSE it's held in a church, they assume it has ties to the church and religion, but it is technically a public school that receives public monies.  The leader of the prayer group is a member of that church as well.  This morning, she said, "The school may TECHNICALLY be a public school and we can't CALL it a Christian school, but in my eyes, it IS a Christian school... I know God's presence is here each and every day."   :shock:  

I turned to the gal next to me and just let go with a soft UGH!  She nodded... and I said, "I guess all of the hard work done by our principal and the seveal dozen volunteer moms is just coincidence?"  She giggled.

When it came to me, I stood up and said my name and my son's name and grade, then said, "I'm the resident atheist.  I love our school and I want to support the good feelings generated by any group that forms here."  I saw a few shocked faces, but for the most part, it was anti-climactic.

Then the praying started... first, they prayed to god to forgive us for being the sinners that we are; second, they prayed to thank god for being the wonderful life-giving ruler he is and for loving us; third, they prayed for the teachers to have strength; fourth, they prayed for individual kids (all were children of the moms present... you must be present to be blessed) who have learning issues or behavioral issues.  They even prayed for ME and my son, to overcome our lack of faith!  ROFL!!!  

During all of this, I sat there grinning like a cheshire cat, thinking not only positive thoughts for the school, but knowing that I'm actually HELPING the school succeed... physically and financially, where it really counts.  They, of course, would say that their prayers worked in that respect because god is moving through me to do those things.   :roll:  

Anyway, I punked out early because I had to do the OTHER thing I do all year long, the weekly schoolwide calendar and teacher newsletter, a three page affair this year that takes several hours on Wednesday night, Thursday morning.  These ladies continued to pray, I guess, giving me the strength to do my weekly chore.  

Yeah, right.

[scepticus]

Although I'm not fammilar with the legal precedent concerning charter schools, have you considered contacting the ACLU. Perhaps they could give you advice about ways to keep a public, secular education truly that.

[Steve Reason]

LOL Christians...

[Will]

Speaking to god, eh? Sounds like someone is suffering from schizophrenia.

[Mister Joy]

I've heard the statement "I can have literal conversations with God" boasted by many a Christian on many a Christian board, the majority of which are probably lies to impress people. Even so, schizophrenia's probably not it... I'd put it down to a placebo effect myself . Belief is a powerful thing, after all.

[Will]

Well, what you do is say it's schizophrenia. So either they're lying or they're nuts.

[Mister Joy]

Do I? Oh, fair enough then.

[rlrose328]

Although I'm not fammilar with the legal precedent concerning charter schools, have you considered contacting the ACLU. Perhaps they could give you advice about ways to keep a public, secular education truly that.

I contacted the ACLU the first year about the huge cross in the lunch room... that the principal has been "working with the church" about since day one.  I know it's permanently mounted on the wall high above the eyeline of not only kids but also adults, but still... when it appeared in a picture in the paper about the school, the schoolboard had a fit.  Still, nothing has been done about it.

My bigger concern is the bulletin board right below the cross (and right now, part of my son's "classroom" in the lunch room)... it usually has season or month-appropriate bible verses and is NEVER covered.  Right now, it has pictures of the church youth group's summer events and nothing overtly religious, but I WILL keep an eye on it.

The ACLU is ready to make a stink about stuff like this but a fuss about the location could cause problems with the school and if it closes, I'd have to home school my son... and trust me, that would be disastrous.  

So for now, I'm hanging tight with all of this.  I'll continue to attend the Moms in Touch meetings and sit there grinning during the prayers.  They HAVE to know they DO NOT run that school and if my presense is required for that to happen, I'll gladly make the sacrifice.

[Steve Reason]

Yeah sometimes it's just best to let it go. I guess as long as your son is progressing in his education, the rest is secondary. And I wouldn't worry about the bible verses. I'm pretty sure they won't be putting any of the verses about rape and murder up there.  

[rlrose328]

Yup, he's getting the best education that 80% of the state funds can buy.  ;-)  Seriously though, our test scores blew every other school in the district out of the water, so we're good.

It's too bad they won't cross that bible verse like, isn't it?  Then I'd be totally justified in making a stink.  The girl who sits next to my son is Jewish, so her moms are always right next to me, making a stink about the Christianism displayed in classrooms, etc., so I know I've got support in some form.  I've yet to find another mom who cares about a secular environment.  

[tigerlily46514]

I DO !! I DO!!  i hear ya, rlrose!!  This would be hard for me, too.  Yup.  I'm impressed you contacted the ACLU.  (i've got my card!)  But yeah, home schooling....shoot me!  ha ha!  Probably Steve Reason is right...

wow, toughie.  I've been gone, sorta scanned some of this, did you ever bring this up with the other moms? (..asked Jean, the mostly closeted atheist...)  Are you sure you ARE alone?  Hey, anybody out there have a kid going to school with rlrose's kid? C'mon, give her some back up!  ha ha.

I KNOW!!  RLROSE!  I'VE STILL GOT ALL THOSE BIBLE VERSES "The Book of Blood"....YOU WANT 'EM?  YOU COULD BE LIKE A TEAM PLAYER, AND POST SOME VERSES YOURSELF!  wow, they'd probably all be so impressed you were converting!!

[Churchworker]

Probably false prophets lead by the devil.

[rlrose328]

We got us a troll, ladies and gentlemen... so... who are you really?

[Churchworker]

I'm a false prophet probably lead by the devil.

[rlrose328]

Yup, that's what I thought.  LOL!