Topic: Ban on Gideon Bible handout at public schools sparks torrent of hate mail

[AxeGrrl]

Im encouraged by the fact that the overwhelming majority of commenters agreed with the banning (I could count the number who disagreed on one hand almost

A rural Ontario public school board’s decision to ban distribution of Gideon Bibles to its young students has unleashed a torrent of threatening calls and hateful emails directed at trustees.

Some messages to the Bluewater District School Board express racist sentiment and question trustees’ patriotism.

“When are you ‘politically correct’ idiots, with your heads buried in the sand, going to realize that every action you take to destroy Canadian heritage ...?” one email began.

“Allowing newcomers to Canada the ability to walk all over our heritage has got to stop before they carry us into the realm of a warring nation like the one they often left behind,” another writer said.

The invective has unnerved some trustees as they prepare to formalize the ban on distribution of all noninstructional religious materials prompted by a parent’s complaint about the decades-old tradition of offering free Gideon Bibles to Grade 5 students.

Trustee Fran Morgan called the “onslaught” of messages “really disturbing,” and said it has made her uneasy about driving the 30 kilometres to board meetings at night by herself.

“I really do feel threatened by it,” Morgan said from Griersville, Ont. “It’s been very unpleasant.”

The Bluewater board, with more than 18,000 students in 53 schools across a broad territory around Owen Sound up to Tobermory, is expected to formalize the ban at its meeting April 17, following in the footsteps of several other boards across Canada.

Ban proponents argue distribution of the Bibles has no place in a secular school system, and that it potentially violates human-rights legislation.

The board nixed the idea of allowing any religion to hand out materials on the basis it would suck up scarce resources and could be legally risky.

One writer blamed the decision on “a handful of non-Christian elected officials.”

Board chairwoman, Jan Johnstone, admits the vitriolic responses — some urging trustees to “watch your back” — are unnerving.

“People do crazy things,” Johnstone said. “They see Christianity as a fundamental part of their Canadian identity.”

Another wrote one trustee: “How is that you agree with God’s 10 Commandments and yet you have broken them countless times, you hypocrite!”

Gideons International, an evangelical Protestant association based in Nashville, Tenn., has been placing its Bibles comprising a New Testament plus the books of Psalms and Proverbs from the Old Testament in Canadian public schools since 1936.

Kelvin Warkentin, a spokesman for the Gideons International in Canada, acknowledged times have changed.

“Over time, due to the religious fabric of our country being rewoven, school boards have begun to re-evaluate their policies on this tradition,” Warkentin said.

“The Gideons’ response to the school boards’ decisions to discontinue the distributions has always been complete acceptance.”

Although one trustee received a phone call he thought was tantamount to a death threat, the board has so far not referred the matter to police, but a spokesman said the situation was being monitored.

Trustee Kevin Larson, who would have preferred all religions be allowed to distribute materials, said he was “disappointed” by some of what he’s seen.

However, those views are in the minority, and two leaders in the religious community have apologized for the hateful expressions, Larson said.

Trustees emphasized that most of those in favour of continuing the distribution practice have been respectful in their views.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1158206--ban-on-gideon-bible-handout-at-public-schools-sparks-torrent-of-hate-mail

[Desert Fox]

How people who are usually quite rational react in such a way. . . .

[Shadow Of A Doubt]

They handed out Gideon new testaments to everyone 12-13 yr old at our high school: guess what the stairs were covered with that day.

[Moloch]

Bibles were handed out at my highschool in about year 11. Plenty of defacement followed...

[AxeGrrl]

From another board:

Ironically the people most upset are the ones who most likely have bibles at home

[Copyleft]

Ahh, "tradition"---the least valuable reason to do anything, invoked only when there's no good reason to defend something.

[AxeGrrl]

The timing of this story is funny, because like 2 days ago, I came across the Gideon bible that I received at school when I was about 7 or 8!   (we got red ones) And it wasn't done 'in' school, I have a memory of a guy in the parking lot with a box in his car, distributing them to kids at lunch time or after school......

my only (lame) thought at the time was 'a free book!'.  I never read a word of it, but I do remember liking the faux leather cover and the almost onion-skin-thin pages....

I haven't seen this damn thing in a good decade at least

[Shadow Of A Doubt]

I never read a word of it, but I do remember liking the faux leather cover and the almost onion-skin-thin pages....

True! They are really well put together.

[Shibboleth]

I wouldn't care if someone handed out Mein Kampf at a school.

[drizz]

I played Gideon in a church play. True story. Man I was like Justin Beiber at that fucking church.

[seaotter]

I wouldn't care if someone handed out Mein Kampf at a school.

This^

Now I'd have a problem if you ban some stuff and allow other stuff.

[Halleyscomet/Wakefield]

The irony of course is that all the people ranting about the "newcomers" are themselves protected by this action. Bibles can't be passed out in school, but neither can the Koran or the Book of Mormon.

[Neon Genesis]

Canadian atheists should get together and organize a movement to distribute copies of The God Delusion in public schools and see how that goes over.

[Samhain]

I remember getting one in the fifth grade.  I didn't want it and asked to be excused but apparently my lazy ass didn't bother showing my parents the permission form for which the "no thanks" box had to be checked and returned.  So there I stood, with this little red book, as the people who brought them read a passage and led the rest of the class in prayer.

You'd think a permission form to receive the bible would be more appropriate... 

[jomike]

Canadian atheists should get together and organize a movement to distribute copies of The God Delusion in public schools and see how that goes over.

1!   And the Gospel of the FSM, the Jefferson Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, Dianetics, the Book of Mormon, LaVey's Satanic Bible, The Watchtower, various Chick tracts, etc.