Indoctrination

[Gob]

A school district in the US state of Virginia has closed all schools on Friday after a geography lesson that included Islam sparked vociferous complaints from around the country.



Students were asked to trace Arabic calligraphy in an exercise some parents said amounted to indoctrination.

Officials said the schools were closed out of an "abundance of caution" and there were no specific safety threats.

School administrators say a different lesson will be used in the future.

One week ago, students at Riverheads High School were studying the Middle East and were asked to trace a piece of Arabic calligraphy that translated to: "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah".

Some pupils refused the assignment and parents accused the teacher of indoctrination.

Officials with the Augusta County school district were quick to point out that the study of a region's religion and language are included in geography lessons.

However, anger built up and by Wednesday complaints had become so numerous that the school's doors were locked and monitored.

It looks like fear wins again
Local resident

By Friday, the messages - described as profane and hateful - had increased and the decision was made to close the schools.

Officials said that no specific threats were received, but law enforcement officials and the school district board recommended the closure because they were being cautious.

The lesson was intended to illustrate the complexity of the Arabic language, they said, and not meant to promote any religious system.

But future classes will use a different, non-religious example of Arabic.

The decision to close the schools has drawn criticism as well.

"It looks like fear wins again," a resident told the News Virginian newspaper.

On the paper's Facebook account, locals have been debating the closure with one man saying, "our patriot forefathers are rolling in their graves," and another rhetorically posting, "how do these terrified people leave their houses every day?"

[Big RR]

You just can't make these things up.

[BoSoxGal]

Allah is Yahweh is God, so WGAF?

[Big RR]

And from what I can read, the kids were just tracing one of the most publicly available Arabic/moslem statements (I think it's on the Saudi flag) without even knowing its translation. My guess is that it was just easy to copy that from the internet than to hire someone to write "See Dick run" in Arabic.

Would they also object to copying hieroglyphics dedicated to Isis or Osirus?

[dales]

One week ago, students at Riverheads High School were studying the Middle East and were asked to trace a piece of Arabic calligraphy that translated to: "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah"

I wonder if those posters who defend this would have the same "openness" if the exercise would be to "trace" John 3:16 in the original Greek?

[dales]

Allah is Yahweh is God, so WGAF?

Sorry, not true.

[rubato]

Allah is Yahweh is God, so WGAF?

Hush, the maj Genl will send you to hell for that!


yrs,
rubato

[MajGenl.Meade]

No, he doesn't do that. But Dales is correct. Allah is not Yahweh nor yet is Yahweh identical to God. Allah is rubbish made up by Mahomet (with significant though uneducated lifts from the Jewish scriptures and some Jesus stuff tossed in for good measure). Yahweh is imperfectly understood God, perfected in the gospel of Christ. All of 'em different, as the practitioners of each faith have no difficulty explaining.

It seems to be the non-religious (or the non-aligned perhaps) who think they are experts on the subject - interesting. I'm still struggling with how it all works.

But I think I've got the "Meade doesn't send anyone to hell" right

[Big RR]

I'd be afraid if you could send anyone to hell; after you were done, I'm not sure which place, earth or hell, would be worse.

FWIW, I think the same would be true if any of us could do that.

eta: remember the Twilight Zone where the kid could send people to the cornfield?

[rubato]

The Jews copied monotheism from Zoroastrianism along with the idea that there was a struggle between a good god (Jahwe, Ahura Mazda) and an evil entity ( Satan, Angra Mainyu). Christians and Muslims both followed blending their founding myths a little along the way. .


yrs,
rubato

[MajGenl.Meade]

"Copied". Yes, that's bigotspeak all right and always presented as if no one else has ever hear or considered it. It's something to do with Christmas - brings out the worst.

Here's a link to a very interesting article which examines many of the analogies between the Zoroastran and the Hebrew faith elements. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/artic ... astrianism

It concludes:

It is difficult to account for these analogies. It is known, of course, as a historic fact that the Jews and the Persians came in contact with each other at an early period in antiquity and remained in more or less close relation throughout their history (see Avesta; Media; Persia). Most scholars, Jewish as well as non-Jewish, are of the opinion that Judaism was strongly influenced by Zoroastrianism in views relating to angelology and demonology, and probably also in the doctrine of the resurrection, as well as in eschatological ideas in general, and also that the monotheistic conception of Yhwh may have been quickened and strengthened by being opposed to the dualism or quasi-monotheism of the Persians. But, on the other hand, the late James Darmesteter advocated exactly the opposite view, maintaining that early Persian thought was strongly influenced by Jewish ideas. He insisted that the Avesta, as we have it, is of late origin and is much tinctured by foreign elements, especially those derived from Judaism, and also those taken from Neoplatonism through the writings of Philo Judæus. These views, put forward shortly before the French scholar's death in 1894, have been violently combated by specialists since that time, and can not be said to have met with decided favor on any side. At the present time it is impossible to settle the question; the truth lies probably somewhere between the radical extremes, and it is possible that when knowledge of the Assyrian and Babylonian religion is more precise in certain details, additional light may be thrown on the problem of the source of these analogies, and may show the likelihood of a common influence at work upon both the Persian and Jewish cults.

Thanks for raising the point though, rube. It's a fascinating subject and well worth examination. It probably is a common tenet in various faiths that man has a desire for God and that seeking has brought about degrees of enlightenment - some quite low and primitive (worship a particular tree for example) and others far more complex. Christianity of course claims that in the person of Jesus, the incarnated Godhead, the most perfect of understandings was reached - God's purpose was fulfilled in reconciling man to Creator. Those who expected Mithra are disappointed but in a very pleasant way.

Pax

[Econoline]

Surely the Christian "Trinity" is the odd man out of the three somewhat related "monotheistic" traditions: Judaism and Islam are both completely uncompromising in their doctrine of *ONLY* one god. (Oh, and NONE of the three has anything resembling the dualism inherent in Zoroastrianism; IIRC this idea was pretty much shouted down as a heresy early on in Christian history.)

[Lord Jim]

I wonder if those posters who defend this would have the same "openness" if the exercise would be to "trace" John 3:16 in the original Greek?

Excellent question...

Why aren't our resident "separation of church and state" zealots all up-in-arms about kids in a public school being required to write a religious message

[wesw]

cause they aren t scared of the Christians...

[Fafhrd]

Allah is Yahweh is God, so WGAF?

Obviously, scared, ignorant white Americans GAF.

[TPFKA@W]

I think it was a completely boneheaded move on the part of the teacher given the current climate and mood of the country.

Should be sacked for being an oblivious dolt.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Allah is Yahweh is God, so WGAF?

Obviously, scared, ignorant white Americans GAF.

I'd say "intelligent people able to use reason" GAF

[Lord Jim]

All of 'em different, as the practitioners of each faith have no difficulty explaining.

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this point Gen'l....

I think you would find (though obviously it's not true in your case) that most Christians and most Jews believe that they worship the same God...

[wesw]

yeah, I think that the world was not ready for jesus until he came. god gives us what we need when we need it, we just have to make the right choices. easy , huh? lol...

[MajGenl.Meade]

Find me that non-Christianised Jew who agrees that God is three in one, Father, Son and Holy Spirit...... and that Jesus was God incarnate... then I'll reconsider.

Look, I'm not saying that there isn't one God for whom many or even most religions are a seeking-after. But "God" isn't merely an abstract term to a Christian - or a Jew or a Moslem. "God" has attributes and has done certain things for certain reasons.

I agree that most of any group might think incorrectly about their own group-ethos. Usually it's a lack of education and reading.