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Atlanta Church violates schoolchildren's rights... repeatedly. After being told to stop.

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. -- A parent’s complaint and action by Gwinnett County school officials has apparently not stopped volunteers at a church from asking students to pray before a test. A parent contacted Channel 2’s Kerry Kavanaugh on Wednesday and said it happened to her son twice before he took an exam at a local church. Thursday a student told Kavanaugh it happened again, despite intervention by school officials.

Plagued with overcrowding problems, Parkview High School held placement testing at Mountain Park First Baptist. While there, students were repeatedly asked to pray.

"Well, it's a separation of church and state, and obviously we have a lot of students that may come from a lot of different religious backgrounds," said Gwinnett County school district spokeswoman Sloan Roach.

Yes. It is definitely an issue of church and state separation, but it is also a moral issue. These children are a captive audience, and some of them belong to other religions. If you are Christian, how would you feel if your child felt compelled by an authority figure to pray to Allah? It is simple human decency to leave religion out of places where any sort of coercion can occur.

"We never thought that would be an issue. We thought being able to help anybody particularly on a testing would be helpful to them,” said church pastor Richard King. King said his church and volunteers had only good intentions offering the testing space and the prayers.

Full article at http://www.examiner.com/atheism-in-atlanta/gwinnett-church-violates...

Tags: Atlanta, church, state

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Comment by Gecko, Seth...brother of Richie! on May 13, 2011 at 7:21pm: John

I think I have to to care what other peoples religious beliefs are because in thos country they VOTE based on their beliefs. They attempt to restrict my activities because of there archaic beliefs. Yes I do care what "alternative " ideas my children are exposed too espeacially when those ideas have the potential to warp their view of the world.

And yes John...Im an idiot, like Hitch, and Richard, and Carlin, etc....THERE IS NO FUCKING GOD!!

And lastly on a much emotional note, I take great pleasure in shoving the constitution down their throats after centuries of xtians, muslims, and ancient hebrews slaughtering whole sale and dragging the entire western world thru 1000 or so years of darkness and superstition. Where might we be now if the xtian cult had not risen out of the desert??

Comment by Loren Miller on May 13, 2011 at 7:17pm: This is the typical paradigm. Those in authority ASSUME that EVERYONE believes, and cannot or will not consider the possibility of different traditions or different gods ... or NO god.

Comment by Jill Merrell on May 13, 2011 at 6:39pm: I agree with Azel. And yes, I'd be REALLY pissed if someone busted out a voodoo doll! If they are studying world religions, then I wouldn't mind because it would be education. But to pray to do well on a test is, IMHO, stupid, a waste of time, and influencing children. A big no-no if the children happen to be my children.

Comment by Gecko, Seth...brother of Richie! on May 13, 2011 at 6:27pm: For xtians especially, conversion trumps ALL,the consttution, laws, and most certainly the (i would imagine) polite request of school officials. I agree Azel. Spreading the word at all costs.

Comment by John Camilli on May 13, 2011 at 6:12pm: Would you care if a thrid-world shaaman chanted some BS while dancing circles around you? Would you care if he pulled out a straw doll did some voodoo crap? Why does anyone care about other people's beliefs and how they practice them? Do these kids now have to be religious because someone asked them to pray? Can't they just not pray? Did the church members force them to hold their hands together and kneel and say silly incantations. I doubt it, so who gives a shit if the kids were exposed to some alternative ideas. It's not like we atheists can claim that our way of thinking is more accurate than a theists. We can't prove god doesn't exist any more than they can prove god does, so why does anyone get riled up over this shit?

Any atheist who gets angry about someone else practicing religion, or even practicing it NEAR them, or even asking them to practice it too, is trying to push an agenda every bit as much as a theist is. If it offends you, its because you want your ideas to be recognized as right, and that makes you an idiot.

Comment by Azel Praer on May 13, 2011 at 5:51pm: the selfish nature of religionists will always show there head when there is a chance to do so they do not care that these are kids they care about opportunity it is a stage that they can stand on and spread there "word"