After Stopping Bible Giveaway, Atheist Mom Says Threats Have Forced Her to Pull Son Out of School

Question

Earlier this month, in Duncan, Oklahoma, Woodrow Wilson Elementary School teacher Erica Mackey announced she had a surprise for her third-grade students:

The student reports that Mrs. Mackey announced that she had “the holy Bible” and asked if anyone would like one. Nearly all the students walked up to her desk and she handed them out. After seeing his classmates take Bibles from the teacher, the ***** felt peer-pressured and coerced to do the same.

Thankfully, that ***** told his mother, and she contacted the American Humanist ***********’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center. They sent a letter to the district explaining how church/state separation works.

The District eventually relented, ******** the AHA that teachers will no longer be allowed to distribute religious material to ********.

They did say, however, that they would allow passive distribution of religious materials for high school students (in other words, they would permit an outside group to set up a table with Bibles). And just as we saw in Florida, a Satanic church quickly requested permission to distribute materials. Hilarious.

Anyway, the mother who initially informed the AHA about the Bible distribution is named Lea and it turns out, following the backlash from this whole debacle, she decided to pull her son out of Duncan Public Schools.

Koni, a blogger at Atheist ********, interviewed Lea about what’s happened over the past month and her responses are just heartbreaking:

Koni: Did the possibility of retaliation [from Christians] cross your mind?

Lea: Not once.

Koni: I suppose you didn’t really have time to consider that possibility. At what point did you begin to fear for the safety of your ***** and yourself?

Lea: I began to fear for mine and my sons safety when I read “run her out of town” and “snitches *** up in ditches.” I have the comments in an email, but I’d have to go through hundreds of comments to find them. I feared for my son when the parents all had their kids carry their bibles to school one day, to prove a point. Kids are mean. I couldn’t let my son face that kind of ridicule for not having a bible.

Koni: “Snitches *** up in ditches?” That is certainly unnerving. I can’t imagine anyone feeling safe with people openly making death threats, like that. Do you have plans to move out of the community?

Lea: Yes. My house is for sale.

Ugh… and all because Lea opposed an illegal Bible distribution in her son’s classroom.She did the right thing and Christians (presumably full of the love of Christ) have pressured her to move away and pull her ***** out of school. He’s currently under the supervision of another homeschooling mother. It’s unclear what they’ll do with him next year.

Answer 1

"Christian Charity"

Answer 2

It is a religious book. The Supreme court has said that Atheism, humanism, etc is a religion. It fits the definition.

Answer 3

Their parents can get them whatever mythology book they like. But, not on the taxpayer dime. They don't belong in school except as part of a mythology class.

Answer 4

BS

Answer 5

My goodness what will we do when our ******** are confronted with ideas in a public school setting that we disagree with? Thankfully we have truly enlightened people who will swoop in to stop the spread of toxic ideas to ********. I mean, really, whats next, compulsory education of things I personally find offensive or think is wrong? It's bad enough that the ******** are given a free option to accept or not, a text that I personally don't like, containing ideas that make me uncomfortable. It is right and good that my ******** not be exposed to ideas that challenge what I know to be right, or to be given the freedom to read books that I don't want them to have access to.

Next they'll be telling us we have freedom of speech. How ugly would that be, constantly being confronted with things I don't want to have to think about. How unpleasant! All those Christian's have an option to go to a different school if they don't like it. I mean FORCING my ***** to take a religious text by hiding it in the guise of a freely given gift that they could choose to refuse, is so diabolical. I don't want my ***** to have to learn to stand up for their own beliefs, or understand other points of view, because when they grow up as ****** they should feel they have the right to silence other peoples expression of their beliefs the moment they become uncomfortable. It is the Social Justice Warrior way. The future is bright!

Answer 6

Would you be saying the same thing if Qurans and Satanic bibles were handed out?

Answer 7

Yes. Because I am consistent. We are talking about serious business here. Religious liberty is the same liberty that protects people who are not religious. If it is not compulsory, and it is not part of the curriculum one does not have a leg to stand on.

And yes, I wrote in that voice for a reason. Imagine that instead, the teacher had handed out this book as a free non-compulsory gift. Would you defend the Christian position that this not be given away?


Now read my original text again with this book in mind.

Answer 8

This is not a religious book.

Answer 9

How does that matter? What if it were a *** education book? What if it were a book on the values of Libertarianism? If you cross over from regulating compulsory education, to regulating freely given books, texts, or opinions in the classroom you are can no longer consider yourself a Libertarian, Tyvig. Since the books were not paid for by the taxpayers, and it was not part of the curriculum, under the current system of enforcement of separation of church and state, this particular action doesn't have a leg to stand on.

Pretending that ******** aren't going to be exposed to different ideas in our world is pure idiocy. It is good that our ******** learn early that just because an authority figure believes a certain thing doesn't make it right. The type of educational environment we are creating sends the opposite message - our teachers and authority figures have to behave in proscribed ways outside of the curriculum, and although the teachers still aren't trusted, the higher ups who have decided they are the arbiters of proscribed behavior and ideas are to be seen as infallible truth givers.

If we are to be Libertarians we have to "man-up" and grow a pair. Of course most of this problem would be solved with a voucher system for schooling anyways.

Answer 10

I'm interested in a link to this ruling if you're inclined sir.

Answer 11

The 24 kids can have bibles, but a teacher in a public school cannot distribute them. That is a violation of the 1st amendment.

Answer 12

In Torcaso v. Watkins (1961), Justice Black of the US Supreme Court wrote the following footnote...

"...Among the religions in this country which do not teach what would generally be considered a belief in the existence of *** are Buddhism, Taoism, Ethical Culture, Secular Humanism, and others..."

Answer 13

That's one man's opinion. From 1961 nonetheless. ******, "The Supreme Court [saying] atheism, humanism" are religions. Not even close.

Answer 14

Their parents can get them whatever mythology book they like. But, not on the taxpayer dime. They don't belong in school except as part of a mythology class.

Answer 15

The teacher bought and paid for it herself. Not on the taxpayer dime, and not part of the required curriculum. As has been plainly evidenced in school, parents have no right to even complain about the curriculum so long as their ******** are given the option to opt out. Nowhere has there been a ruling saying that *** education must not be taught (as decided by the duly elected school board), because the ******** are socially embarrassed by their peers for not attending. This doesn't even rise to that level. It was a gift freely given and freely received, and did not effect the *****'s grades. There is no enumerated right in the constitution that protects ******** from the embarrassment of standing out, by refusing the gift.

If the glove does not fit, you must acquit.

This of course does not excuse any threats she received, but we have laws against that already. If the threats are real, the parent should press charges. This has all been about regulating someone else's behavior, rather than empowering the *****.

Answer 16

This didn't occur to me yesterday as I was focused on constitutional rights, but I didn't take into account civil contractual law.

A person may freely agree to enter into a contract where part of the stipulation may be to act or behave in a certain way, like an employment contract. In that way it is the purview of the duly elected school board to set professional standards, by which their teachers should be judged. If a teacher violates said code of conduct, then they should be terminated, or disciplined appropriately. It is a basic fundamental of civil law that one should do everything one agrees to or the contract is void. As such that could include distributing non-class related materials to students, if the school had set those standards in the first place.

Just thought in the name of intellectual honesty I would include this critique of my own position. Keep being you Ty... Sometimes I have a sharp tongue.

Answer 17

Respect and no worries my friend.

Answer 18

Atheists get themselves into these situations. These low intellectual atheists need to learn how to mind their own businesses the way Christians do!

Answer 19

She handed out Bibles to other people's ********. How is that minding your own business?

Answer 20

BS

Answer 21

Hypothetically say 24 kids parents are OK with the bible and 1 parent isn't.. That parent wants to control and deprive the other 24 ******** to have a bible. How is that for acceptance and tolerance. She could have thrown the bible out OR have a talk with her ***** and allow him to grow into a healthy individual that can make his own choices one day. Religion or not is usually brainwashing from birth. Raise a free thinker not a lemming.

Answer 22

This sounds remarkably similar to the scenarios the FFRF have been protesting. Honestly, it is petty. As far as I can tell, the teacher "asked if anyone would like one". She did not force the students to take a Bible. "Peer pressure" is a pathetic excuse. The student took it of their own will. If her parent is so strict against her ***** holding a Bible, then perhaps it would be best for her mother to learn responsible parenting in the scenarios of peer pressure.

This is ***** out of proportion.

Answer 23

This is an interesting success story.

Answer 24

That town should be zoned off and allowed to regress back into the dark ages. If that's what they want who am I to argue?

Answer 25

She had no business to stop them anyway. It isn't like anyone is forcing the ******** to accept the Bibles. The school should resume Bible handouts though.

Answer 26

It's crazy that happened. The teacher had no reason to hand them out, she is paid to teach. I hate when they allow outside people to hand out Bibles.... and not because it has anything to do with religion. The ones I've had the 'pleasure' of seeing have been nothing but rude whwn I don't accept one and ive had the shove them into my hands or even follow me down the street trying to get me to take it. I'm not equating it to all of them, but that's been my experience.

Answer 27

Answer 28

Typical Christian way. Obey and follow or be burned at the steak figuratively and literally.

Answer 29

Good, she should have learned from, Madalyn Murray O'Hair.

The school should resume Bible handouts.

Answer 30

We had religious education classes in our schools, though you could opt out if with your parents say so. It was an easy class, basic stuff, ********'s stories and all that so most didn't.

The US system is better in this regard.

Answer 31

Public schools must have seperation of church and state.

Answer 32

that is not in the constitution any where. Not in any of our founding documents.

Answer 33

That is the wrong, it's meant for the state to stay out of churches.

If taxes go to the school, then the people can do what they want.

Answer 34

It works both ways. Even if christians are the majority, they cannot force their religion on anyone through the government. That is a violation of the 1st amendment. If the founding fathers wanted a country where the majority forced their religion on others, that amendment wouldn't exist.
If the majority of parents wanted them to hand out satanist or neo-nazi books, would you be okay with it?

Answer 35

Who said force?

Satanism is antithetical to humanity and America.

Answer 36

By pressuring a ***** into a religion via a GOVERNMENT institution, they are forcing their religion on someone via the government, which violates the 1st amendment.

That is your opinion. Someone could say the same about any religion. In order to be impartial, the government can't consider one religion "more American" than another.

Answer 37

That is not a viloation fo the first amendment. The first amendment is addressed to Congress, not the people, not a teacher, not a mayor, or a city council. only to congress. It tells congress 2 things

1. they can't pass a law making one religion the national religion
2. they can't pass laws that stop the exercise of religion, which is exactly what saying you can't hand out bibles is. It is a law that stops the exercise of religion.

Our founders said the bible should be taught in schools. Even George Mason, the writer of the first amendment.

Answer 38

The teacher can do what she wants outside of school, but inside of a PUBLIC (government run) school, she is using the government to push her beliefs on ********. You can say it only tells congress, but that isn't true. The process of incorporation has applied constitutional amendments to the states. For example, the 14th amendment was used against a state school in Brown v. Board. Also, the 2nd amendment was invoked to stop the city of Chicago from enacting a strict gun control law. They only to congress statement you made is simply false.

Some of our founders may have thought that (certainly not all, as many were deists), but they didn't put it in the constitution. Many also thought that slavery was okay. The constitution now forbids it, so those opinions have become irrelevant. Likewise bibles in public schools are forbidden unless the student chooses to bring it in of his own accord. Using a public school to facilitate religion is in violation of the constitution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
https://csl.sog.unc.edu/node/...
If you don't like that, take it up with the Supreme Court.

Answer 39

give me one quote that says a single one of our founders was a deist. I can disprove it.

Answer 40

The law NOW is the way you say it. But it was not in the beginning.
Our founders had bible all in our government.
they even had church in the capitol for almost 100 years.

congress never passed a law that said it was illegal. A Rogue out of control supreme court did that. They had no legal right to.

Answer 41

She's a teacher! It's her job to educate those ********.