Ohio Teacher to be fired for pushing religion on students

John Freshwater, a Mount Vernon Ohio middle school teacher, is to be fired for teaching Intelligent Design and burning crosses in students arms. This is an update a story that came out in April. More info at http://www.secularleft.us/

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News & Politics

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• John
• Freshwater
• Mount
• Vernon
• Bible
• religion
• creationism
• teaching
• school
• students

[Khyrid]

I'm an atheist and frown on what this teacher did but I wouldn't put it past students to burn the crosses into their own arms and conspire agianst the guy. When students don't respect their teacher they will make that teacher's life hell. No pun intended.

[vonkruge]

@Khyrid That's why they took a year of hearings before the termination was made official. They also had a third party investigate the allegations before they moved to fire the guy. BUT he was not fired for the cross burning - according the final report of the hearing. You do bring up a good general point

[1op9ia9te2]

Who cares if he has a bible in the class room. But for god sakes why cant people keep their religous beliefs to themselves. They always want to convert people. And you cant brand students..That is assault. He should do jail time

[Atriviality]

My take on the whole thing.

Having a Bible on his desk. No problem. So long as he wasn't reading it while he should have been working, I wouldn't care.

Teaching from an unapproved textbook. Problem. He'd need to be disciplined. Teachers aren't the same as professors. They don't get the same amount of academic freedom.

Branding students. BIG problem. I would charge him with assault. He should lose his teaching license over this.

[FactualCommentor]

Fred Phelps in disguise.

[from212]

@Khyrid Officer Phelps?

[GoblinsnHobbits]

Wow, fuck this guy.

[GalaxyShift]

religion belongs no where. period.

[otherworldtrader1]

religion belongs no where but in personal homes or church. and churches should be required to pay taxes jaut as any other property owners do. They are nothing more than play acting intertainment gone astray.. I would feel betrter to see a stripper in school than a religious nut like him. send him to Iran

[GODSPEEDseven]

@hznfrst the bible's golden rule is quite simple: "do to others what you would want them to do to you".. if everyone tried following this, do you think this world would be where it is?

What this teacher did (if he did it) is completely NOT in harmony with bible teachings.. so where is the problem, is it the book, or the person that brings his beliefs so far as to decide to go beyond what the bible promotes, which is peace and is against violence.

[GODSPEEDseven]

@hznfrst the bible has never "endorsed" a particular nasty religion... if a religion says it based on christianity or the bible and does nasty things, then it's hypocrite. The bible teaches not to kill, steal, not go to war, it's against rape and it's pretty much where most of our laws have been taken from. The bible isn't the issue, it's a book that also teaches that everyone has the freedom of choice, and that other ppls choices are to be respected. Constitution is freedom of choice.

[hznfrst]

Frankly, a bible doesn't belong on his desk whether he opens it or not, as it's an obvious endorsement of one particular and especially nasty religion. If I were in his class I'd toss it into the nearest trash can, then take the consequences. These religious pricks are getting bolder by the year, blatantly ignoring the constitution that they are supposed to respect. I'd like to start a fund to give them all one-way tickets to Iran or Somalia!

[Unicron4ever]

"Burn a cross on student's arms"? This guy should be in jail! What a psycho!!!

[hviw]

If he hadn't been a teacher he'd be in jail.