Educators are supposed to be educated. Yet a teacher and officials at a Broward County public school banned a fifth grader from reading the Bible during “free reading” time. Breitbart reports that Giovanni Rubeo, a fifth-grade student, decided he’d like to read his Bible “during the time in class where students are allowed to read anything they choose.” His teacher, Swornia Thomas, told him “he’s not allowed to read the Bible in her class and ordered him to put it away. Giovanni asked her to call his father, Paul Rubeo, about the incident. Thomas did so, leaving a voicemail that included, ‘I noticed that he [Giovanni] has a book—a religious book—in the classroom. He’s not permitted to read those books in my classroom.’” “Rubeo then contacted the school’s principal, Orinthia Dias, who brought in the school’s legal department. None of them are willing to acknowledge that Giovanni has a constitutional right to read the Bible.” So much for educated educators.
What’s so difficult to understand that the government can’t force religion upon people nor can they prevent people from exercising their religion? Do people really believe you can’t read a Bible simply because you’re on government property? Yes, there’s a violation of religious freedom here but there’s also an insult to our collective intelligence. Talk about the inmates running the asylum. It also seems to be beyond the grasp of most that this teacher is pushing her worldview/religion on her students not only in this situation but in everything she teaches. The subject matter can be presented as if there is no God or as if there is God -- but -- there is certainly no middle ground.
Now here’s a question for you: is it any surprise our country is coming apart at the seams? Don’t kid yourself that you have no Swornia Thomas in your local school. Whether the issue in this case is hostility to religion or simple ignorance doesn’t really matter – the outcome is the same – children are being taught by the Swornia Thomases of the world hour after hour, day after day, year after year. What do you expect our culture to look like over time then? And here’s the most disturbing reality of all: if we don’t somehow take responsibility for the education of our own children and get involved in that process, then that begs the question as to who the real inmates are.
Check out Dr. Dean’s audio news and worldview commentaries, The Dean’s List as well as his new e-book “Naked and Unashamed: Liberating Sex from Cultural Captivity”. You can also follow him on Twitter: @pauldeanjr.