"If Knoxville Kids Skip Class for Bible Study, Satanists Want in on the Action"

[Stevicus]

And nice of the Satanists to step up and make the point now the Pastafarians have been rolled.

The Pastafarian religious education sounds like it might be interesting. The kids could learn some new and different pasta recipes. It would certainly make holy communion a lot more tasty than those bland, tasteless wafers offered by other religions.

 

[HonestJoe]

What do you think the outcome will be?

Lots of light and noise, maybe a brief suspension of the program but after it all dies down, everything will return back to how it currently is.

What do you think the outcome should be?

The law should be changed to remove the special religious exemption and all extra-curricular studies, religious or not, should be held outside school hours. Obviously.

 

[blü 2]

The Pastafarian religious education sounds like it might be interesting. The kids could learn some new and different pasta recipes. It would certainly make holy communion a lot more tasty than those bland, tasteless wafers offered by other religions.

So the only question after that is whether a Sangiovese or a Nebbiolo goes in the cup.

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

The good news is that there are no kids in the "newly formed" Satanic Children’s Ministry of Knoxville.

...They just made it up.

Why is that good news? And is it any more made up than the "bible" school religion?

I think they each have the exact same level of credibility: None.

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

If there just haters they can do whatever they want, just go through a mile of pain and suffering for it. I here hell is like paradise for haters. God wouldn't choose to suffer so there was no place for HATE and his band of angels.

Have you even bothered to READ the bible's ...ahem... "heaven"?

Harp music, 24/7. When was the last time you got anyone to volunteer to listen to harp music for 30 minutes?

But it's worse: it's just endless Ego Stroking of the bible god's massively bloated narcissism.

Everyone there is a mind-slave, devoid of Free Will. (no sin in heaven, therefore? Zero free will)

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

They say Satan was the father of lies... So it makes sense that the children's ministry of satan doesn't actually exist.

Who says? In the bible? Satan is a HERO! He only kills anybody at the direct command of bible-god, after all!

In the Genesis Eden story? Only Satan tells the actual truth! Everyone else? Lies, more than once. Especially God. One of the more subtle lies? God asks Adam where he is-- as if an All Knowing God did not already know-- he's just Trolling Adam, here.

But worse: God promises Adam the very same day Adam Gains Knowledge? He's a dead man.

Does he die? Nope-- lives like 600 years or some such nonsense. But god LIED.

Back to Satan: Satan "tempts" Jesus-- with the Truth. Jesus isn't interested in pesky old facts, though, so it doesn't work.

Setting the Model for Christians ever since: Don't Bother with Pesky Facts. Use Faith, instead.

 

[Stevicus]

So the only question after that is whether a Sangiovese or a Nebbiolo goes in the cup.

No beer?

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

Well, kids don't learn the importance of morals without religion. Without religion, people become more deceitful, hateful, spiteful, and selfish.

Absolutely FALSE. And you have it 100% backwards: It is only WITH RELIGION that you teach people that there are some humans who are sub-standard, and to be Hated With All Your Might.

Good people do Good Things
Evil people do Evil Things
To get Good people to do Evil things? TEACH THEM RELIGION.

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

Yes, it was a made up lie. By none other than the Church of Satan A.K.A, the "father of lies".

Who CLAIMS Satan is the "father of lies"? Hmmm? THE LYING BIBLE-GOD?

 

[BilliardsBall]

.

"This semester, the Knox County Public Schools in Tennessee is conducting a pilot program in which parents can allow their kids to leave school an hour early, one day a month, in order to attend religious classes with The Church at Sterchi Hill (about two miles away). The program is sponsored by the church and the school district has nothing to do with it, per se, except to say they won’t punish the kids for leaving early if they’re part of the program.

The kids will also get credit for attending school even though they’re at Bible study — so the choice for parents really boils down to whether they want their kids taking music or art class, or language arts, or learning about the Bible. Right now, 70 students are participating in the Bible study.

But if this Christian program is allowed to exist, wouldn’t that open the door for non-Christian groups to take advantage of the situation?

That’s what the newly formed Satanic Children’s Ministry of Knoxville intends to find out. According to a Facebook post this week, the (independent) group says it just wants to make its case to the school board. The good thing is that local news has picked up the story and the school board is now being asked questions about whether Satanic release time is a real possibility.
source
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What do you think the outcome will be?

What do you think the outcome should be?

.

Atheist students can kill two birds now. They can skip class to study the meaningless, purposeless nature of all life and existence. Great news!

 

[ImmortalFlame]

There is an adequate amount of text with Bible studying being helpful towards reading comprehension. Also, Bible studying may capture a student's interest with learning foreign languages such as Hebrew or Greek.

That is not the purpose of Bible study lessons. If it were, they would be taught in a comparative English class, and you wouldn't need to go to a church to be taught them. The purpose of a Bible study class in this context is specifically religious, not academic.

There are also other (some might say better) books that can teach all of these things. So it doesn't have to be the Bible, and it doesn't have to be in a Church. So they could just stay in school and learn it from another book there. Why not just do that instead?

However, as far as I know, there is an insufficient amount of text with Satanism in order to be of much use to help with a student's reading comprehension. Also, there is no foreign language in Satanism that'd capture a student's interest with learning any foreign language. Therefore, I support Bible studying to further a student's education. I find Satanism would not be as useful in furthering a student's education.

Irrelevant. This is about a religious exemption from the planned lessons for the purpose of specifically religious education. The Church of Satan has as much entitlement to this as a recognized religion, and any arbitrarily determined educational values you ascribe to it are irrelevant.

 

[columbus]

It's in place of art classes though.

What does "though" mean here?
It's sounds like you're devaluing the arts, which I consider a very bad idea.

The thing is, the kids aren't in school that much. There's plenty of time for this sort of thing outside of school hours. Kids can go straight to the church after school and nobody would object in the slightest.
Tom

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

View attachment 34055

Which means a religion, -to be considered one by the state- must found itself upon ethical pillars. Satanism has nothing ethical.

False. You make a claim that is 100% based on your misunderstanding of who and what they are.

But. Pointing out the rampant hiding of child predators from the Law, by the Catholic Church would be off topic, right? Or is it an excellent example of the Immoral Practice of said church?

By your own logic, it should be disbanded, then, as not a True Religion....

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

Well...in order to be recognized as one, a religion must sign a very inflexible agreement with the Ministry of Interior...Good luck to them

The atheist Church is much more likely to be recognized

Yet... systematic abuse of children, and the systematic covering UP of the abuse... remains. And the responsible parties go unpunished.

Methinks you have a whole barrel of rotten apples, there..

 

[Estro Felino]

False. You make a claim that is 100% based on your misunderstanding of who and what they are.

But. Pointing out the rampant hiding of child predators from the Law, by the Catholic Church would be off topic, right? Or is it an excellent example of the Immoral Practice of said church?

By your own logic, it should be disbanded, then, as not a True Religion....

There are more Satanists in the Catholic Clergy than in the Church of Satan! – Leo Zagami

 

[columbus]

Atheist students can kill two birds now. They can skip class to study the meaningless, purposeless nature of all life and existence. Great news!

Honestly, I think the atheist kids would get a lot of value out of it. Whether or not you believe the theology the Bible is a literary classic. Bible illiteracy is really a big gap in your education. And very common.
Tom

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

No beer?

You gotta build the volcano first.

If you build it? They will come.... build it right next to the factory.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Well, kids don't learn the importance of morals without religion. Without religion, people become more deceitful, hateful, spiteful, and selfish.

Piffle.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Honestly, I think the atheist kids would get a lot of value out of it. Whether or not you believe the theology the Bible is a literary classic. Bible illiteracy is really a big gap in your education. And very common.
Tom

Have you attended RE classes at school?
Not many kids are coming out of that with Biblical literacy.

Besides which there is nothing preventing atheist parents sending their kids to a Christian RE class...or Christian school for that matter.

Final point...I could certainly get on board a level of religious education. I can't when it's Christian brainwashing.

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

.

"This semester, the Knox County Public Schools in Tennessee is conducting a pilot program in which parents can allow their kids to leave school an hour early, one day a month, in order to attend religious classes with The Church at Sterchi Hill (about two miles away). The program is sponsored by the church and the school district has nothing to do with it, per se, except to say they won’t punish the kids for leaving early if they’re part of the program.

The kids will also get credit for attending school even though they’re at Bible study — so the choice for parents really boils down to whether they want their kids taking music or art class, or language arts, or learning about the Bible. Right now, 70 students are participating in the Bible study.

But if this Christian program is allowed to exist, wouldn’t that open the door for non-Christian groups to take advantage of the situation?

That’s what the newly formed Satanic Children’s Ministry of Knoxville intends to find out. According to a Facebook post this week, the (independent) group says it just wants to make its case to the school board. The good thing is that local news has picked up the story and the school board is now being asked questions about whether Satanic release time is a real possibility.
source
​

What do you think the outcome will be?

What do you think the outcome should be?

.

I voted "keep it open, open it up" -- I think this should be expanded to ANY after-school educational opportunity.

The Church of Satan could have a program of science and nature.

As could any local Atheist group-- meet in the local library, and make a deliberate study of some science program.

Some charitable group could start up an English Literature group-- again, meet in the library, and dive deep into the Classics of English Literature. There's a ton of old books worthy of study-- each age they are written in, reflect the generalized thought of the culture from which they were created. It could take years to work through even the ones that are appropriate to elementary kids-- Moby Dick. Treasure Island. Even Mary Shelly's Frankenstein is darn good literature, and worth a deep-dive. I'm certain someone more informed than I, could make a long list. Heck-- just looking at Mark Twain's works would take the whole school year!

Another idea: Shakespeare. They are not too young to begin studying The Bard's many, many plays. Start with one of the funnier ones, such as As You Like It. Move on to Romeo And Juliet, which has themes relevant even to today. And so on.

Still another; Chess Club.

I could go on and on with ideas of expounding kids' experiences that are 10000 times superior to the very ugly bible...

Oh! A counter-bible study group: Use Asimov's Guide To The Bible as a study course! That'll be brilliant!