[Tax-chick]

Are you suggesting that it's okay for students to assault one another over religious differences? I disapprove of this whole situation - and I'm an evangelical Christian - because it promotes the mob mentality that is already too much a part of schooling.

[whattajoke]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's nice to hear from an Evangelical Christian who understands these things. I am not christian and I couldn't have said it better myself (though I'd get way more flames for doing so).

By the way, anyone else find it funny the guy from the school was names, "Mr. Goforth?" As is, "Go forth and multiply."

[Blood of Tyrants]

Never. She should be fully protected to practice her pagan religion as she see's fit, as long as it doesn't cause physical harm to another person. The schools should neither encourage nor discourage it. If one entire religion is disallowed because one child is 'uncomfortable' then ALL religons should be banned. But of course, you can't do that because the Constitution prohibits the state from making laws that prohibit the free exercise of religion. (Yea, right.)

But you cannot make children be nice to each other, you can only try to protect them all. Also, it seems that this girl is encouraged by her parents to be a "sore thumb", i.e. the fact that she was the only girl on the junior high football team. I would also bet that this girl is one of the "weird" ones.

Sorry, but while weird may be normal in LA or NY or Chicago, it doesn't play in Maynardville, TN.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Being a local, and hearing about this from both sides of the situation, I have my doubts about the story that India is telling. No, it's not ok for students to assault one another over religious differences - then again, it's not ok for someone to lie in order to receive preferential treatment. This isn't about religious freedom, it's about money.

[Michael.SF.]

Are you suggesting that it's okay for students to assault one another over religious differences? I disapprove of this whole situation - and I'm an evangelical Christian - because it promotes the mob mentality that is already too much a part of schooling.

These are two different problems:

Harrassment - No child should be harrassed because of her parents or her own beliefs and tolerance needs to be taught to those who are harrassing her.

The Field Trip - Since this is voluntary and the school does not fund it, then there should be no reason to object to the trip. In this case the Pagan's need to be tolerant of the other children's right to express their own religious beliefs.

The parents of the girl are placing the blame on the field trip, which they object to, and are not owning up to the fact that their own bizarre beliefs may be having a negative effect on their own child.

Why did they need to let others know that they are Pagans? Probable answer: they are more interested in their 'cause' (either promoting Paganism or stopping the field trip), then they are in their own childs welfare.