public school teacher quotes bible in class: chapter & verse!

a teacher at my daughter's high school got into an argument or discussion with a couple of students in the classroom when the topic of homophobe came up. he asked the student to define "homophobe" and proceeded to quote bible verses to put across his point that homosexuality is against the laws of god and nature (he might have even called it an "abomination")

my daughter was not in the classroom when this "conversation" occurred--her friend (who was there) told me about it. apparently this teacher is "born-again" and had a lengthy conversation as to why he was voting for bush back in november because of abortion issues (and proceeded to be rather graphic in his description of abortions)--my daughter was there for that one.

i find this very disturbing. this is a public high school. the kids in his classes like him, overall, except they have a problem with this off the cuff (religious right crap) that he gets into.

both of these exchanges took place in the classroom.

a neighbor told me today her son has a teacher that talks about religion & the bible in his class also. (same school here) i asked her why she didn't report him and she said he goes to her church. i told her it was against the school guidelines for these teachers to be doing this...what if he was bashing the bible instead of trying to sell it? wouldn't she be pissed off then? either way, it's against the rules.

and besides quoting bible verses--this teacher, in a way, defended the student who initially started this discussion when the student made a derogatory comment about gay people.

any thoughts on this matter or suggestions as to what i should do, who i should contact, or how to approach this matter without compromising my daughter's grades (or those of her friends)?

however, using the babble as the reason for why he's a bigot may not be actionable. It's just too bad the student didn't quote the rest of Leviticus to him and ask him why he had mixed fiber clothing on and would he submit to stoning or prefer beheading?

The graphic (and undoubtedly WRONG) descriptions of abortion might be actionable.

Tell your daughter to keep her ears open. Complain about him the next time he tries to brainwash the kiddies.

When I was in high school I took a Bible History class. This was a public school. The very first day before starting the lesson the teacher was very sure to point out to us she was not allowed to preach to students only to present the class as historical (which she did). If I was you I would report this and have other people go with you to back up the accusations. Try the school board director. I think that might be the best.

I actually have an opinion that is probably different than most people on this board. I certainly don't agree with the teacher, but I don't really think that teachers should have to muzzle themselves completely, and I think its good for kids to be exposed to lots of different viewpoints that they might not get at home. I live in a predominatly conservative town, and I had classmates complain about liberal teachers voicing their opinions in class, but I thought it was good that these kids got to hear something different than what their parents told them.

That being said, there are definatly some things to consider. If this happened in the beginning of class, and the teacher was not acting totally as a teacher, than I can't say I have a problem with it. If the teacher teaches some class that has something to do with current events or ethics, I think he would have to be able to voice his views in order to be genuine. Thirdly, if this teacher is routinely telling his students that liberals are evil, thats different than bringing up the bible in this one instance.

the orginial post the teacher did this at least twice and during the election spouted off his views. It's fine if you have debates and whatnot but he sounds like he's preaching to the students and forcing his views onto them which is wrong. This is a public school not a religious school. How would Christian parents feel if this teacher was of a pagan religion or Jewish or Muslim?

it is heresay. The principal could speak with the students involved and others present to confirm the conversation, and take action. If the principal doesn't do anything, there is always the superintendent of schools or the school board.

your daughter will meet many like him on the road ahead--diversity is the name of the game--anything else smacks a bit of religious intolerance.

I would at least start a look into it. If he was using it during class as part of a lesson, etc, then there should be reprucussions (sp?). If not, if stating his own opinion, I guess you really can't do anything about it.

If the fundies can have teachers fired for their views surely you should be able to do something too. They play this game all the time whether it's true or not. If I had children and they were in this situation I wouldn't want them to be getting a Bible lesson in school. According to law teachers aren't allowed to preach. As I stated before in this thread in my Bible history class I took the teacher told us she wasn't allowed by law to preach to us since it's public school. This teacher is over stepping his bounds. If this was debating that'd be completely different. But this is just him and him alone spouting his views and religous beliefs to children.

a couple kids were talking during an art class and the teacher injected himself in their conversation. the students are allowed to talk and listen to music while they work on their projects. and so...