"My god is the only RIGHT god and y'all sinners should repent before Judgement Day comes. We need to save the souls of the innocents in schools, this is the only way forward."
Middleton, probably.
We have these people in Canada too that want to squish religion (church) and the state together. What we see happen here matters, and how it's resisted really matters too. We want to keep our country democratic, just like you do.
Honestly, even though the Founding Fathers of America were deists, I bet they would still put Middleton in irons for trying to put religion in the schools. I want to barf on his shoes, that's how sick it makes me.
Be it the public schools or anywhere else, the people who would force religion on others always operate with the delusion it will result in a happy ending. Shared delusion does not add up to truth. Some of the most mean-spirited and intolerant people I have ever known never missed church. One of the very last things this country needs to do is put the preachers in charge of public education. If the religious right had any real confidence in their message, they wouldn't be so driven to force it on others and would just let the message speak for itself.
I'm not even sure they're interested in a "happy ending," at least not for anyone other than themselves. As long as their influence is enhanced, any other fallout for others is beneath their notice.
One one side of the church aisle are those that think turning everything christian will bring peace and jesus back, and on the other side are those that want to start a war to bring jesus back. The problem is jesus and the bible support both sides.
Your bible tells you to obey all earthly laws and authorities, Middleton. Why do you disobey what your book tells you? How weak is your religion if you have to force it on others like a schoolyard bully? You are the reason the 7 key founders made us a secular nation, not an xtian theocracy.
Your founding fathers knew nothing. What's wrong with centuries of wars ? god promised not to send a Flood* again so he needed help to regulate the population 😁
* I don't know if he created humans but lawyers are without doubt his. Notice how he didn't promise not to send plagues, volcano eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis. If it's not a loophole what is ?
"A type of health insurance plan that usually limits coverage to care from doctors who work for or contract with the HMO. It generally won't cover out-of-network care except in an emergency."
OT: I am just waking up, surgery went pretty well and I’m home and comfortable now. Thanks for the well wishes yesterday. Looking forward to a rest and break from work.
This is will create a paradox of an unbelievable magnitude. How can a priest be legally employed at a school and yet be 500 yards away from any school, play ground, library or other place that has children?
The church/state violation is a major issue here, but not the only major issue. Another is the potential of harm done to vulnerable students with serious psychological/emotional disorders seeking help from chaplains who are not trained in psychotherapy and not licensed to insure their competence.
To the everyday person, counseling looks like nothing risky, just two people having a quiet chat. But a vulnerable young person confiding to a well-meaning but incompetent adult who has an unearned aura of credibility as a "chaplain," but who has little to offer but religious platitudes and empty reassurances is at serious risk. Telling the student that her problems are all her own fault because she's a sinner, but God will eventually fix her is a potentially deadly response.
Suicides WILL, not might, occur. Lawsuits will follow.
Fully agree with you. My only quibble is that that's not the emphasis of this article or what Middleton is saying. He's explicitly saying "....and they'd ALL better be Christian", not just "Let's replace the trained professional social workers with unaccredited volunteer religious leaders..." Both are bad ideas. But only the "and they'd ALL better be Christian" runs afoul of the Constitution.
Now the funny thing is, he could have his Christian Chaplain cake, because nothing prevents a minister from doing the schooling, etc. to become an accredited counselor. But I suspect that any chapain who actually behaved with professional ethics, and didn't use their position for student-unwanted proselytization and coercive religious indoctrination, would count as too 'church/state separation kool-aid drinking' commie liberal for him.
Middleton is just saying the quiet part out loud. He might as well be Dominionist, for his determination to put his god back in government. Then, without doubt, he would also likely cite the other six mountains which R. J. Rushdoony originally outlined. And, of course, this is Texas, so he will mostly have free rein to do as he pleases.
What this needs is some serious blowback, not just from the likes of the FFRF or American Atheists, but from Texans who are tired of all the god talk and are willing to confront it.
Yes, because there's 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 a dearth of opportunities for Texas children to encounter Christianity. Why, without a chaplain to explain things to them, they might not ever know what the thirty-six churches on their bus route to school, with roadside signage declaring their denominations and the names of their pastors, are for! Just like they might forget what country they're in if they don't see four 'Murican flags, minimum, per block! ...well, this 𝘪𝘴 Texas we're talking about; they might actually need 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 reminder.
Leveling the playing field. They love dictatorship so much, let them live under government dictatorship that cannot be asked to change. Just like their mascot.
Standard disclaimer here: Still not a lawyer and not working to become one.
From where I sit in Arizona, this bill will open Texas to a variety of litigation that I would think is not in the best interest of anyone in the state. Several churches in recent years have had what others have referred to as 'problems in the after school area' that have had major negative impact on school aged children and their families. Even with background checks, it's entirely possible for bad actors to have access to the most vulnerable members of society since churches rarely publish that information anywhere, and there is no guarantee that this will measurably assist students in the educational pursuits schools should be engaging in. The balance of risk vs reward here seems horribly lopsided.
By requiring districts to vote on the matter, then, they are forced to choose between litigation over what will presumably be termed 'free practice' of faith for Christians, or very likely litigation over the abuse of children in their care. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒. Neither option is good for the schools themselves, indeed, this bill seems to be working toward tearing apart the pubic educational system and appears to be standard procedure for the Republican party these days. Indeed, the whole bill seems to have been written in bad faith; first to push Christianity, then to prove 'the system isn't working!!1!1!', and last to function as leverage for the complete tear-down of public education.
I honestly wish at this point I could claim to be shocked. Surprised, even. Truthfully, we've seen this sort of shenanigans from the Republican party several times before, it's not new and they're using it because it's worked so often in the past.
I imagine a LOT of school kids would welcome the opportunity to stick a long rod up their Principal's nose, blender their brains around, and then pull the brains out of their nostrils.
The god in the 39 books of the Old Testament that romped and stomped and bellowed was rendered impotent and almost virtually silent in the 27 books of the New Testament. Why such a radical change in godly demeanor? Couldn't they keep up the charade anymore and had to push Jesus' pops into the background?
Christianity is a Build Your Own Beliefs smorgasbord religion. You can pick and choose what you like and ignore the rest. Plus, you can condemn those who put pineapple on pizza to Hell.
"My god is all powerful, but he can't win unless the State forces him on children who lack critical thinking skills."
Their so-called “omniscient” god doesn’t know a damned thing without the Christian’s prayers.
Their so-called “omnipotent” god can’t do a damned thing without the Christian’s iron-fisted tyranny.
Their so-called “omnipresent” god can’t be anywhere without the Christian’s shoving it down everybody’s throats.
"My god is the only RIGHT god and y'all sinners should repent before Judgement Day comes. We need to save the souls of the innocents in schools, this is the only way forward."
Middleton, probably.
We have these people in Canada too that want to squish religion (church) and the state together. What we see happen here matters, and how it's resisted really matters too. We want to keep our country democratic, just like you do.
Honestly, even though the Founding Fathers of America were deists, I bet they would still put Middleton in irons for trying to put religion in the schools. I want to barf on his shoes, that's how sick it makes me.
Be it the public schools or anywhere else, the people who would force religion on others always operate with the delusion it will result in a happy ending. Shared delusion does not add up to truth. Some of the most mean-spirited and intolerant people I have ever known never missed church. One of the very last things this country needs to do is put the preachers in charge of public education. If the religious right had any real confidence in their message, they wouldn't be so driven to force it on others and would just let the message speak for itself.
They never miss church because that's who tells them it is OK to be hateful towards the people they hate.
Reinforcement of the herd.
I'm not even sure they're interested in a "happy ending," at least not for anyone other than themselves. As long as their influence is enhanced, any other fallout for others is beneath their notice.
In most cases the fallout enhances their “rewards”.
One one side of the church aisle are those that think turning everything christian will bring peace and jesus back, and on the other side are those that want to start a war to bring jesus back. The problem is jesus and the bible support both sides.
MAGAt says what?
Your bible tells you to obey all earthly laws and authorities, Middleton. Why do you disobey what your book tells you? How weak is your religion if you have to force it on others like a schoolyard bully? You are the reason the 7 key founders made us a secular nation, not an xtian theocracy.
Your founding fathers knew nothing. What's wrong with centuries of wars ? god promised not to send a Flood* again so he needed help to regulate the population 😁
* I don't know if he created humans but lawyers are without doubt his. Notice how he didn't promise not to send plagues, volcano eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis. If it's not a loophole what is ?
And HMOs, god definitely created those to deter medical treatment.
HMOs ?
Health Maintenance Organization.
"A type of health insurance plan that usually limits coverage to care from doctors who work for or contract with the HMO. It generally won't cover out-of-network care except in an emergency."
Had my kids in the late 80s under an HMO. Great doctors, nurses and support staff. The only bill we received was for TV rental. 8 bucks.
They don't care what the book ACTUALLY tells them. They just care about what they THINK it tells them.
If they implement this I won't be surprised about the slew of sexual abuse lawsuits that will be filed in due course.
I give it a week into the school year when the first chaplain starts.
Obviously the best chaplain candidates will be youth pastors. /s
That long?
"Won't somebody please think of the children!"
The priests are. It'll be their smorgasbord.
When my job takes me through Tex-ass, I don a hazmat suit to deal with the Christian Nationalist urine flood.
OT: I am just waking up, surgery went pretty well and I’m home and comfortable now. Thanks for the well wishes yesterday. Looking forward to a rest and break from work.
As you're at home, NZ is playing South Africa cricket tomorrow if you're interested?😇
Good luck to your team.
*Crickets*
🦗🦗🦗🦗
Glad things worked out. Take it as easy on yourself as you need to. We'll still be here.
This is will create a paradox of an unbelievable magnitude. How can a priest be legally employed at a school and yet be 500 yards away from any school, play ground, library or other place that has children?
Loophole, all the priest has to do is tie a 500 yard string around themselves.
hoping for 600 loops of 3/4 inch steel cable. He would need a crane to lift himself.
Pas assez souple. It would be a hazard for everyone el... Maybe you are onto something.
The church/state violation is a major issue here, but not the only major issue. Another is the potential of harm done to vulnerable students with serious psychological/emotional disorders seeking help from chaplains who are not trained in psychotherapy and not licensed to insure their competence.
To the everyday person, counseling looks like nothing risky, just two people having a quiet chat. But a vulnerable young person confiding to a well-meaning but incompetent adult who has an unearned aura of credibility as a "chaplain," but who has little to offer but religious platitudes and empty reassurances is at serious risk. Telling the student that her problems are all her own fault because she's a sinner, but God will eventually fix her is a potentially deadly response.
Suicides WILL, not might, occur. Lawsuits will follow.
Fully agree with you. My only quibble is that that's not the emphasis of this article or what Middleton is saying. He's explicitly saying "....and they'd ALL better be Christian", not just "Let's replace the trained professional social workers with unaccredited volunteer religious leaders..." Both are bad ideas. But only the "and they'd ALL better be Christian" runs afoul of the Constitution.
Now the funny thing is, he could have his Christian Chaplain cake, because nothing prevents a minister from doing the schooling, etc. to become an accredited counselor. But I suspect that any chapain who actually behaved with professional ethics, and didn't use their position for student-unwanted proselytization and coercive religious indoctrination, would count as too 'church/state separation kool-aid drinking' commie liberal for him.
Middleton is just saying the quiet part out loud. He might as well be Dominionist, for his determination to put his god back in government. Then, without doubt, he would also likely cite the other six mountains which R. J. Rushdoony originally outlined. And, of course, this is Texas, so he will mostly have free rein to do as he pleases.
What this needs is some serious blowback, not just from the likes of the FFRF or American Atheists, but from Texans who are tired of all the god talk and are willing to confront it.
The Handmaid's Tale wasn't fiction. It was a fire alarm going off.
Sadly, when fire alarms go off, everyone just looks around dumbfounded.
Well put.
Yes, because there's 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 a dearth of opportunities for Texas children to encounter Christianity. Why, without a chaplain to explain things to them, they might not ever know what the thirty-six churches on their bus route to school, with roadside signage declaring their denominations and the names of their pastors, are for! Just like they might forget what country they're in if they don't see four 'Murican flags, minimum, per block! ...well, this 𝘪𝘴 Texas we're talking about; they might actually need 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 reminder.
As of a year ago, there were over 30,000 churches in Texas.
Compare this with a mere 900 hospitals and (as of 2 years ago) 8,161 schools and you can see that something is seriously out of whack.
One of those times when 'seriously out of whack' appears to be the default, really.
I'd consider changing the "Don't mess with Texas" to "seriously out of whack", but I think DeSantis is going with it.
"Seriously out of wack, the return" ?
If we are going to have god in government, let’s be even handed and get government in god.
Leveling the playing field. They love dictatorship so much, let them live under government dictatorship that cannot be asked to change. Just like their mascot.
You have violated your oath of office, Middleton, Resign immediately,
He did NOT! He was crossing his fingers when he took the Oath!
Standard disclaimer here: Still not a lawyer and not working to become one.
From where I sit in Arizona, this bill will open Texas to a variety of litigation that I would think is not in the best interest of anyone in the state. Several churches in recent years have had what others have referred to as 'problems in the after school area' that have had major negative impact on school aged children and their families. Even with background checks, it's entirely possible for bad actors to have access to the most vulnerable members of society since churches rarely publish that information anywhere, and there is no guarantee that this will measurably assist students in the educational pursuits schools should be engaging in. The balance of risk vs reward here seems horribly lopsided.
By requiring districts to vote on the matter, then, they are forced to choose between litigation over what will presumably be termed 'free practice' of faith for Christians, or very likely litigation over the abuse of children in their care. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒. Neither option is good for the schools themselves, indeed, this bill seems to be working toward tearing apart the pubic educational system and appears to be standard procedure for the Republican party these days. Indeed, the whole bill seems to have been written in bad faith; first to push Christianity, then to prove 'the system isn't working!!1!1!', and last to function as leverage for the complete tear-down of public education.
I honestly wish at this point I could claim to be shocked. Surprised, even. Truthfully, we've seen this sort of shenanigans from the Republican party several times before, it's not new and they're using it because it's worked so often in the past.
jeezus hates me, this I know, cuz its minions tell me so.
There is no god in government, check the spelling again.
Godernment. FTFY ; )
Goddamnerment
Götterdämmerungerment
Everything sounds better in the original German.
I agree https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr8ljRgcJNM
Goatamsterdamundergarment.
You have goats and hamsters in your undergarments? Sounds crowded.
Kinky!!!
I have something to say about this but it's TMI 😁
"God back in government so people can freely exercise their religious beliefs in government and in schools."
May I assume only traditional religions are concerned ? What's more traditional than Ancient Egypt deities* ? Maybe I should come and apply 😁
* Gobekli tepe, Sumer and Hindus valley specialists, sit down and shut up.
I imagine a LOT of school kids would welcome the opportunity to stick a long rod up their Principal's nose, blender their brains around, and then pull the brains out of their nostrils.
After death, of course.
And high schoolers would love to worship Hathor. Sex and alcohol.
Any god that can be banished from government by mere mortals can’t be much of a god.
The god in the 39 books of the Old Testament that romped and stomped and bellowed was rendered impotent and almost virtually silent in the 27 books of the New Testament. Why such a radical change in godly demeanor? Couldn't they keep up the charade anymore and had to push Jesus' pops into the background?
Andd they still sic that godthing on millions of Gays. That jesus is just a marketing ploy.
They also claim the Old Testament no longer apples. Really? Then the bit about gays no longer apples, does it? Can't have it both ways.
I knew gays were, according to Archie Bunker "fruits," but I didn't know that "fruit" was an apple.
Exemption cuz Gay is a "sin" but ONLY if you actually do that icky Gay stuff.
Low T. Frank Thomas has a pill for that. And she'll like it to.
People sometimes chill when they have kids.
christians didn't want the Romans to sue them for copyright infringement. We know what happened when the Greeks tried to.
Christianity is a Build Your Own Beliefs smorgasbord religion. You can pick and choose what you like and ignore the rest. Plus, you can condemn those who put pineapple on pizza to Hell.
Do pizza places deliver to hell? :)
Minor detail.