As someone who produced dozens of nativity plays as a teacher and a Sunday School leader, that title ‘A Gay…
The defence of a Christian view never seems to be settled by debate: exchange of facts, reference to historical events.…
But …… Rwanda is a safe place: Parliament says so.https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2024/8/contentsSafety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024 S 2 Safety…
Religion can survive only on the most unquestionable assumptions. The statements made on Sundays on the BBC as if they…
Yes, if I’ve got anything remotely like a phobia, as an ex-fundy, its bibles, churches, tracts etc. I like to…
A CO-AUTHOR of the Bill—passed this week to allow public schools to replace professional counselors with unlicensed chaplains—is Senator Mayes Middleton.
In a recent statement, Middleton—widely described as a Christian nationalist—declared:
Our founders certainly never intended separation of God from government or schools, despite the lefts’ attempts to mislead people on this fact.
The statement went on to insist that pastors were among those who have “asked that prayer be put back in our public schools.”
He is also quoted in this report as saying:
When prayer was taken out of schools, things went downhill—discipline, mental health. It’s something I heard a lot on porches when I was campaigning. It’s something I’ve thought about for a long time.
Then there’s Julie Pickren, who sparked an outcry in March 2021 when it was revealed she was in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6 to attend the Trump rally that preceded the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Her presence nearby was criticised by area NAACP representatives, as were her false claims that the Capitol attack was led by “antifa” members instead of Trump supporters.
Religion News Service (RNS) revealed that Middleton is an ardent supporter of Pickren. He made a $5,000 donation to her successful campaign to become a membet the State Board of Education.
Representative Cole Hefner, House sponsor of Bill, recently told a House debate that the legislation wasn’t about pressing religion.
We have to give schools all the tools; with all we’re experiencing, with mental health problems, other crises, this is just another tool.
A half-dozen Democratic lawmakers rose to ask Hefner to amend the bill, saying it didn’t provide protection for a diversity of religions, among other things.
Hefner and the majority rejected almost all amendments, including one requiring parental consent and another requiring chaplains to serve students of all faiths and not proselytise.
School prayer and Ten Commandments
Writing for RNS Jack Jenkins pointed out that two other bills introduced this session that involved religion and public schools—one that dealt with school prayer and another requiring classrooms to hang donated Ten Commandments signs—never made it across the finish line.
The chaplains bill was carried by an alliance of right-wing activists, Christian groups and conservative lawmakers who have aided each other’s rise while championing forms of Christian nationalism.assage, likely clearing a path for NSCA chaplains to begin working in the Lone Star State.
David Donatti of the Texas American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said in a statement yesterday (Thursday):
The same Texas politicians trying to control what students think by banning books and censoring curricula now want to dictate what students worship.
This bill is part of a coordinated campaign by conservative Christian-based organizations and their legislative champions to force state-sponsored religion into public schools without parental consent.
Replacing well-educated and licensed professionals with uncertified chaplains threatens the safety and education of Texas students. The First Amendment guarantees families and faith communities the right to instill religious beliefs in their children, not politicians or the government.
You can also support my work via a one-off donation via PayPal, Buy Me a Coffee or GofundMe.
If you spot any typos in this report please notify me at freethinkered@aol.com
Latest posts
Off the hook. Serial evangelical abuser Jonathan Fletcher won’t stand trial.
IN 30 years as vicar of Emmanuel Church Wimbledon, London, the Rev. Jonathan Fletcher, above, is alleged to have engaged in naked beatings, nude swimming and massages, as well as other sexual misconduct, and bullying and “spiritual abuse.” Then, in July 2024 he was charged with eight counts of indecent assault and one of grievous…
Well, ain’t that a kick in the head? Stupid camel stunt in a Texas megachurch puts woman in hospital
CAMELS are known to deliver vicious kicks that sometimes can be fatal, but this fact didn’t deter a the organisers of a Christmas spectacular at the multi-campus Champion Forest Baptist Church to bring bring one of the beasts into a narrow aisle, where it lashed out with a hind leg that connected with the face…
‘It’s blasphemous!’ Christian university students in York furious over gay Jesus and Three Wise Men drag queens
Tonight, Thursday, St John’s University in York is due to stage a a nativity play featuring drag queens performing as the Three Wise Men, much to the disgust of some Jesus-afflicted students. “A Gay in The Manger” is the Yuletide brainchild of the LGBTQ network at the university, and also features a gay Jesus, Mary…
Barry Duke, the Angry Atheist 
Leave a reply to barriejohn Cancel reply