Comments on: High School Student Faces Challenges in Starting an Atheist Group

By: As if

As if — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 03:09:31 +0000

No she did not become suicidally depressed, no she did not leave school, and no the club never got off the ground because the administration didn’t allow it to. Johnsburg is HIGHLY conservative and HIGHLY Catholic, not to mention HIGHLY ignorant. They also do not receive those First Amendment awards anymore either. The administration in this school are nothing but a bunch of overgrown bullies who will never allow anything that doesn’t go along with their own personal ideals.

By: From her School

From her School — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 00:49:51 +0000

She became suicidally depressed and left school a few days ago. The group will no longer meet.

By: ArchangelChuck

ArchangelChuck — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:47:54 +0000

I hope the members of the Christian organizations in the school are smart enough to come in support of this group.

Echoed, but if we look at the track record…

By: Derek

Derek — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:04:32 +0000

I was thrilled to hear a student at my former high school was starting a free thinkers club. Although I was shocked to hear she was getting resistance from the administration due to the fact that the school has received numerous first amendment awards for the supposed free speech the students have.

By: RatFink

RatFink — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:49:20 +0000

Again, the school is crossing into illegal waters. As long as the fliers are school-appropriate, the group must be allowed to advertise. You can’t deny their advertising simply because it’s for an atheist club.

Is this actually happening or is the advertising ban content neutral? The article nor the quotes do not establish if other groups are held to this too.

“Group members already are planning their first event, a night when members dress up as pirates and eat spaghetti in honor of the “Flying Spaghetti Monster.”

Yeah… this may be the problem… The spaghetti monster has nothing to do with atheist/agnostic belief but rather a character designed to belittle and make fun of others beliefs. It’s childish, immature and stupid. Save your outrage for when the local christian club starts their dinner where they dress up with keffiyeh and fake suicide vests.

By: Joe

Joe — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:42:55 +0000

I hope the members of the Christian organizations in the school are smart enough to come in support of this group. Once one group is successfully limited or kept from forming all other groups become more susceptible to also being limited or banned.

By: Charon

Charon — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:10:39 +0000

Right on, Richard.

I was reading Parenting Beyond Belief recently, and there’s a story in there of the guy taking his wife and kids to a local freethinkers’ party (meeting? I forget). In any case, it was so awful that his kids pleaded with him to not take them back. Not exactly the way to win over converts.

I was reading Bertrand Russell in high school, but I can guarantee you that I was the only one in my high school doing so. If I’d started a club where we sat around and discussed empiricism, rationalism, positivism, and whatnot, it would have been a great club of one.

By: Richard Wade

Richard Wade — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:59:25 +0000

Bob and Anne,
They’re high school kids. They want to be taken seriously, and they want to have fun too. Those two things always go together for young people. Fun is seen not as frivolous. It is not sufficient but it is still necesary. They might take some time at that first meeting to discuss important (non pirate) things, but if it was entirely grave and serious, they might not have a second meeting because nobody would want to come back.

Think about how difficult it will be for the prospective members to get past their fears of social ostracizing and parental disapproval. Peer pressure is extremely powerful to them. A playful party on the very first meeting would be a celebration and a congratulation of their courageous step into personal freedom. There will be plenty of time for the very good suggestions of positive activities you have mentioned.

By: Anne

Anne — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 11:24:07 +0000

I have to agree with Bob. She fights for her right to have a freethinkers’ club and then the first thing they want to do is dress up like pirates and eat spaghetti in honor of the flying spaghetti monster?1? Come on…who’s going to take them seriously after that? IMHO, they should show that they take themselves seriously and talk about genuine issues during their meetings – and – to increase their image even more – become a service club. Show the whole school how compassionate atheists are. Then, once they’ve established themselves, have a spaghetti party. Even better, how about having a flying spaghetti monster spaghetti dinner to raise money for charity?

By: mkb

mkb — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 05:09:27 +0000

Keep us posted. If you think that anything we could do would help — writing the principal, the school board, the town attorney — let us know. Thanks.