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Student Suspended For Refusal to Stomp on the Word “Jesus”

Discussion in 'News & Current Events' started by leesw, Mar 24, 2013.

  1. leesw

    leesw Member

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    Talk About Fascism!

    http://www.gracecentered.com/student-suspended-refusal-stomp-word-jesus.htm

    BOCA RATON, FL (CBS4) – A student at Florida Atlantic University said he was unfairly suspended from his Intercultural Communications class because he refused to step on Jesus.

    Ryan Rotella, a junior from Coral Springs, said the incident began when his professor, Dr. Deandre Poole, asked students in the class to write the word “Jesus” on a piece of paper, fold it up, and step on it.

    Rotella, a deeply religious Mormon, told CBS12 that he was offended and refused to participate in the exercise.

    “Anytime you stomp on something it shows that you believe that something has no value. So if you were to stomp on the word Jesus, it says that the word has no value,” said Rotella.

    Rotella said he voiced his concerns to his teacher’s supervisor and later learned he was suspended from the class.
     
  2. pinoybaptist

    pinoybaptist Active Member
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    My admiration for the courage of this young MORMON man.
    On the other hand if he were my son, I would've told him to write down the name of his teacher and his school on the blackboard and spit on them.
     
  3. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    I'd be bringing this through the courts if I had to. There is NO reason to make a student do something that is against his deeply held religious beliefs.
     
  4. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    There is no educational reason to make students stomp on Jesus.
     
  5. Scarlett O.

    Scarlett O. Moderator
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    Apparently, they were studying cultural symbols and their impact on people.

     
  6. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Again it serves no educational purpose.
     
  7. Scarlett O.

    Scarlett O. Moderator
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    Oh, I completely agree.

    As an educator, I can tell you that some textbooks out there - of all subject matter, including religious subject matter - are written by people not competent enough to teach.

    And there are some professors and teachers - in both public and religious schools - who don't have enough discernment to do anything except follow the teacher's manual like a cookbook recipe.

    I understand the point the author of the text was trying to make, but the exercise was useless. He could have very well said in an effort to talk about how potent symbolism is to ask the students to think of something that is meaningful to them. He could have provided examples - the American flag, Christ, Mohammed, a photo of their parents, etc....

    He could ask them if they would find themselves able to stomp on a piece of paper with that image - hypothetically. Most would say no, they would not be able to. Then discuss why the images and symbols of those important to us are just as meaningful as the people and institutions themselves. For example - is it a psychological thing, an emotional attachment, an intellectual offense, and more.

    That would have been a much better and more intellectually stimulating exercise.

    But to ask them to physically stomp on the image only created strife and took the focus away from the actual objective.
     
  8. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Yep, I assume this professor at least has a Masters degree. With that being a given I also assume this professor knew that stomping on Jesus name on a piece of paper would have no meaning to anyone except someone who holds Jesus very dear in their heart. So the excersize is for the most part fruitless unless you hold to a religion that hates Jesus and Christianity. I believe there was an agenda here.
     
  9. Aaron

    Aaron Member
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  10. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    And I will tell you something else. They would never have done this with Mohamed.
     
  11. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    People would have died if they did that AND the press would have been all over it.
     
  12. church mouse guy

    church mouse guy Well-Known Member
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    Juan Williams thought that the exercise was okay. It is amazing that a Mormon would have the strength to stand up to that professor. Perhaps some other college will give him a scholarship. I think that the teacher's manual, the professor, and the university are demonic.
     
  13. Oldtimer

    Oldtimer New Member

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    Scarlet said:
    The sad part is that's happening everywhere, far too often, these days.

    Four times a year, a fresh supply of "instructor guides" come in along with Sunday School student books.

    For this week's lesson:
    Do this.....
    Say this.....
    Then do this.....
    Then say this.....

    A Sunday school lesson should not be a play or movie script. Or, as you mentioned a cookbook, possibly authored by someone who has never tasted living waters.

    Without God given understanding and actual work on their part, they are unable to identify the times "Say this...." promotes an intentional or unintentional error. (Happened not long ago at our church. Fortunately it was caught and countered. Author acknowledged the problem.)

    Not identifying that two cups of salt should have been two cups of sugar when bringing cookies to a supper in the fellowship hall will not produce the desired reaction.

    Or, maybe it does....................... if this is the intended result.

    Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Gen 3:1
     
  14. Scarlett O.

    Scarlett O. Moderator
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    To me, this is just one of the many reasons why we are to "study to show ourselves approved". Approved for what? Lots of things. But teaching being one of them.

    I've seen what you are talking about - in public and religious arenas more times that I can count.

    A teacher's manual is merely a guide that should be a resource only. Look at it to get some ideas to incorporate to what YOU are doing already. Teaching manuals can be of great help, but that's just it. They are only a help.

    Teacher training in lesson design and lesson tailoring to the student needs is sorely lacking. Teacher dependency upon the manual is the norm.
     
  15. Matt Black

    Matt Black Well-Known Member
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    Not quite the whole story: apparently he was suspended for threatening the Prof, not for refusing to stamp on the paper.
     
  16. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    Reference please?
     
  17. Matt Black

    Matt Black Well-Known Member
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  18. Don

    Don Well-Known Member
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    Matt - you realize that this brings up more questions than it answers?

    Why did the professor (and the school) wait so long to present their side of why the student was suspended? Who else witnessed the student threatening the professor?

    If the professor was truly following the lesson plan:The lesson plan was to engage the students in how easy or not it is to disrespect a symbol; as soon as the student refused to step on the paper, the lesson should have engaged all the students in a discussion on why some willingly stepped on it, but others didn't. Did that happen? Or was the student singled out because he refused while all the other students went along with it?

    The student says he met with the professor's supervisor, not just the professor, to question the lesson; where's the statement from the supervisor?

    You're right; there's always more to the story. But there seems to be a lot more than just the professor making a statement that he felt threatened.
     
  19. Matt Black

    Matt Black Well-Known Member
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    It seems he's now been fired; it may well be the case that the school were awaiting the outcome of the Prof's disciplinary process before going public.

    Or it may not...
     
  20. Don

    Don Well-Known Member
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    Well, Matt, here's where I agree with you: now it looks like the school fired the guy because they were receiving pressure from the governor and residents.

    Wish there was some way to find out what the student said happened, what the professor said happened, and what witnesses say happened.
     
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