this post was submitted on 23 Aug 2023
300 points (98.7% liked)

politics

18894 readers
3015 users here now

Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!

Rules:

  1. Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.
  2. Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
  3. Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
  4. No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive.
  5. Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
  6. No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.

That's all the rules!

Civic Links

Register To Vote

Citizenship Resource Center

Congressional Awards Program

Federal Government Agencies

Library of Congress Legislative Resources

The White House

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

Partnered Communities:

News

World News

Business News

Political Discussion

Ask Politics

Military News

Global Politics

Moderate Politics

Progressive Politics

UK Politics

Canadian Politics

Australian Politics

New Zealand Politics

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

More than 100 chaplains signed a letter urging local Texas school boards to vote against putting chaplains in public schools, calling efforts to enlist religious counselors in public classrooms “harmful” to students and families.

The letter was issued just days before a bill allowing public schools to hire school chaplains becomes law in Texas, the first state in the country to pass such a measure. The legislation, which had been pushed by activists associated with Christian nationalism, gives the state’s nearly 1,200 school boards until March 1 of next year to vote on whether to employ chaplains.

The letter was organized by the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and Interfaith Alliance as well as the local advocacy group Texas Impact.

The chaplains who signed the letter, released Tuesday, bemoaned the lack of standards for potential school chaplains aside from background checks, contrasting it with the extensive training required for health-care and military chaplains.

“Because of our training and experience, we know that chaplains are not a replacement for school counselors or safety measures in our public schools, and we urge you to reject this flawed policy option: It is harmful to our public schools and the students and families they serve,” the letter reads.

Although chaplains who operate in multifaith environments are generally barred from proselytizing, the Texas bill, SB 763, outlined no such restriction, leaving each school district to answer the question on its own.

all 27 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] carl_dungeon@lemmy.world 55 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

So separation of church and state can just be ignored now? Can I be a teacher as a satanic Chaplin in Texas? Hang some sweet Baphomet posters and teach kids to think rationally and not blindly follow authority figures?

[–] Hairyblue@kbin.social 28 points 1 year ago

It's freedom to force Christianity on everyone when the Republicans are in charge.

Stop voting for Republicans, they don't believe in our democracy.

[–] ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

deleted by creator

[–] dragonflyteaparty@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

And I can be a wiccan chaplain and hang up pentagrams?

[–] Nougat@kbin.social 52 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Can't wait for the Satanic Temple to get their people in public schools as chaplains.

[–] jimmycrackcrack@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Yeh but it's up to the schools to choose whether to hire them so I don't see that stunt working.

[–] StarkillerX42@lemmy.ml 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They may be able to sue for discriminatory hiring practices then. Sounds like a clean case...in any supreme court but the one we have...

[–] ChrisLicht@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

We are max three years away from this SC ruling that only “serious” religions are covered.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The Satanic Temple is federally recognized as a religion and has tax-exempt status because of it. So that wouldn't work.

[–] szczuroarturo@programming.dev 1 points 1 year ago

So go for islam.

[–] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They could always just pose as catholic or some shit until they're hired, then go full satan.

[–] Lt_Cdr_Data@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 1 year ago

Most satanists are actually atheists (they don't believe god or satan exist), but they do it to have a community that has its own traditions and for the lulz.

[–] HandsHurtLoL@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago

But no school district in Texas who stupidly thinks that chaplains should work in public schools would knowingly hire Satanists when there are probably many Christian denomination chaplains available.

Different story if the only applicant is a Satanist, but the district just declares the search as failed without interviewing the Satanist. Then it's a matter of religious discrimination in the hiring process for that one individual.

I can't think of any situation in which the actual chaplain at any given school could challenge this law to the point it starts moving through the courts.

To get into the court system, some parents are going to have to sue. I'm predicting a Jewish family, Muslim family, or Bahai family raising suit after the WASP chaplain starts evangelizing to the non-believers.

[–] lando55@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Satanists would not stoop to this level

[–] SpeedLimit55@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This is a strange thing to have in a public school especially suggesting that a chaplain can replace a counselor. Most private religious based schools have both.

[–] Crashumbc@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Strange isn't the correct word. The purpose is to insert their religion everywhere and force complete indoctrination on youth. It's not strange for an organization built on curling its subjects to want more. Evil maybe.

[–] bandario@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 year ago

Mind your words, heathen. Through faith, all things are possible... including the rape of multiple children before this ridiculous idea gets rolled back.

Is Florida trying to become Gilead for real? This is the most backwards shit I've seen in a while.

[–] GFGJewbacca@lemm.ee 18 points 1 year ago

I am a trained chaplain, currently practicing in a hospital. I absolutely agree with the chaplains who signed this letter.While we are trained to help people in spiritual and/or emotional crisis, we are specifically trained not to give people advice. Rather, we are trained to help people recognize what they are feeling, have each person feel heard and understood, and to use the helpful parts of a person's theology to bring about emotional/spirit healing.

What this also fails to mention is that chaplains are not inherently christian. I am Jewish clergy. I know for sure that Texas schools wouldn't allow me as a chaplain to participate because of this.

[–] LarryTheMatador@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)
[–] paintbucketholder@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Did you misread the article?

This is a political push to have chaplains in schools, and it's chaplains who are opposing it.

What are you referring to?

[–] LarryTheMatador@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
[–] Fixbeat@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Texas really screwing the pooch these days.

[–] Zombiepirate@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

I have little patience for preachers or anyone who recruits vulnerable people into their religion.

But I do respect these chaplains for standing up and saying "thats not our job."

School is neither the time or place for this shit.

[–] assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Fun fact, a prominent group to argue in court that creationism shouldn't be taught in school was actually pastors and religious leaders. They believed that teachers, who were not ordained preachers nor religious scholars, would not accurately explain their religions. Perhaps not the best reasoning from a secular perspective, but I appreciate it nonetheless.

[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 1 points 1 year ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


The legislation, which had been pushed by activists associated with Christian nationalism, gives the state’s nearly 1,200 school boards until March 1 of next year to vote on whether to employ chaplains.

The letter was organized by the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and Interfaith Alliance as well as the local advocacy group Texas Impact.

Although chaplains who operate in multifaith environments are generally barred from proselytizing, the Texas bill, SB 763, outlined no such restriction, leaving each school district to answer the question on its own.

“There is no requirement in this law that the chaplains refrain from proselytizing while at schools or that they serve students from different religious backgrounds,” the letter reads.

Franz Schemmel, Texas Impact board president and pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church in Weatherford, said in a news release.

763 made its way through the Texas Legislature in May, state Rep. James Talarico, a Presbyterian minister in training, repeatedly challenged the bill and linked it to Christian nationalism.


The original article contains 620 words, the summary contains 164 words. Saved 74%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!