Nova Scotia student suspended over "Life is wasted without Jesus" t-shirt - Page 2 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

MarchHare · 05-04-2012, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joborule

I can see why the message could be considered offensive and why a suspension could be justified.

But a week seems a bit excessive.

I think the length of the suspension was moreso because he defiantly refused to comply with instructions from school authorities to stop wearing the shirt, not because of the shirt itself.

M*A*S*H 4077 · 05-04-2012, 10:46 AM

I'd still love to know where the offensive message is. He doesn't say anything about other religions, or other people. It's a rather generic statement. Is that the problem? If so than people are way too sensitive. How is this different than a pro-gay shirt or any shirt celebrating a famous person? Christians are getting picked on lately, so much for the freedom of speech in Canada. I doubt there would be the outage if it had said Allah or Budda on it

Maritime Q-Scout · 05-04-2012, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Komskies

19 years old and still in high school. Gooooo Nova Scotia!

their all right smrt out here

On Topic: I think at most a warning would suffice, but an suspension is uncalled for. If students seriously offended they could have worn t-shirts saying "life is wasted spending extra time in grade school" (then again we don't know the circumstances as to why he's 19 and in school, there are a number of legitimate reasons why he's still here).

psicodude · 05-04-2012, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joborule

I can see why the message could be considered offensive and why a suspension could be justified.

But a week seems a bit excessive.

The suspension isn't for wearing the shirt, it's for disobeying the order for him to go home and change, which I agree with. High school is the last place that you want teenagers to think they can do anything they want.

I think the school was is the right here. If a student came to school with a shirt that said "Believing in the Bible is a waste and your are stupid if you do it", I am sure he would have received the same treatment.

Cecil Terwilliger · 05-04-2012, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikey_the_redneck

Only a liberal ninny would be upset by someone else's t-shirt, especially something as innocuous as "Life is wasted without Jesus".

It seems to me that Christians are being bullied more and more these days....

Something tells me that if a student was wearing a shirt with a pro-gay slogan on it, it would be celebrated as brave and courageous.

You're missing the point. The rules say you can't have anti-anything slogans.

A shirt that said "I love Jesus" would be fine. So would "gay pride". At least based on how I'm interpreting the wording in the OP. A shirt that said "I hate jesus" would be banned just as quick as a shirt that said "I hate gays".

There is a fine line here though. I don't think the shirt in question is necessarily explicitly anti-other religious beliefs.

If that isn't banned (and it most certainly was never an issue at the Catholic School I attended in Calgary) then this kid's shirt should be fine.

valo403 · 05-04-2012, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikey_the_redneck

Only a liberal ninny would be upset by someone else's t-shirt, especially something as innocuous as "Life is wasted without Jesus".

It seems to me that Christians are being bullied more and more these days....

Something tells me that if a student was wearing a shirt with a pro-gay slogan on it, it would be celebrated as brave and courageous.

Right, because conservatives never get upset about students displaying messages that clash with their Christian beliefs. It's not like there are many seminal Supreme Court cases based around those situations or anything

MarchHare · 05-04-2012, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikey_the_redneck

Only a liberal ninny would be upset by someone else's t-shirt, especially something as innocuous as "Life is wasted without Jesus".

It seems to me that Christians are being bullied more and more these days....

To clarify, are you saying you wouldn't have a problem if other students started wearing shirts that said something as innocuous as "Christians are wasting their lives"?

HPLovecraft · 05-04-2012, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M*A*S*H 4077

I'd still love to know where the offensive message is. He doesn't say anything about other religions, or other people. It's a rather generic statement. Is that the problem? If so than people are way too sensitive. How is this different than a pro-gay shirt or any shirt celebrating a famous person? Christians are getting picked on lately, so much for the freedom of speech in Canada. I doubt there would be the outage if it had said Allah or Budda on it

I don't think the shirt is really that big of a deal, but I don't understand how someone can't recognize the difference between a slogan telling everyone their lives are a waste of time if they don't believe in so-and-so God, and a slogan celebrating a famous person.

I . . . what?

troutman · 05-04-2012, 10:49 AM

I would suspend students for wearing Kesler jerseys to school.

psicodude · 05-04-2012, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M*A*S*H 4077

I'd still love to know where the offensive message is. He doesn't say anything about other religions, or other people. It's a rather generic statement. Is that the problem? If so than people are way too sensitive. How is this different than a pro-gay shirt or any shirt celebrating a famous person? Christians are getting picked on lately, so much for the freedom of speech in Canada. I doubt there would be the outage if it had said Allah or Budda on it

But he is making a statement about other religions. He says that if you're not Christian, you are wasting your life. What if it said "Life is wasted without being white"?

Jacks · 05-04-2012, 10:50 AM

Life is wasted without beer.

Oops, sorry for offending all you non drinkers.

MarchHare · 05-04-2012, 10:51 AM

Quote:

On Topic: I think at most a warning would suffice, but an suspension is uncalled for.

That's actually what happened. He was initially given a warning and instucted to stop wearing that shirt to school. The suspension was because he started wearing the shirt every day as an act of defiance after being told to stop.

jtfrogger · 05-04-2012, 10:52 AM

I agree with that the shirt should not be allowed. Similarly, neither would a shirt with something like this:

But it would have to be dealt with tactfully and appropriately. If it was the first time the student wore anything like it, I would expect the principal to let him know why it was inappropriate and why it was not allowed. If he came back the next day wearing it, then the suspension is warranted. At that point, you are intentionally wearing something that some people find offensive and you are intentionally breaking the rules.

You can share your beliefs without insulting others. Telling people that they are wasting their lives if they do not believe in Jesus is insulting them.

jtfrogger · 05-04-2012, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarchHare

That's actually what happened. He was initially given a warning and instucted to stop wearing that shirt to school. The suspension was because he started wearing the shirt every day as an act of defiance after being told to stop.

Where did you see this? I didn't see that stated in the linked article.

Cecil Terwilliger · 05-04-2012, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacks

Life is wasted without beer.

Oops, sorry for offending all you non drinkers.

In your opinion do most people feel as strongly about alcohol as they do about the Lord God Our Saviour?

That being said, I could see a shirt like that being banned. Underage kids in a HS wearing a pro-alcohol tshirt? Could be an issue. Maybe it is offensive to Mormons.

I'm really just playing devil's advocate here. Seems they went out on a limb to ban the kids shirt, but it is such a slippery slope.

M*A*S*H 4077 · 05-04-2012, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HPLovecraft

I don't think the shirt is really that big of a deal, but I don't understand how someone can't recognize the difference between a slogan telling everyone their lives are a waste of time if they don't believe in so-and-so God, and a slogan celebrating a famous person.

I . . . what?

But the shirt doesn't say that others lives are a waste. It's a generic statment, keep it as that. It could be that the shirt is talking about his life, not others. It's far more a shirt celebrating Jesus than tearing anything else down. "Life is wasted without Jesus", To me that is a pro-Jesus shirt and not an anti-anything shirt

Rathji · 05-04-2012, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by troutman

This does not bother me. As long as the school is not endorsing the student's personal message.

What if a student wore a Darwin t-shirt? Would that student be suspended?

A Darwin shirt (at least the one you posted) does not indicate that someone who believes otherwise is wasting their life.

The way I see it, they have grounds to do this because of the policy that says

Quote:

If a message can be reasonably interpreted by a person as negative towards another person's beliefs ... the SSRSB feels that such instances are unacceptable and would ask that the message in question be replaced by a message that clearly communicates the student’s beliefs without disrespecting the beliefs or violating the rights of others.

Your shirt clearly falls into the category of the bolded section rather than the underlined section. The students original T-shirt does not.

HPLovecraft · 05-04-2012, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M*A*S*H 4077

But the shirt doesn't say that others lives are a waste. It's a generic statment, keep it as that. It could be that the shirt is talking about his life, not others. It's far more a shirt celebrating Jesus than tearing anything else down. "Life is wasted without Jesus", yt me that is a pro-Jesus shirt and not an anti-anything shirt

"Life is wasted without Jesus."

I don't have Jesus, I'm a Jew. What does that say about my life?

MarchHare · 05-04-2012, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jtfrogger

Where did you see this? I didn't see that stated in the linked article.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-s...t.html?cmp=rss

Quote:

Swinimer wore the T-shirt every day to class for several weeks. The principal told him repeatedly to stop wearing it, but the student refused to comply.

mikey_the_redneck · 05-04-2012, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HPLovecraft

You mean there's a correlation between a slogan speaking of tolerance and acceptance and one proclaiming everyone else's life is a waste if they don't believe in the God they believe in?

Tell me more.

I'm not surprised you support the suspension.

Talk about going way overboard.....

I don't really care about the damn t-shirt. This is an attack on christianity....I can see it and I don't even belong to any organized religion.

What I speak of is the current atmosphere where anything that represents western moral tradition is now attacked and deemed offensive, and anything that subverts it is to be supported and applauded by the media and government institutions.