School Bullying Council

Did you know that in the state of Tennessee there is a law against bullying in schools? It allows local school districts to develop policies to ensure that students are protected from physical harm, threats of physical harm and actions that would create a hostile educational environment.

Current attempts to change this law are concerned about the rights of students to express religious opinions. In other words, some people want to change this law so that it will be permissible for students to express their religious opinions even if expressing them creates a hostile environment for the student to whom they are being expressed.

For example, Muslim students, who pray five times daily, would be free to criticize Christian students about their lack of devotion to God because they do not pray with as much frequency. Unitarian students could constantly pester Trinitarian students about their inability to adequately explain the Trinity. Mormon students could demean Protestant students for their unwillingness to be baptized for their dead ancestors. In short, what a student says to or about another student would be permitted as long as it was based on the speaker’s religious beliefs.

Of course, those seeking to amend the law are not primarily, if at all, concerned about the rights of Muslim, Unitarian or Mormon students. What they are really concerned about is that no law would prohibit a good Christian student from telling and informing a student who is homosexual or perceived to be of his or her eternal destination or how God really feels about him or her.

The fact that the effort to change this law to allow students to use their religious beliefs to bully others is being led by a group, the Family Action Council of Tennessee, that purports to hold up biblical values makes the endeavor even more ironic. If a group of Christians are going to get something from the Bible written into the laws of a state, why not something like, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” or “Love one another as I have loved you?” Why not something that reflects the core of Jesus’ teachings?

This effort to use religion to justify bullying is an example of a group trying to use its religion to maintain its perceived notion of society rather than allowing its religion to inform and shape how it impacts the culture.

There is quite enough hatred and intolerance in our world. Seeing adults trying to pass that hatred on to our children is a sad sight, no matter how sophisticated and sanitized their effort might be.

I am reminded of an Anne Lamont quote: “You can safely assume that you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.”

The God of the New Testament is not one of hate, not one that desires to be used to bully students into feeling left out, isolated and alone. The God of the New Testament is one who took on flesh and came to dwell among us so that we would know that we are loved. That same God promised to never leave us alone, but to always be with us. That God calls us into the world to love with the same radical love with which we ourselves have been loved.

When we find ourselves loving someone we never thought we could, then we may find ourselves approaching the love that Christ has for us. When we discover ourselves loving someone we never had any reasons to notice, then we may be getting close to the love Christ has for us.

Christ’s love for us is unconditional, unwarranted, unearned, yet freely given. We are called not just to receive it, but to share it.

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/feb/11/citizens-voice-christianity-has-no-basis-for/

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Stuart M. Lederman, Esq.

President

New Jersey State Bar Foundation

S.J. Young Marines
get the boot

Yes, you heard it here. The South Jersey Young Marines have received notice from the Vineland Semper Marine Detachment on Landis Avenue that it will begin charging us $400 a month for rent.

Of course, the Young Marines are a nonprofit national organization and do not have the funds to pay rent, so why now? What ever happened to “never leave a fellow marine behind”?

I know the boys and girls enrolled in the program are not Marines, nor are they enrolled with the intent of recruitment to the Marine Corps, but nevertheless, they are sanctioned by the U.S. Marines.

Our Young Marines are devastated. This was their home. They volunteer on Sundays to help serve and cleanup at the detachment breakfasts and attend functions as needed.

What kind of sign does this send to them?

I know that the economy is tight and things are not as good as they could be, but this?

Just imagine if all the churches that have opened their doors to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts decided to tell them to start scouting for a new home unless they started paying this kind of rent.

The Young Marines meet two hours on Mondays, and don’t need much more than a small office or closet to keep our gear, an indoor area to muster and complete assignments, and some outdoor space to do the beloved “PT” and drill training.

Like our mission statement says, “To strengthen the lives of America’s youth by teaching the importance of self-confidence, academic achievement, honoring our veterans, good citizenship, community service and living healthy, drug-free lifestyles.”

Why wouldn’t you want to support this organization?

Thanks to the resolve and commitment of our commanding officer, Star Pickett, he has negotiated a temporary space at the Veterans Memorial Home in Vineland.

Thanks also to those at the veterans home as well for working with us, and you can count on us to continue volunteering there as well.

Perhaps if you are reading this and have these types of accommodations and could help, please contact us by going to YoungMarines.com and looking us up under the unit search.

Jon Gramp

Concerned Parent/Community member

Bridgeton