Gideons Christians

[Don Penguinoini]

Really now? What school do you go to? Our teachers had a hard enough time when we were in 7th grade to get us to read our classwork, let alone something that's as dry a read as a Bible.

And your teacher instructed you to not only accept it, but go home and read it? Your story seems to have changed a bit from the beginning, when it was just that kids felt pressured to take it.

Well, i live in a rough part of london, ish. I said a big word hich makes a difference, IF. IF they tell you to do it, you do it. IN school, the eatcher is in charge. You dont disagree.

 

[Booko]

Im saying that gideons should be allowed to give out bibles in SCHOOL. You cant exactly say no either, my christian R.E teacher standing right next to me, no-one will say no.

It takes a while, but I do eventually get it. Yeah, I don't think any religious group should be going into a school propagating their religion with assistance from authority figures.

Gideons are putting bibles in bins by giving them to kids.

Well, that's their karma then, eh? What a waste of perfectly good resources, but they chose a route that leads there.

 

[Booko]

Material in real doesent need to be there. A child knows of all the religions once there about 13ish. If your lucky. I dont think Gideons intend to put material on the table, they inted to put the ONLY material on the table, to convert.

Maybe 13 year olds know all the religions where you are, penguino, but surely you've noticed many new users here who show that even adults often have little idea what's out there.

 

[Don Penguinoini]

I hate to see any religious text in a bin. Its gods beautiful words put in rubbish. They should be revered.

 

[Jaymes]

Well, i live in a rough part of london, ish. I said a big word hich makes a difference, IF. IF they tell you to do it, you do it. IN school, the eatcher is in charge. You dont disagree.

You still didn't answer me on whether or not your teacher told you to go home and read it.

 

[Don Penguinoini]

Maybe 13 year olds know all the religions where you are, penguino, but surely you've noticed many new users here who show that even adults often have little idea what's out there.

Well to be honest. No-one in my school i think understands religion.

 

[Don Penguinoini]

You still didn't answer me on whether or not your teacher told you to go home and read it.

Well she didnt exzactly tell us, but she was definetly hinting on it.

 

[Jaymes]

Okay, so not only was it not a direct order, but you seriously think these kids are going to run home and read their bible? Are kids in England just that different from the ones here? I can't get my sister to read for pleasure for the life of me.

Have you ever sat and tried to read the Bible? Try reading the first 10 pages or so. Tell me how far you get. I could never get very far even as a devoted Christian.

 

[Booko]

Well she didnt exzactly tell us, but she was definetly hinting on it.

I would advise you to read it sometime in case you get serious about English literature and European history.

You can't really understand them well without a knowledge of the Bible.

That's why one of the parts of our 16-year old's curriculum is studying the Bible.

Our family isn't Christian, but we feel it's important information for her to have to understand history and the arts.

Our son started college, and one of his core humanities classes is reading St. Augustine's "Confessions." The intent is not to get people to convert, of course, but it's a worthy book for uni students to read.

 

[Rolling_Stone]

Im sorry for no being tolerant, im human, not hindu, i have human characteristics, not hindu ones, nothing changes what your born with. Im an individual. Im not a cluster of people.

Just remember, my friend, that in Hinduism we all share the same "I."

How is it paranoid when they state on their own website that it's their aim to convert people?

If I wanted proof of paranoia, I could thing of nothing better than this poat.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Our son started college, and one of his core humanities classes is reading St. Augustine's "Confessions." The intent is not to get people to convert, of course, but it's a worthy book for uni students to read.

Most editions of "Confessions of a Sinner" don't have specific instructions inside the back cover that describe how to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, as Gideon Bibles do (my copy, at least).

 

[Don Penguinoini]

Okay, so not only was it not a direct order, but you seriously think these kids are going to run home and read their bible? Are kids in England just that different from the ones here? I can't get my sister to read for pleasure for the life of me.

Have you ever sat and tried to read the Bible? Try reading the first 10 pages or so. Tell me how far you get. I could never get very far even as a devoted Christian.

You would be surprised. I would write more but i must go now, see ya y'all

 

[Jaymes]

If I wanted proof of paranoia, I could thing of nothing better than this poat.

... what?

No, seriously. What?

What is paranoid about looking on the Gideon website and seeing that their mission is to convert people?

Do you not believe me? Take a look here. In fact, I'll paste it for you.

"The Gideons International serves as an extended missionary arm of the church: Our sole purpose is to win men, women, boys and girls to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ through association for service, personal testimony, and distributing the Bible in the human traffic lanes and streams of everyday life." Emphasis mine.

What is paranoid about acknowledging they're out to convert people?

 

[Jaymes]

You would be surprised.

I think the word you're looking for is "gullible" if you expect me to believe a 12 year old will read a Bible front to back and become a Christian just because a Bible was given to them.

 

[Nanda]

Well, if it isn't intolerance, it's paranoia.

Listen to me: I know this all took place in the UK, but where I live, we have a separation of church and state, which means that a religious group like the Gideons should not be going into public schools and handing out their holy books to the children there, no matter how well-intentioned they are. There's a time and a place for addressing religious issues, and it isn't in a public school assembly. So if the Gideons DID go to a public school near me, say, my son's public school, and started handing out bibles, yes, I'd be annoyed. I wouldn't throw a fit, or sue the school, or have an "atheist meltdown," I'd be annoyed. It's not intolerance, and it's not paranoia, it's a simple desire for the public schools, that my tax dollars pay for, to adhere to separation of church and state. That's it.

 

[ChristineES]

I got a book from some Hindus at an airport once and I even read the entire thing. As you can plainly see, I am still a Christian.
I think children are more intelligent than some of you are giving them credit for. I was raised in an agnostic household. I went to Sunday school on a few occasions with friends when I was 8 or so. I did not become a Christian then. I did not become one until I was 17 (I was nearly 18).
I can't help but wonder if some of you are worried that your children will become Christians. Believe me, even if they read the books, they still probably not go against what their parents' beliefs, believe me. Kids under the age of 12 don't usually do. (After that, I can't say)

 

[Nanda]

I can't help but wonder if some of you are worried that your children will become Christians.

I honestly don't care. If it makes him happy, so be it. But school is not the appropriate place.

 

[storm2020]

At the very least why should all the christian children at the school get a freebie new religious text and the other kids have no use for theirs but the bin.

I bet if a public school in england handed out the koran to all the students thered be uproar from parents complaining that they're trying to force their religion on the students.

 

[MaddLlama]

I got a book from some Hindus at an airport once and I even read the entire thing. As you can plainly see, I am still a Christian.
I think children are more intelligent than some of you are giving them credit for. I was raised in an agnostic household. I went to Sunday school on a few occasions with friends when I was 8 or so. I did not become a Christian then. I did not become one until I was 17 (I was nearly 18).
I can't help but wonder if some of you are worried that your children will become Christians. Believe me, even if they read the books, they still probably not go against what their parents' beliefs, believe me. Kids under the age of 12 don't usually do. (After that, I can't say)

When my kids are ready to make that choice, it's theirs to make. However, I don't think any religious group ought to be taking advantage of a captive audience of impressionable children. I feel the same way about political literature, but notice you don't see political parties trying to convert children. Why do they have to target children anyway? Because they're easy to influence? It's despicable, reminds me of the guy who sits in the old van and offers candy to children...
And, I bet the Gideons people would cry bloody freaking murder if their children were given Islamic, Pagan, or Satanic literature.

 

[Aqualung]

Well we arent FORCED, but you should take them, otherwise you get hell from your teacher. Im not saying also that these kids are being converted, but just in general, its wrong. They need to do that in a community centre.

Simply holding a book in your hand is not going to convert you. All they are doing is providing the opportunity for people to be able to choose. After all, it would stupid for me to say, "Do you want this hotdog, or this steak, and by the way, I don't have a steak." They're just providing a choice. But the students have to choose. If a student will actually read it and convert, what have you got against the person who simply provided them with the choice to do what makes them happy?