• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Student Expelled for Casting a Spell

Ouroboros

Ouroboros

Coincidentia oppositorum
Student Expelled for Casting a Spell - ABC News
The lawsuit, filed on Thursday, alleges that Blackbear was summoned to the office of assistant principal Charlie Bushyhead last December after a teacher fell ill, and was questioned about her interest in Wicca.

According to the lawsuit, Brandi Blackbear had read a library book about Wicca beliefs and, under aggressive interrogation by Bushyhead, said she might be a Wiccan. In fact, Blackbear is a Roman Catholic, according to the newspaper Tulsa World.

“The interview culminated with Defendant Bushyhead accusing Plaintiff, Brandi Blackbear, of casting spells causing (a teacher at the school) ... to be sick and to be hospitalized,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit stated that because of the “unknown cause” of the teacher’s illness, Bushyhead advised the 15-year-old girl “that she was an immediate threat to the school and summarily suspended her for what he arbitrarily determined to be a disruption of the education process.”
Click to expand...
Is this a true story? We have persecution of witches still in this country? Are we going back to medieval times?
 
Revoltingest

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
It's easy enuf to test for the cause of the teacher's malady.
Put the student in a ducking stool, & see if she drowns.
 
dyanaprajna2011

dyanaprajna2011

Dharmapala
If true, it's atrocious. And it's not just Wiccans; most religions are persecuted to some degree in the US, except for Christianity.
 
Quintessence

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
As much as I know you guys are just loving to make fun of this, let's pause for a second. Regardless of whether or not you acknowledge spellcraft as a reality, there are instances where malevolent spellcraft truly should be reprimanded. I thought that this might be one of those cases, but the details of the story are honestly too sketchy for me to make a clear assessment. If there's substantive evidence that someone is targeting another person with the intent to do harm or slander, they should be held responsible for that. Some malevolent spellcraft involves actions that even mundanes would recognize as problematic. For example, someone working a curse on you may send the invocation directly to your mailbox. A harassing or threatening letter should be treated seriously regardless of whether or not you acknowledge the magical components of the behavior. If, say, this child had a poppet in her bedroom labeled with the teacher's name, stuffed with a lock of the teacher's hair, and had stabbed it repeatedly, it might be a good idea to pay attention to that instead of dismiss it as so much nonsense.

But I have mixed feelings about this given my culture's general hostility and ignorance towards spellcraft. I don't trust the powers that be to handle it properly, so I would just as soon they naively dismiss it as so much nonsense and ignore it. I am especially concerned about accusations being used as a cover for unlawful discrimination. It's a more complicated issue for those of us who take spellcraft seriously: what do you do if the child you're raising in the Craft practices malevolent spellcraft you don't approve of? How to you handle outsiders punishing your child for supposedly doing malevolent spellcraft?
 
Quintessence

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
I'd wondered why this hadn't come up my radar yet. Stories like this usually get picked up by the contemporary Pagan news outlets I monitor.
 
Thana

Thana

Lady
Last edited:
Guitar's Cry

Guitar's Cry

Disciple of Pan
Quintessence said:
As much as I know you guys are just loving to make fun of this, let's pause for a second. Regardless of whether or not you acknowledge spellcraft as a reality, there are instances where malevolent spellcraft truly should be reprimanded. I thought that this might be one of those cases, but the details of the story are honestly too sketchy for me to make a clear assessment. If there's substantive evidence that someone is targeting another person with the intent to do harm or slander, they should be held responsible for that. Some malevolent spellcraft involves actions that even mundanes would recognize as problematic. For example, someone working a curse on you may send the invocation directly to your mailbox. A harassing or threatening letter should be treated seriously regardless of whether or not you acknowledge the magical components of the behavior. If, say, this child had a poppet in her bedroom labeled with the teacher's name, stuffed with a lock of the teacher's hair, and had stabbed it repeatedly, it might be a good idea to pay attention to that instead of dismiss it as so much nonsense.

But I have mixed feelings about this given my culture's general hostility and ignorance towards spellcraft. I don't trust the powers that be to handle it properly, so I would just as soon they naively dismiss it as so much nonsense and ignore it. I am especially concerned about accusations being used as a cover for unlawful discrimination. It's a more complicated issue for those of us who take spellcraft seriously: what do you do if the child you're raising in the Craft practices malevolent spellcraft you don't approve of? How to you handle outsiders punishing your child for supposedly doing malevolent spellcraft?
Click to expand...

I agree with you. Harassment is harassment. In this case, it seems unlikely that the girl was actually doing anything that would constitute harassment.
 
BSM1

BSM1

What? Me worry?
Another good argument for the separation of church and state. Especially if your church can turn teachers into toads. Just sayin'....
 
Sunstone

Sunstone

De Diablo Del Fora
Premium Member
There's no scientific evidence that casting a spell works any better than praying -- which is to say, there's no hard evidence either work at all. If you're going to expel a student for casting a malevolent or malicious spell, you should expel other students for any malevolent or malicious prayers they engage in. Of course, that would probably in practice require you to expel entire student bodies following games with a school's most bitter sports rival.

On the other hand, it could be argued, I think, that schools have a moral obligation to society to teach students to think realistically about themselves and the world. That obligation, if it exists, might seem to be at conflict with treating spells and prayers as if they were effective.

Maybe the best course, then, would be to send the kids to the school psychologist or counselor? I mean, I would think you'd want to know why the kid harbored such animosity. There might even be some basis for that animosity -- perhaps the teacher is harassing the kid. And I'd think you'd want to do something to root out any possible problems the kid has connecting with reality, too.
 
Last edited:
Guitar's Cry

Guitar's Cry

Disciple of Pan
Sunstone said:
There's no scientific evidence that casting a spell works any better than praying -- which is to say, there's no hard evidence either work at all. If you're going to expel a student for casting a malevolent or malicious spell, you should expel other students for any malevolent or malicious prayers they engage in.

On the other hand, it could be argued, I think, that schools have a moral obligation to society to teach students to think realistically about themselves and the world. That obligation, if it exists, might seem to be at conflict with taking spells and prayers as if they were effective. Maybe the best course, then, would be to send the kids to the school psychologist so that he or she can sort out why they want their teacher dead, and why they believe in ineffectual ways of achieving it?
Click to expand...

That is, of course, assuming that spiritual methods such as praying and spellcasting are intended for only those specific ends. Many who practice these things typically do so with the understanding that they are creative expressions for spiritual introspection or as a way of focusing or expelling emotional energy. Casting a spell to make your teacher feel as if his stomach were turned into a salad shooter is certainly not introspective and is mean spirited. But if she were to do so knowing that overall the spell is ineffective but helpful in redirecting her anger (and not adding ex lax to his coffee), would that be any different than taping his picture on a dartboard and playing cricket?

Of course, it behooves the school to teach students effective problem-solving and stress management techniques. But from what I can gather from the article, this seems more of a violation of a student's religious freedom rights, as they gathered she must have cast a spell since the teacher got mysteriously ill and the student had been seen reading a book on Wicca.
 
Last edited:
dyanaprajna2011

dyanaprajna2011

Dharmapala
Thana said:
Except for Christianity?

You're joking right?
Click to expand...

The last time I checked, around 76 % of the US was professing Christian. Every president has been a Christian, and it's taboo to even consider that the president could profess another belief. In states like Oklahoma and Kansas, teachers cannot teach evolution, but have to teach Christian creationism in science classes. State courthouses can entertain the idea that the Ten Commandments can be posted. Can you imagine if a Buddhist wanted to have a plaque of the Five Precepts posted? Christians would have that shut down immediately. Same goes if a Muslim wanted the Four Pillars posted.

Schools are always teaching things in line with Christian ideas, particularly when it comes to history. A school out in California wanted students to know about different cultures, and had the kids participate in some sort of Islamic cultural thing. Christians put a stop to that quick. Yet it's taboo if anyone even entertains the idea that schools shouldn't have Christmas parties. Hell, schools can't even have Halloween parties anymore due to the outcry from Christians. My son's school has to have a "fall party".

Christians don't like other religions being here in the US. And they're quick to voice such an opinion, and every time someone or a group from another religion even attempts to have some public display or some such, Christians put it down quick. Yet, nearly every town has a public Nativity display at Christmas. Towns have Easter programs. When was the last time you seen a public Vesak display?

I lived most of my life in the South, and now live in the Midwest. I don't normally voice my opinions when they go against what the Christians around me believe, because I've felt the backlash before. My liberal, Buddhist ideas are not well received, and they're fully allowed to let me know that, and I can't say anything about it. Well, I could, but I know what would happen if I did. I have before, and it wasn't good.

I find it hilarious that Christians think they're persecuted here, when, 9 times out of 10, they get their way in persecuting other religions. So no, I'm not joking.
 
Saint Frankenstein

Saint Frankenstein

Here for the ride
Premium Member
dyanaprajna2011 said:
The last time I checked, around 76 % of the US was professing Christian. Every president has been a Christian, and it's taboo to even consider that the president could profess another belief. In states like Oklahoma and Kansas, teachers cannot teach evolution, but have to teach Christian creationism in science classes. State courthouses can entertain the idea that the Ten Commandments can be posted. Can you imagine if a Buddhist wanted to have a plaque of the Five Precepts posted? Christians would have that shut down immediately. Same goes if a Muslim wanted the Four Pillars posted.

Schools are always teaching things in line with Christian ideas, particularly when it comes to history. A school out in California wanted students to know about different cultures, and had the kids participate in some sort of Islamic cultural thing. Christians put a stop to that quick. Yet it's taboo if anyone even entertains the idea that schools shouldn't have Christmas parties. Hell, schools can't even have Halloween parties anymore due to the outcry from Christians. My son's school has to have a "fall party".

Christians don't like other religions being here in the US. And they're quick to voice such an opinion, and every time someone or a group from another religion even attempts to have some public display or some such, Christians put it down quick. Yet, nearly every town has a public Nativity display at Christmas. Towns have Easter programs. When was the last time you seen a public Vesak display?

I lived most of my life in the South, and now live in the Midwest. I don't normally voice my opinions when they go against what the Christians around me believe, because I've felt the backlash before. My liberal, Buddhist ideas are not well received, and they're fully allowed to let me know that, and I can't say anything about it. Well, I could, but I know what would happen if I did. I have before, and it wasn't good.

I find it hilarious that Christians think they're persecuted here, when, 9 times out of 10, they get their way in persecuting other religions. So no, I'm not joking.
Click to expand...

I've never seen most of the stuff you've mentioned in where I've lived (I can't remember the last time we had Christmas breaks and Easter breaks and I've never seen a Nativity scene on public property, for example). I think you should keep in mind that your experiences where you live don't speak for everyone and not all Christians in America behave in the way you're describing.
 
Sunstone

Sunstone

De Diablo Del Fora
Premium Member
Guitar's Cry said:
That is, of course, assuming that spiritual methods such as praying and spellcasting are intended for only those specific ends. Many who practice these things typically do so with the understanding that they are creative expressions for spiritual introspection or as a way of focusing or expelling emotional energy. Casting a spell to make your teacher feel as if his stomach were turned into a salad shooter is certainly not introspective and is mean spirited. But if she were to do so knowing that overall the spell is ineffective but helpful in redirecting her anger (and not adding ex lax to his coffee), would that be any different than taping his picture on a dartboard and playing cricket?

Of course, it behooves the school to teach students effective problem-solving and stress management techniques. But from what I can gather from the article, this seems more of a violation of a student's religious freedom rights, as they gathered she must have cast a spell since the teacher got mysteriously ill and the student had been seen reading a book on Wicca.
Click to expand...

Well, great points, Mike, but I'd still send a kid who was confused about the effectiveness of prayers or spells to bring about, say, the demise of a teacher to a counselor of some sort. That could indicate a lot of problems, including mental and emotional disorders. I think it would be wise to check up on the student's health. The other reason I'd send them to a counselor is because the kid might -- just might -- have a legitimate reason for hating that teacher.

But, yeah, you're spot on about the psychological value that many people derive from prayers and spell castings. At least, in so far as I know.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top