Minnesota Family Council talks bullying on Anderson Cooper 360

Roselind Wiseman – the female in the interview, stated that we cannot address bullying in a neutral way and we must teach students that homosexuality is good – clearly a religious position.

This is to say that the homosexual lobby wants to teach their religious position about sexual identity to all students in school, which is clearly unconstitutional and in violation of church and state as case law has already been created that removed all religious teaching from public schools. The augment that the schools can’t be neutral with regard to religious teaching is intolerant of religious freedom and pure indoctrination of students’ religious beliefs. They want public schools to teach anti-Christian values.

The real demons are not the Christians, but the lack of Christian teaching. Christian children and taught NOT to bully other students but to love your neighbor. If students were taught Christian values, bullying would be decreasing. The increase in bullying is because of the drop in church attendance and the removal of biblical teaching in the schools, which leads to the real solution. Schools should return to Christian teachings.

The same anti-Christian ideas that led to the removal of Christian teachings in school, by the argument of separation of church and state, are now arguing that schools should teach anti-Christian religion (which is the religion of Humanism).

Laws that discriminate against students that believe in God, sin and the need for a savior directly discriminate against Christian students, parents, churches and the entire community.

The dead of every student is a tragedy, but the homosexual lobby is trying to institutionalize the discrimination of Christianity by teaching anti-Christian values in public schools. The result will not be less bullying but more bullying, because it does not teach students the reason that they should not bully each other.

Without teaching students that they were created in God’s image, with such great love for them that He sent his Son to die in their place so that they could live in freedom from the sin nature that we are all born into, there is no motivation for anyone to love your neighbor.

The greatest news and the only hope has come into the world and has been made known, yet we have turned away from it because we love darkness. (John 3:19)

How is the bullying going to stop … indeed, why SHOULD the bullying stop … if the assumption is made that Gay people simply have to accept second-class status? There’s a lot of crocodile tears being shed by social conservatives over the suicides of our Gay youth, but they will still toe the official party line which essentially goes like this:

Gay people don’t deserve protection from job discrimination.
Gay people shouldn’t be allowed to teach in public schools.
Gay people shouldn’t be allowed to serve in the military.
Gay people shouldn’t be protected from hate crimes.
Gay individuals and couples shouldn’t be allowed to adopt children.
Gay couples should have no legal recognition in terms of marriage or even civil unions.
And Gay people really ought to give up any thought of seeking love and companionship and commitment and happiness.

So is it really any wonder that even today, in this supposedly enlightened society of ours, that Gay youth continue to take their own lives?

Tim-”clearly a religious position. ”

I don’t think that word means what you think it does.

Is Tim talking about the missionary position again? Those sex-obsessed heterosexuals are incorrigible.

Tim says that it is the LACK of Christian teaching that causes bullying. Apparently all the bullies are atheists, and all the good Christian kids are accepting, well not accepting, or tolerating, no they’re not tolerating, ignoring, no they’re not ignoring, well the good Christian kids are just trying to SAVE these kids who are confused/recruited/not Christians, whatever. Some people just mistake really caring for bullying, I guess. It is SO important that Christian kids know that their classmates who act upon same-sex feelings are abominations to God that will burn in hell for all eternity. Otherwise all the Christian kids will go gay.

We can clearly see the impact of Christian teaching on the Phelps ministry from Kansas. The love of Christ, born of Christian teaching, making disruptive protests at heterosexual military funerals in the name of Christ. We can all see what that good old Christian teaching produces. American Taliban.

Uh, Tim, we live in a country that was founded by christians to be a secular government. Read Thomas Jeffersons writings sometime. He wrote of tolerance to all.

“Almighty God hath created the mind free…All attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens…are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion…No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship or ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion. I know but one code of morality for men whether acting singly or collectively.”

You have the right to say what you will but you do not have the right to oppress other peoples lives. If you don’t like this, then you need to move to Iran.

“Christian children and taught NOT to bully other students but to love your neighbor. If students were taught Christian values, bullying would be decreasing. The increase in bullying is because of the drop in church attendance and the removal of biblical teaching in the schools, which leads to the real solution. Schools should return to Christian teachings.”
It’s a nice dillusion but unfortunately, no matter what religion is the majority, a person bullies. Tim, I’m sorry to burst your christian thinking bubble but growing up I was christian and I got bullied and alot of those bullies were christians too. Alot of children who get bullied are good people too no matter their belief system. The separation of church and state isn’t the blame for the bullying it’s the bullies peers. It’s also the parents of these bullies who think their little angels would never harm anyone. The bullying isn’t just towards people who are gay/lesbian. etc it’s towards anyone the bully deems as a target. EVERY religion out there has the same basic life motto.. do unto others as you want them to do unto you. An eye for eye makes us all blind.
So tearing down other people because they don’t believe in your version of a deity makes you a bully too. The bigotry has to stop.

I was a bullied Child. I grew up in a Christian home, when to a Christian School for all of my education, and I am straight.

It was done by Christian children and Christian Adults that taught those Christian Children how to Bully.

We went to church every Sunday, and Wednesday, and all holy days. The bible was read at home and in school every single day of my growing up years.

I tried to kill myself because of the bullied years of my life.

So Tim what is your answer there?

The Christianity of people like Tim is a false Christianity. They are told how to think, what to think, and are spoon fed cult-like dogma at the expense of others. Marginalization of any group of people is NOT taught by the Jesus I know. Our church accepts ALL people at the table… no questions asked. Love wins!

@Tim:

Your posts are so larded up with rhetoric and catch-phrases, I wonder if you really took the time to think through what you are saying. Gay orgs say that in order to combat anti-gay bullying, you can’t avoid the topic and generically implore kids to treat everyone kindly. That approach doesn’t work. It is the equivalent of saying, “Always do the right thing.” Nice sentiment, but ineffective when there are specific intense conflicts that give rise to bullying.

Gays and a few other specific groups are the subject of a disproportionate share of the bullying, and the bullying that is directed to those groups is qualitatively different from the run-of-the-mill interpersonal conflicts in a school. Avoiding the topic will render any effort ineffective.

But that doesn’t mean that teachers will have to endorse “homosexuality”. What they will need to do is to make clear that gay students are not weird outcasts that are appropriate targets for abuse, that they are friends and classmates, and that bullying against them will be taken seriously, no matter how many kids participate. That’s it. Basically, they would have to affirm that gays are good enough not to beat up.

This really should be a non-issue for “Christians”, but for you and people like you, the top priority is ALWAYS to oppose the “gay lobby” (which I take it means gay Americans who express their opinion). If gays said that 2 plus 2 make 4, you would find a way to disagree, or you would accuse the gays of exploiting mathematics for their own nefarious ends. You talk about gay people as if they are comic book villains, and you carry on a cartoon-like crusade that is becoming increasingly shrill as it also loses popularity. Try reconnecting with a sense of decency and humanity and find some middle ground so that we can protect young people w/o trampling on your sacred cows.

People like Tim are immune to facts, reason, and logic.

They don’t truly understand things like that; you have to unlearn certain things to be a True Believer.

Tim read a book that told him what he wanted to hear, and that’s all the evidence he needs.

That said, I would still not be surprised to find out that Tim was a parody, an act.

@David – According to Tim and those like him, acknowledging that gay people exist; that their lives and loves and persons are equal in value to his, is a “religious” conflict and that since his position is wholly religious in nature, then the reverse position must be as well. Extending from this erroneous position, his position then continues its error in postulating that mere protection from bullying and harassment equals religious persecution.

Tim’s religious cohort are calling for the systematic social ostracization and execution of GLBT people. It is THEIR position, not the LGBT position, which is incompatible with a civilized society.

The head of the MFC has as much right to be talking about bullying on CNN as the head of the KKK does to be talking about racism.

Poor Tim, CLEARLY has absolutely no idea what ‘religion’ is.

Tim’s conception from his sect of the Christian religion teaches interpretations of dogmatic ancient doctrine of intolerance, prejudice, and bigotry toward those who are ‘outside’ their strict religious standards which they believe without evidence to be handed down by the deity they worship (yes I’ve read the book cover-to-cover, so don’t try to cherry pick the lovey dovey parts and pretend the book doesn’t in parts advocate what I’ve just stated. Let’s talk Realities – some sex practices – by both straights and gays have a higher risk in transmitting disease if one partner is infected – AND the Bible contains many passages advocating intolerance, prejudice, bigotry, and violence).

When we teach and encourage scientifically and sociologically founded and well established understanding of diversity, compassion, consideration, empathy, and respect for others’ differences, including teaching what SCIENCE has shown us about sexual-orientation (being a normal and natural derivation, that is inherent, unchosen, and unchangeable aspect of one’s being), then THAT is NOT ‘religion’, as Tim would like to suggest.

Simply because that contradicts Tim’s religious dogma and doctrine does not make that contradictory position ‘religious’. Some religions would like to continue believing that the earth is flat and that the sun revolves around the earth. Teaching the scientific reality which contradicts those religious beliefs is not religion. And neither is teaching about the scientific and sociological realities surrounding sexual-orientation.

Homosexuality is not a disease. You can’t catch it, nor can anyone entice you to be a homosexual. Counseling children to accept and not bully GLBT will not make them into little homosexuals. What it will do is possibly save the life of a bullied GLBT child.

This discussion reminds me of the system of bullying. There usually is one bully, one victim and LOTS of silenced bystanders watching the cruelty take place. Now is the time for all of us bystanders to stand up and be heard. Speak out (with love and respect) and let your voice be heard above the bully who’s shouting ugliness. Don’t be silent.

The child may be bullied because he is LGBT or may be perceived to be LGBT or has the “wrong” gender expression or because s/he lives in a household where parents are LGBT.

The school anti-bullying bill that Pawlenty vetoed last year would have expanded anti-bullying training to include 14 new student characteristics including sexual orientation and gender identity.

I asked my state legislators to review the language of this bill which will be re-submitted again next year to ensure that no school district will be able to not enforce any provision of this bill due to loopholes such as Anoka-Hennepin’s “neutrality policy” as well as ensuring that the bill addresses situations as well as characteristics – i.e. a straight child living with LGBT parent(s) or school staff/faculty member being LGBT.

A number of years ago, a program on PBS in California, called POV(Point of View), interviewed a significant number of inmates at the Atascadero prison, one of two such penal institutions in California. Included were prisoners who had seriously injured and often killed, homosexual victims. And without exception, they cited Christian religious beliefs as a motivating factor. The twisted perspectives of the religious & political right wing are costing lives.

I love the irony of the christian bashing while taking the position of tolerance… true colors are hard to hide… lol