May 4, 2012
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A Canadian high school student was suspended for a week because wore a t-shirt promoting his Christian beliefs and he was told if he wears it again – he could be suspended for the remainder of the school year.
William Swinimer, a student at Forest Heights Community School in Nova Scotia, was punished for wearing a shirt that read, “Life is wasted without Jesus.” The shirt is a reference to a passage of Scripture from the New Testament.
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Swinimer told Fox News that he was told the shirt was a form of “hate talk.”
“I’ve been told by my principal that it is hate talk and is disrespectful to other people’s religions,” Swinimer said. “She said it (the shirt) cannot be in school because people would get offended.”
Nancy Pynch-Worthylake, the school board superintendent, told The Canadian Press that the wording on the shirt is “problematic.”
“If I have an expression that says, ‘My life is enhanced with Jesus,’ then there’s no issue with that, everybody is able to quickly understand that that’s my opinion about my own belief,” she told the newspaper. “If the shirt were to say, ‘Without Jesus, your life is a complete waste,’ then that’s clear that it is an opinion aimed at somebody else’s belief.”
Swinimer confirmed that he had been disciplined a number of times for wearing shirts with religious references.
“I’ve found that they have dissed Christianity quite a bit,” he said. “I do not want to be disrespectful of anybody else’s religions. I don’t want to put down anybody’s opinions. All I want to do is stand up for rights and freedoms of Canadians.”
The school does not have a dress code and Swinimer said students wear a variety of t-shirts. But he said for whatever reason, his Christian shirts seem to get him sent to the office.
“They treat other religions differently than they do Christianity,” he said. “The staff and principal and school board have been very hostile toward Christianity.”
But, he said, they promote other religions in the school.
“If they can pick on Christians in this school, what can they pick next?” he wondered. “Christianity in that school is not being treated the same way. I’m being discriminated against because of my religion.”
Swinimer attends Jesus the Good Shepherd Church, a Pentecostal congregation in Nova Scotia. Pastor Varrick Day told Fox News he is proud of his young parishioner.
“I’m very proud he’s standing up,” Day said. “I think he’s being bullied by the staff at the school and by the school board.”
Day called the suspension outrageous and said he hoped it would awaken other Christians across the nation.
“It’s not about the t-shirt,” he said. “This is what our forefathers fought and died for – this freedom of speech and religion.”
School officials told Swinimer that if he returned to school wearing the shirt, he would be suspended for the remainder of the school year.
“I plan to wear that t-shirt Monday, he said. “Not because I want to be disrespectful, not because I want to defy anybody, but because I believe this is the right thing to do.”
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Amen! Will be praying for him!
I live in Nova Scotia. The front page of the Chronicle Herald, the province's main newspaper (that pre-dates the New York Times), reports today that he will be allowed to wear the T-shirt on Monday. The shirt will be the subject of a "series of gatherings" with students to discuss how to deal with shirts when it's not clear whether the message "isn't clear" (as in, it may or may not be hate speech). Some students have been telling on this one to the paper, saying he "witnesses" in the classroom, but I didn't know that that was hate speech, even in Canada.
Sorry, meant when "the message isn't clear". That's the proper quote. I still find it mystifying.
Why are they more worried about christian t-shirts then the whores that get knocked up in high school and the biggest thing they have to look forward to is being a financial burden on the rest of us. I have a bigger problem with these trashy girls then a shirt.
Looks to me like he's proselytizing. That shouldn't happen at public schools.
looks to me to be another case of a teenager thinking the world gives a rats a$$ about their personal opinion.I would be interested to see if this same student wore that T-shirt to his first REAL job interview??????
When are Christians going to start getting offended?
if I wrote "life is wasted without bacon" no one would care… its only when people hear about Jesus that they start to complain.
there is an organization that fights for Christianity in the courts..http://aclj.org/
I did not realize I was making this public. Contact me if you would like. Praying for you all.
All you have to do is mention HIS name…….wow
They're selling jesus again. Hope they will stop, better sooner than later.
Marxist scum. Canada is worse than America; worse, in fact, that socialist England.
The shirt saying "Life is wasted without Jesus" is hate speech but the OWS burning Old Glory is freedom of speech.
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2012/01/obama-endorsed-ows-occupiers-burn-american-flag-attack-police-200-arrested.html
The flag represents the government so that's why it's free speech and not hate speech. I don't like people burning a US flag but I wear the uniform for them to have that right to protest the government. I didn't swear an oath to the flag – I swore one to the Constitution.
I'm not saying ban that shirt either – I just don't think it should be worn at school.
Kelly Calder – Old Glory is more than a symbol of our government, it represents all people of America. We, the people, are America! But that is not the issue. I dont think our opinion should prevent an individual from being able to choose which shirt he/she wears. It's a stretch to say that shirt represents a hateful message. If that is in fact a message of hate then one could easily label any religion that teaches it as the only true religion as hate groups.
Kevin Smith In your opinion that's what the flag represents. Others – not so much. I never said it was a "hateful" message. I personally think all religions are basically cults and some people within them use the beliefs to do hateful things but that's my view. No one says the kid can't wear it ever – just not at school.
Kelly Calder – And by not allowing the individual to wear the shirt at school means the school is censoring him from his fundamental right of expression.
Kevin Smith No it doesn't. It's a public school – that and religion usually don't mix. Now it is Canada so I don't know what they say about that but that wouldn't fly in the States. He can wear a T-shirt that says something like "Love thy neighbor" or something that doesn't broadcast to people "Hey without Jesus, your life means nothing."
Man, Fox News attracts its own special brand of stupid doesn't it. The majority of the people on this thread, mindless drones, are the reason why the rest of the thinking world thinks that Americans are moronic bigots. Unfortunately, for the general population, there are a not so small group of people here that it is true about. Ugh. It burns the eyes.
Man, Fox News attracts its own special brand of stupid doesn't it. The majority of the people on this thread, mindless drones, are the reason why the rest of the thinking world thinks that Americans are moronic bigots. Unfortunately, for the general population, there are a not so small group of people here that it is true about. Ugh. It burns the eyes.
you know you don't have to read the writing on the shirt or the writing on the walls. It is ok to protect someone elses' rights, but what about this students' right of freedom of speech and writings. Isn't that freedom of the press. What about his right of expressing his religion.
This is so wrong. No wonder our children r growing up not respecting anyone or anything. This is his right to wear as a human. He loves his God. Just because others don't they can close their eyes. Also we give these other people that come into our country an go to our school's special times of the day to pray! So to me that such not be allowed!
I do have to read it if the person is talking to me. Am I supposed to avoid eye contact? Really? Same can be said for Christians who want to ban everything THEY deem "offensive."
"Hate speech" is Fourteenth Amendment hogwash. http://untrain.wordpress.com/communities-inconspicuous/sovereign-citizens/
You know that if enough parents and students get fed up with this type of educational harassment, pull their kids out and homeschool them, the schools would be forced to take notice and relent or they would be out of a significant number of students, and as a result, money to operate.
"Educational harassment?"
Laurie, I agree but look at how the world treats Jesus after he died for them all. Christians are with him always. If they attack him they will attack us all because we follow him. Take Joy in it all. They can not see it Laurie.
I don't know that he died for me. I'm not going to believe a book written by mankind.
I side with the student on this one.
Love the shirt
:)
It's only because the statement is true that anyone objects to it. Life is really wasted without your Savior and your Lord. So if someone came up wearing a t-shirt that said… "Life is wasted without Mickey Mouse" (or insert other fictional character here, including religious ones), that's just funny. I'd laugh if someone told me that life is wasted without Allah since it's the other way about. The only reason anyone objects to a statement about life being wasted without Christ is because they hate to see the truth. Otherwise, it would just be a silly statement not to be taken seriously.
No one sees that as a true statement except those who blindly follow. I would look at someone crazy if they had a shirt that said "Life is wasted without Mickey Mouse" because the Christian – or any other religious god – is about as real as Mickey. Actually Mickey is more real probably.
Private schools and home schooling is the best answer. All Christians should pull there children out of public schools and send them to private schools.
Truth be told, the school officials hate the exclusivity of Jesus Christ…
From a Christian's point of view, this life is a test for the NEXT life, so life literally is "wasted" if you don't go the Christian path, IE, to them this is a "public service message" rather than an attempt of offend.
From inside Christian culture, this is a message of kindness and hope, an attempt to "wake people up" to a better life.
The idea that this T-shirt could be taken negatively literally does not cross their minds because the premise is entrenched in the culture.
However, if this shirt said "Life is wasted if you are a Christian", would be just as offensive to those that don't happen to believe so.
The problem is that if you are going to stop people from wearing one, you have to stop people from wearing the shirt espousing the opposite view.
This shows that people's religious freedom is being taken away. Chrstiananity is being discrimminated against. Can we say that another religion offends us? No, they won't listen to a Christian. I see no harm in wearing a Christian t-shirt and I am proud of the boy for taking his stand!
If this was in the United States I would say for the student to be suspended because of this t-shirt, I would classify if as a "hate crime" against Christians!!
This shows that people's religious freedom is being taken away. Chrstiananity is being discrimminated against. Can we say that another religion offends us? No, they won't listen to a Christian. I see no harm in wearing a Christian t-shirt and I am proud of the boy for taking his stand!
I am NOT religious, I am a Christian. People can be religious and not be a Christian. I am a follower of Jesus Christ, my Savior!
I am NOT religious, I am a Christian. People can be religious and not be a Christian. I am a follower of Jesus Christ, my Savior!
What it all comes down to is, we all need to wear a universal (noncontroversial) uniform, everyone dress alike, no bumper stickers on cars, no signs in store windows, no conversations because someone somewhere is going to be offended. Rebuild so everyone lives in the same type house, everyone drive the same car, etc, so no one is offended by someone else having a better life style than another, etc. Oh, hey, that's socialism, and I think that's exactly where Obama wants to take us.
What it all comes down to is, we all need to wear a universal (noncontroversial) uniform, everyone dress alike, no bumper stickers on cars, no signs in store windows, no conversations because someone somewhere is going to be offended. Rebuild so everyone lives in the same type house, everyone drive the same car, etc, so no one is offended by someone else having a better life style than another, etc. Oh, hey, that's socialism, and I think that's exactly where Obama wants to take us.