Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
i have ya marked now.
Rumson-Fair Haven Bank & Trust Co. (NJ) Common Stock Pi
Parents Fuming as Texas Schools Let Gideons Provide Bibles to Students
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
* Print
* ShareThis
The Gideon Bible
Some parents in Frisco, Texas, are fuming because their public school district allowed Christian evangelists to provide Bibles to students on school grounds, which administrators say was done to stop even more proselytizing outside the schools.
Frisco Independent Schools allowed Gideons International to display Bibles on tabletops in all 13 of the district's middle and high schools last week. Officials say it didn't violate the law, but some parents say school is not the place to be offering the Good Book.
"I was never notified by the schools that they were going to allow this. I was a little shocked," said Debbie Lutz, a mother with three children who attend schools in Frisco, about 20 miles north of Dallas.
Michael Baier, who has a son at Frisco's Lakeland High School, said that religious groups should not be allowed to offer their teachings on campus.
"If they're God-fearing Christians ... they should be giving those items wherever they worship. School is a place to learn, not a place to worship," Baier told FOXNews.com.
Lutz said she wants the freedom to raise her children as she sees fit — and without the interference of religious groups. She told FOXNews.com she worried that allowing one group to offer Bibles in the school would open the floodgates to any groups who want to reach students on school grounds.
"It does open the door for other people to have the right to hand out other stuff. And I think that's not a good door to open."
School administrators say that door was opened because the Gideons used to stand on public sidewalks near the schools and distribute Bibles to students as they went home.
That raised some alarms for parents, some of whom even contacted the police about their children's safety. And it stymied the school system, which says it has "no control over what takes place on the public sidewalks."
The Gideons are now taking advantage of a school policy that allows them to leave Bibles on a tabletop in the schools' front offices, though they're barred from interacting with students or remaining there during school hours.
A spokeswoman for the school district said that a number of materials are made available to students this way, including newspapers, camp brochures and tutoring pamphlets. College and military recruitment information is available all year long. The Gideon Bibles were made available for just one day.
"We have to handle this request in the same manner as other requests to distribute non-school literature — in a viewpoint neutral manner," Shana Wortham, director of communications for the district, wrote in an e-mail to FOXNews.com.
Wortham said that the schools did not solicit or invite the Gideons in, and when one of the evangelists tried to speak to students, administrators quickly stepped in to address the violation.
Gideons International had no comment on their in-school offerings when contacted by phone Tuesday.
Adult representatives for the Gideons have been barred by federal circuit courts from offering Bibles inside classrooms, but they continue to offer to provide them at many schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and elsewhere. The group, founded in 1907, has distributed about 1.5 billion Bibles in the last century, mostly in hotel rooms.
Some parents weren't troubled by the presence of the Gideons or their Bibles.
Holly McCall, president of the parent-teacher association at Roach Middle School in Frisco, said she was at the school when the Gideons dropped the books off, and they didn't disturb anyone.
"I didn't feel like [the Bible] was being pushed upon" students at the school, she told FOXNews.com. She said she didn't expect to be notified every time books or pamphlets are on offer in the office at Roach Middle. That would be like an advertisement for the Bible, she said.
School officials told FOXNews.com they would continue to review their policies, but they stressed that they had followed the letter of the law.
But for some parents looking for a neutral education in the public school system, that wasn't enough.
Lutz, whose children go to schools in the district, said she wants the freedom to raise her children as she sees fit — and without the interference of other religious groups.
"I am not atheist — I believe in God," she told FOXNews.com. "But I just don't want any religion forced on my child at school. That's why my child goes to a public school."
You Pay, Computer Prays For You
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,510788,00.html
Thursday, March 26, 2009
By Bill Christensen
* Print
* ShareThis
Information Age Prayer is a site that charges you a monthly fee to say prayers for you. A typical charge is $4.95 per month to say three prayers specified by you each day.
"We use state of the art text to speech synthesizers to voice each prayer at a volume and speed equivalent to typical person praying," the company states. "Each prayer is voiced individually, with the name of the subscriber displayed on screen."
Prices, however, are dictated by the length of the prayer. As noted in the Information Age Prayer FAQ, "A discounted prayer will cost less than other prayers of similar length."
• Click here for FOXNews.com's Personal Technology Center.
• Got tech questions? Ask our experts at FoxNews.com's Tech Q&A.
I'm fascinated by the intersection between religion and technology, as are some well-known science fiction writers. For example, if a machine can say a prayer for you, why not have a fully robotic pope and clergy?
In his 1971 story "Good News From the Vatican," writer Robert Silverberg tells the story of a robot cardinal who might one day become pope:
"Rabbi Mueller removes his sunglasses... 'I can tell you that his Eminency is tall and distinguished, with a fine voice and a gentle smile...'
'But he's mounted on wheels, isn't he?' Kenneth persists.
'On treads,' replies the rabbi, giving Kenneth a fiery, devastating look. 'Treads, like a tractor has. But I don't think treads are spiritually inferior to feet, or, for that matter, to wheels...'
'Every era gets the Pope it deserves,' Bishop Fitzpatrick observed somewhat gloomily today at breakfast. 'The proper Pope for our times is a robot, certainly...'"
Related Stories
* Televangelist Robert Schuller Has Twitter Imposter
In Roger Zelazny's Hugo award-winning 1967 novel Lord of Light, he describes a pray-o-mat:
"It was a machine, gleaming and metallic, before which they moved.
A man inserted a coin into the mouth of a steel tiger. The machine began to purr. He pressed buttons cast in the likenesses of animals and demons. There came then a flashing of lights along the lengths of the Nagas, the two holy serpents who twisted about the transparent face of the machine.
The man drew down upon the lever that grew from the side of the machine cast in the likeness of the tail of a fish.
A holy blue light filled the interior of the machine; the serpents pulsed redly; and there, in the midst of the light and a soft music that had begun to play a prayer wheel swung into view and began spinning at a furious pace.
The man wore a beatific expression."
I should also note that one of the manifestations of Number Six in the most recent incarnation of "Battlestar Galactica" is very religious. "Head-Six" (or "inner six") often tries to get Baltar to believe in the Cylon God and to accept his place in God's plan.
Fans of Douglas Adams might also recall the Electric Monk from "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency":
"The Electric Monk was a labour-saving device, like a dishwasher or a video recorder... Electric Monks believed things for you, thus saving you what was becoming an increasingly onerous task, that of believing all the things the world expected you to believe."
Bow your head and click, that you might see these stories more clearly:
--How do Muslim Astronauts Pray in Space?
--Saudi Arabian Mobile Phones Provide Religious Services
--More News of Religion and Science
(This Science Fiction in the News story used with permission of Technovelgy.com.)
Copyright © 2009 Imaginova Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
IN MEMORY OF WILLIAM HOWERY (MARKETEDGE)
PeopleMarked By: 85
Location: Investorshub.com
Age: 37
Interests/Hobbies: Trading
Favorite Stocks: Gold / Oil / Alternative energy / Stem cell
Investment Philosophy: Always conduct due diligence before investing.
Job/Title: Trading / Financial related public relations
Favorite Links: OTCMarketEdge Mailing list
IRP Disclaimer & Disclosure
Quote: An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest. - Benjamin Franklin
Signature:
Stock trading and investing usually involves a degree of risk. Messages are not to be considered a solicitation to buy, hold or sell securities.
Alias Born On: Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Boards Moderated: 7
Total Posts: 5052
http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Man-holding-baby-stabbed-to-death-in-Bradenton/kuuAiikTWECYPkojg10dyQ.cspx
How do you determine which pink and OTCBB stocks you buy or support?
After speaking at length with Mr. Themy on Saturday evening, I am extremely encouraged about the forward progress of this company.
don't know, if my wife will take me, I'm gonna take her up on it.
Your still crazy!lol Going to try it in the morning?
yeah, got caught in a little sleet half way home
You make it home on that bike?
Your crazy!lol
yep, I dressing up now for it, just hope it doesn't rain, or snow... brrrr
No the feeling! You riding your bike today?
you're up early, it's 34 degrees here, I wanna go back to bed.
Twas The Month Before Christmas
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL !!!
*Twas the month before Christmas*
*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*
*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is just a 'Holiday'.*
*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*
*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*
*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*
* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*
*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday!*
Please, all Christians join together and
wish everyone you meet
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Christ is The Reason for the Christ-mas Season!
it's the Christmas blues
wow, nobody likes to confess anything.
<h1>Marine motorcycle deaths top their Iraq combat fatalities</h1>
great choice there
great call, RCTY up as expected
RCTY rocks on Monday, get your tickets now
Followers
|
8
|
Posters
|
|
Posts (Today)
|
0
|
Posts (Total)
|
565
|
Created
|
03/13/07
|
Type
|
Premium
|
Moderator Pastor Phil | |||
Assistants |
Volume | |
Day Range: | |
Bid Price | |
Ask Price | |
Last Trade Time: |