At Maddie’s school, there is–of course–a newspaper. The last newspaper reported solely on the issues of LGBTQ students. I read the articles and found them quite enlightening.
However, a teacher from her school decided to write a letter to the editor in response, which was published. This is what he said:
Dear Editor,
I love the staff and students at name withheld. My students know that. But I love God more, so in obedience to Him, I am writing this letter.
Without divine intervention it would be mathematically impossible to write a book filled with hundreds of predictions over thousands of years with 100% accuracy regarding their fulfillment, yet the Bible has done exactly that, with just a few prophecies yet to be fulfilled. Therefore, I have faith that the entire Bible is without error.
The Bible tells us that we are all accountable for our actions, and that teachers are especially accountable. I’m a teacher, and I don’t want to displease God any more than I already have with my sinful life, so in obedience to Him, I’m asking you to please slowly read and consider the following excerpt from the book of Romans, Chapter 1, verses 16-32, in the New Testament. It describes a deception that has happened in the past, and is happening again right now, not only at name withheld, but throughout the world:
“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes – the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
But God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and shameful things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the creator Himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them too.”
I write you these things in order to lift up those who have stumbled, or may stumble, and put you back on the right path.
I pray you each have a great summer, a wonderful life, and a perfect eternity.
Love,
name withheld
What the actual FUCK. Here’s one thing you don’t want to do and that is piss off a mama.
So I wrote the principal and this is what I said:
Dear name withheld,
As an American citizen, an educator, and a parent of senior at name withheld, I am a fierce defender of the First Amendment; however when freedom of speech treads on hate speech, which can easily lead to a hate crime (since an already marginalized community was threatened), I feel that the letter to the editor written by name withheld teacher name withheld is without a doubt appalling, insensitive, and is hate speech.
While, name withheld quotes from the Bible, particularly, Romans 1: 16-32, the fact that he used this quote as evidence for his belief is unacceptable. The evidence from the Bible calls the LGBTQ community slanders, insolent, inventors of evil and malice, heartless, ruthless, and that they deserve to die, among many other atrocities. Furthermore, the passages quoted by name withheld are not correct in its assumptions. Idolatry is the focus of Paul’s argument, not gays and lesbians. The cultural and religious context is unfamiliar to some modern readers because many modern readers are unfamiliar with Roman history and Jewish history in the first century AD.
Sadly when suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24 and the rate of suicide attempts is 4 times greater for LGBTQ youth and 2 times greater for questioning youth than that of straight youth and suicide attempts by LGBTQ youth and questioning youth are 4 to 6 times more likely to result in injury, poisoning, or overdose that requires treatment from a doctor or nurse, compared to their straight peers, it seems like name withheld quotes DO border on hate crimes. And you have a responsibility to take care that all students are safe.
I work extremely hard to teach my children and my students tolerance of people different from them. I assume most parents do. I would assume that at a public institution, your teachers would do the same. But name withheld letter was the opposite of tolerance and the opposite of what name withheld should represent.
I do not wish for name withheld to be terminated or retire; however, I do believe that he should attend a biology and history course to educate him on other science-based evidence. Furthermore, I believe he should have to sit down with the LGBTQ community and LISTEN to their stories and feelings. That is the least name withheld can do in light of such hate and disgust from one of your own teachers.
Best,
Courtney
A Year of Thanks 