My daughter is in 6th grade. Middle school. Today she comes home, laughs, says “Look what I got!”, and flips this hideous orange pocket sized New Testament put out by the Gideons.
My first thought was to laugh it off. Then she tells me that the principal made an announcement that people were outside handing out bibles and students were to treat them with respect. I think he was probably trying to give the students the heads up that there were people outside handing out bibles and he probably couldn’t get rid of them. Because you know they weren’t really on school property even though the school takes up the entire block. How were they not on school property, you ask? They were on the curb.
The curb is “public” property.
So far, what I can tell is that some people are bothered by this (probably mostly non-christians) and some are not. I’m not really “out” to most of the people I know, yet I posted this concern on Facebook so it might turn rather interesting.
I’m still unsure as to how to proceed, or even if I should. It pisses me off that a group would target kids instead of their parents, it’s downright creepy. Especially in this area. I hear of this happening in other places and never thought it would happen here, as we have a fairly diverse population.
The kicker is the introduction by the Gideons. It has such gems as “…its histories are true” and and that it (the bible) “…will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents”.
I’m torn because I sort of want to make a formal complaint, but I really don’t think the principal was trying to condone it, just make sure the kids weren’t freaked to find people out there. What would you do?
Doubtful Daughter 