JISHOU, HUNAN — Child welfare workers in Ohio have recommended that teenage religious runaway Fathima Rifqa Bary and her parents sit down and talk about their religious differences. Trouble is, the girl does not want to see her parents ever again.

Rifqa fears her parents will have her killed for converting from Islam to Christianity. Her parents say they will do no such thing.

Here is the Associated Press story on this latest chapter in the Bary family drama.

There’s some mostly rational discussion at the Volokh Conspiracy. And some mostly unhinged ranting at Free Republic.

December 3rd, 2009 | Tags: Christianity, Islam, Muslim, religion, Rifqa Bary | Category: Civil liberties, Commentary, religion | Leave a comment

JISHOU, HUNAN — The Bary family of Columbus, Ohio, had one place setting empty last Thursday, because religious hysteria and rightwing busybodies have interfered with return of their runaway daughter to their care.

That’s the tale told by Shayan Elahi, the attorney for Fathima Rifqa Bary’s father, in today’s Orlando Sentinel.

Rifqa Bary ran away from her home at age 16, assisted by Christian pastors and Facebook friends who enabled her to take a bus to Orlando, Florida, where she stayed with another Christian pastor and his wife for nearly two weeks before anyone notified child welfare authorities — or her parents — of her location.

Fueled by unfounded allegations that Rifqa fled her home to avoid an “honor killing,” a complete “Save Rifqa Bary” movement has blossomed from whole cloth, led by a combination of Christian activists, Muslim-haters, and otherwise well-meaning folk who think they are saving a teenage girl from certain execution.

In any other situation, had a teenager been lured away from her home by friends she met on Facebook or while unescorted by her family, assisted in her flight to a different state and housed (illegally) for two weeks, her return home would have been swift and definitive.

But, because the parties involved are “Christians,” their interference in a family’s life somehow gets a free pass. As far as I know, no one has been charged with any crime in enabling Rifqa to run away. And official sources give no credibility to the idea that Rifqa’s Muslim parents or the family’s mosque will kill the girl because she has become a Christian.

December 1st, 2009 | Tags: Christian, Islam, Muslim, religion, Rifqa Bary | Category: Civil liberties, Commentary, religion | Comments (1)

JISHOU, HUNAN — Ah, but the wheels of justice turn slowly …

‘Way back in June 2006, high school valedictorian Brittany McComb, after agreeing to school officials’ changes to her Christianity-laced graduation speech, proceeded to use her original text anyway. School officials’ “rapid response team” quickly cut off McComb’s microphone, to avoid anyone getting the idea a public school was preaching Christianity.

Mayhem ensued. Well, mostly legal challenges.

McComb, who is now a student in Biola University in California, acquired the legal backing of the Rutherford Institute, which filed a complaint in federal district court alleging Clark County, Nev., school officials had trampled her rights of free speech and equal protection under the law. The court found in favor of the school officials.

McComb took her case to the federal appeals court, which found no reason to overturn the previous ruling.

Then she took it to the Supreme Court, where it died a quiet death. (Technically, the SCOTUS denied a petition for a writ of certiorari, meaning the Justices were not going to tell the lower courts to hear the case all over again.)

So, what’s it all mean? McComb’s attorneys claimed that Foothill High School, by attempting to cut off her valedictory in midstream, abridged her rights of free speech and equal protection. The courts (all three, basically) said, “Not.”

November 23rd, 2009 | Tags: brittany mccomb, Foorhill High School, nevada, religion, Rutherford Institute, Schools | Category: Civil liberties, Commentary, Schools, religion | Leave a comment

JISHOU, HUNAN — Remember that ultra-conservative Baptist church in North Carolina that was going to burn Satan’s bibles — every kind except the 1611 King James Version? It didn’t happen.

The church’s pastor, Marc Grizzard, had planned a fried chicken dinner to accompany the fiery celebration on Halloween night, but Mother Nature rained on his parade, as it were. Then, the local John Law informed Pastor Grizzard that state laws prohibit burning paper outdoors. Oh, and there were protesters, too.

So, the worshipers of the KJV took their party inside their meeting hall. No Bible bonfire. I know you are all disappointed.

Grizzard isn’t. His comments about the rainout are positively upbeat. And still crazy.

November 13th, 2009 | Tags: Amazing Grace Baptist Church, Bible, book burning, King James, Marc Grizzard, religion | Category: Commentary, religion | Leave a comment

JISHOU, HUNAN — I confess. It’s time to come clean. I am a pusher. For the last 25 years, I have been encouraging young people –even my own children! The shame! — to pursue higher education.

According to The Watchtower magazine, published by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, higher education is a really bad thing, like drugs, alcohol, wild parties, social networking sites, and maybe even rock & roll.

Been there, done that. So I’m apparently damned to hell. Crap. Who knew?

By way of Pharyngula, I saw this image scanned from The Watchtower. It’s all there. I am soooo screwed.

October 16th, 2009 | Tags: education, higher education, religion, snark, Watchtower | Category: Commentary, Teaching, religion | Leave a comment

JISHOU, HUNAN — This encounter happened this morning, but the stage was set yesterday. I met a Chinese guy who apparently is an itinerant Christian preacher of some kind, and he hit me up for money.

I meet a student every afternoon outside near the basketball courts for our lessons. The weather has been cooperative (no rain) and the trees give us enough shade to make sitting there comfortable.

Meeting in the open means random people wandering by will sometimes just pause by Clark and me. Some just listen and leave. Some interrupt to ask me questions. One asked me to be her teacher, for pay. Yesterday, while I was going over one of Clark’s essays, this older dude kept circling around us, waiting for the opportunity to ask me a question.

His clothes (blue cotton shirt, dark gray pants) were a little worn looking, but not in really bad shape. His mustache and beard were scraggly. I’d say he was about 40ish, or maybe older, since his hair was going salt-and-pepper. His question was a grammatical one, not too hard to answer. So, after five minutes, he said thanks, asked for my business card and went on his way. I took him initially for a somewhat eccentric professor.

This morning, promptly at 8:30, he called, asking to meet him for unspecified reasons. I suggested we meet in the afternoon, but he said he would be leaving around noon, could we meet now?

August 13th, 2009 | Tags: China, Christianity, preacher, religion | Category: China, Civil liberties, Commentary | Leave a comment