I can't decide how I feel about this. Part of me says that no school has the right to dictate what is and what is not an acceptable religious freedom. On the other hand, the other part wants to say, "Seriously? What the heck are these people?" and "does it have to stay in all the time for you to be enlightened?" Girl suspended for wearing nose ring
I think the 'religion' in question is enough to allow her back to school. I understand the school is likely concerned that if they do then all manner of dress code violations will pop up with the masses claiming it is due to their religions. However they should be basing it on a case by case bases. And in this case it seems like the school is trying to bully her into changing her faith. That isn't right. Imagine if you will they wouldn't allow anyone to wear cross pendants because it was an outward sign of their faith. Would you make your child remove the pendant just to attend a school. Although I do agree that this is a case of not fully understanding what their 'real religion is' as it is so new and not mainstream it doesn't make it any less important to those individuals who follow it.
I don't think Public schools can choose whose religion to respect so I'd have to say I side with the child on this leaving aside all judgments on her religion.
This is really alarming. I think we should not judge the kid, religion is a vast issue and I don't think it should be mingled on education. I am siding with her as well.
Freedom of religion means freedom of religion - no one said you have to LIKE it! The girl gets the nose ring and the school is going to lose.
The school has no right to dictate whether her religion will "stick" or not or whether it's legitimate. For centuries people have experienced pain to be closer to God. Let's look at Catholic Opus Dei. The radical of these groups experience what they call "Mortification of the Flesh" in which they literally it means to Kill the Flesh. If practiced in it's simplest forms, it means to deny ones self certain pleasures such as alcohol, chocolate, meat, dairy, etc. In the severest form it can mean causing self inflicted pain and physical harm like beating, whipping, peircing, or cutting. The objective is to renouce all fleshy desires, and to suffer as Christ suffered for our sins. Thus, pain can make you closer to God by feeling what he felt and realizing the impact of his decision to die for us. It is foolish to dismiss her religion, I believe, because who are we to judge what is a religion and what is not? If we deny her religion, then let's deny Opus Dei just because that seems crazy and radical, or let's deny Jews. It's a very slippery slope their traveling on. For heaven's sake, just have her put a tiny bandaid over it and call it good!!!! Sheesh, how disruptive can that actually be??
Our local ps practices the "bandaid" approach. I think in our culture, the bandaid would be more disruptive than the piercing.
My opinion is that if one can wear a stud in her nose, then other students -- or teachers -- should be allowed to wear a cross pendant or stud/dangle earrings (one in each ear lobe). By the same token, Muslim girls should be able to wear their head-to-toe coverings, even if that means that they could be bringing in a ringer to take tests for them since nobody can tell who's under all that. Rastafarian boys should be able to pull their dreds up under a huge cap without being searched even though they could be hiding a weapon in there, or ganja. A Native American should be able to bring his sacred 'shrooms or peyote to school, or wear clothes/jewelry depicting it when other kids would be told to change a t-shirt they wore depicting a marijuana leaf. What about kids who feel strongly about being able to say the pledge of allegiance, including "under God", and want to wear t-shirts or pierced earrings that say that? Can a Hassidic Jewish boy be excused from wearing the same t-shirt-and-shorts PE uniform that all other boys must wear? (I honestly don't know the answer to this last one and would appreciate being informed if anyone can tell me.) Does a sikh boy get excused for wearing his turban? (same deal)
Hey Lindina, I know that they have several "Rastafarians" and "Native American's" in the prison system where my DH works, and I read all of these posts, including yours to him when he got home. He said, it shouldn't matter. In the prison system (which some PS are similar to) they let the inmates practice their religions freely (to an extent), but they still get searched. For instance (he says), if they are going to an outcount (where they leave the prison for a short time for court, etc.) their dreads must come out, and all hats come off to be searched. There is no exception. Of course there is no Drug Paraphanalia on Prison grounds (like on PS grounds) so there is obviously no peyote or Marijuana. Point being, there still has to be SOME decorum when it comes to a public place like a Prison or Public school. A person has the freedom to practice a religion w/o going overboard and crazy about it.
Did you all catch the line that said a judge had ruled another member of this church was not allowed to wear her piercing to work (or, rather, her work did not have to allow it) because nothing in the religion said the piercing had to stay in at all times? In other words, they judge said there was nothing in her beliefs that would prevent her from taking it out while working and putting it back when she clocked off.
Yes, Meg, trying to determine all the ins and outs of other people's religions can be quite a problem! My point was, all these things are sincerely held beliefs of various people's religions - if some things are allowed and not others, then where exactly do you draw the line? Obviously, you're not going to allow ganja or peyote or 'shrooms in school! But if you allow a nose stud for religous reasons, why not allow a cross pendant or earrings, or a star of David one, or a pentacle? on teachers as well as students? And all of these have been "not on the dress code" in various places - I don't know about this girl's school in particular. If one nose stud is okay, what about 9 in each ear and 3 in each eyebrow, and 47 in various places on the face? If piercings are okay, what about implants? (I'm thinking about those bumpy things inserted under the skin along eyebrow ridges, on foreheads, etc.) What would they do if a kid showed up with a forked tongue? facial tattoo? ear spools? Ubangi lip expanders? all those are body modifications - I can imagine that in prison, nobody would even flinch about it, but in a public high school these might raise quite a ruckus! My question is, where do you stop, exactly?
I live in a pretty small town (about 12,000 ppl) and when I was in school you could wear a cross/star of david, and quite a few kids drew pentacles on themselves and nobody said a word. My DH had a visible tattoo just before he graduated and he came back to teach in alot of my classes I had. I guess it depends on the school. Ours never really made a big fuss out of small stuff like that.
well I think if they do for one they have to do for all. They can't favor one. If they have it in the rules then everyone must follow them no matter who they are, what church they go too, what they are. All treated the same way...
