prisonchaplain Posted October 4, 2011 Report Share Posted October 4, 2011 Fremont Public Schools (Oklahoma) bans roasaries, because they have law enforcement intelligence telling them that gangs are using them as a symbol. A 12-year old female student, not knowing this, wears it to school and gets told to remove it, as rosaries are banned. Not all religious necklaces--just rosaries, since they are a gang symbol.The ACLU is siding with the student. Metro/Region - Omaha.comI agree with the ACLU about 5% of the time. This is one of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEthePrimate Posted October 4, 2011 Report Share Posted October 4, 2011 I frequently agree with the ACLU, but yeah, like you I think they're right to take the student's side in this case. In fact, I'd have been surprised if they didn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted October 4, 2011 Report Share Posted October 4, 2011 Fremont Public Schools (Oklahoma) bans roasaries, because they have law enforcement intelligence telling them that gangs are using them as a symbol. A 12-year old female student, not knowing this, wears it to school and gets told to remove it, as rosaries are banned. Not all religious necklaces--just rosaries, since they are a gang symbol.The ACLU is siding with the student. Metro/Region - Omaha.comI agree with the ACLU about 5% of the time. This is one of those.Even a blind squirrel trips over a nut now and then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backroads Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 Oh, I often agree with the ACLU. It seems we only notice the ACLU when they do something we don't like. I heard the statement once that had the ACLU been around when the Church was just getting started, they probably would have been on our side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennarator Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 Gangs can use all kinds of things. I hate they do that. I'm with the ACLU on this, too. Let the girl and whom ever else wear rosaries. Gangs will have to find something else to corrupt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dahlia Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 12 yrs of Catholic school here - we were told never to wear a rosary and I've never seen anyone wear one. Is this something new? It's not a necklace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirkwood Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 There is a lot of sports apparel and colors that better be banned too, based on that mentality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prisonchaplain Posted October 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 12 yrs of Catholic school here - we were told never to wear a rosary and I've never seen anyone wear one. Is this something new? It's not a necklace.For many Catholics, rosaries serve a double purpose...religious fashion accessory and prayer beads. In our jail, even many Protestants wear the donated rosaries we have, much as I suppose LDS wear CTR rings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah Posted October 9, 2011 Report Share Posted October 9, 2011 For many Catholics, rosaries serve a double purpose...religious fashion accessory and prayer beads. In our jail, even many Protestants wear the donated rosaries we have, much as I suppose LDS wear CTR rings.Where does your perception of "many" come from? I worked for ten years at a Catholic institution, worked at one time for a parish and formerly had Catholic in-laws....I never heard of rosary beads being worn as a "fashion accessory" by any actual Catholic. I was also taught the same as Dahlia, it's not to be worn, it is to be used for prayer. Every Catholic I've known and worked with would consider it extremely disrespectful to use a rosary as a "fashion accessory".If you mean as a cincture, that is one thing. But that is not a "fashion accessory". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marko112486 Posted October 9, 2011 Report Share Posted October 9, 2011 Having been raised a Catholic I don't recall any one wearing rosary beads. When I see kids on campus wearing them it pains me a bit. It seems disrespectful to use it as an fashion accessory when it is meant as a tool to help with prayer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annewandering Posted October 10, 2011 Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 hmm it seems pretty odd doesnt it. At least the thread is educational to those of us that didnt know that the rosary isnt to be used as a necklace. So is it permissable to just hang it on the neck to keep it? not as an accessory just for convenience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prisonchaplain Posted October 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 If you mean as a cincture, that is one thing. But that is not a "fashion accessory".Perhaps "fashion accessory" was a bit strong. Neverthless, I've worked besides three different Catholic priests, all in adult jail settings. Two of them gave the rosaries out to anyone who wanted, Catholic, or not, knowing full well that most merely wanted to wear them as a necklace with a cross. Not once in my 14 years of chaplaincy has a Catholic inmate, priest or deacon raised an issue about inmates wearing rosaries disrespectfully. It could be that it is offensive in all-Catholic environments. If so, all these folks have chosen to overlook the matter as minor.In fairness, one of the priests would only give the rosaries out to Catholics, and only along with instructions on how to pray the rosary. Yet, even he never showed me any concern over how they were worn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traveler Posted October 10, 2011 Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 Perhaps "fashion accessory" was a bit strong. Neverthless, I've worked besides three different Catholic priests, all in adult jail settings. Two of them gave the rosaries out to anyone who wanted, Catholic, or not, knowing full well that most merely wanted to wear them as a necklace with a cross. Not once in my 14 years of chaplaincy has a Catholic inmate, priest or deacon raised an issue about inmates wearing rosaries disrespectfully. It could be that it is offensive in all-Catholic environments. If so, all these folks have chosen to overlook the matter as minor.In fairness, one of the priests would only give the rosaries out to Catholics, and only along with instructions on how to pray the rosary. Yet, even he never showed me any concern over how they were worn. What I would like to know is what "official" advice Catholic priests have to give to their Catholic students that are asked not to wear rosaries in public schools to help prevent intrusions from gangs adding to concerns of public safety for both Catholic and non-Catholic students. It appears to me that the wearing of rosaries is not a religious requirement but a matter of individual discretion. Thus two things really bother me. First is why this is such a big deal that federal courts have to be involved - that this cannot be solved by the parties involved. And Second - why any Catholics (including the individual in question) are willing to go to “war” over this specific issue. It appears to me that Catholics do not gain any PR points or even internal religious strength over this issue.I believe this is a brilliant move by the ACLU - they can help gangs to increase influence in public schools and can embarrass Catholics by creating misunderstandings.The Traveler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annewandering Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 I think it is a valid issue for catholic rights therefore for all of us. Satan is good at trying to get us to boot religion out of everything. Crosses and rosarys are fair game to him. We dont use them but other Christians do so he wins if he gets them to be associated with criminals. Why do we let him get away with this kind of thing? We let him have rainbows, colors, religious symbols, and on and on. When do we put our foot down? Honestly many people regard the word God or religion to be evil because satan has succeeded in blaming people who follow God or an religion for all the evil in the world. This is flat out wrong. We need to say no now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADoyle90815 Posted October 14, 2011 Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 I knew the ACLU would take the student's side, but as for rosaries, I was taught that they were not necklaces. I have family members who are Catholic, but I wasn't really raised in the church itself. The ACLU has even supported a LDS college student whose school was making it difficult for him to serve a mission.ACLU backs a Mormon Mormons talk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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