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That's OK, the commercial aspect of Christmas mostly seems to be a handy bottom-line kinda deal pressed forward by Coca-Cola & other noted charitable organizations in the West. Certainly I don't recall any Biblical justification for celebrating the birth of Christ on Saturnalia - that was just a convenient hook to hang the thing from, TMK - there was already feasting & carousing & drinking to stupor going on, so why not append yet another reason?
I'm sure that the people who have looked into these questions are vastly amused by the whole spectacle. (Although I do tire of all the Christmas-themed TV specials that are out there. There are only a handful that I think are worth watching - but I will admit to a fondness for Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol - quite touching, even as a musical, given the limitations of the medium.)
Actually, Coca- Cola is known as a very charitable corp. Sorry Comrade
I think anyone graduating high school should have a basic understanding of all major world religions. Rather or not you agree with them we need to know what things the other 95% of humanity believe. The main thing is giving a balanced account of each religion. Don't leave out the bad stuff.
I think anyone graduating H.S. should at least be able to read and write above a 9th grade level, but that is not happening either.
Look again @ the URL in the OP - it was a high school, 9th grade.
& no, from what I can see, the teacher wasn't teaching Islam directly; she was teaching about Islam, the tradition of burqa, an appreciation of the script used for calligraphy.
oops..sorry. There's another thread about a 7th grade class and Islam..that's over in the education forum. I confused the two.
How could one person trick another into converting to a religion? Religion is all about faith--belief in something unseen. A person isn't converted by saying a magic incantation.
ya, one would think, right?
That's what I've never understood about forced religious conversions through history. You can't force someone to actually believe something if they don't already. Sure you can force them to publicly follow and declare a religion, but it's meaningless horse and pony show if their soul isn't into it.
How could one person trick another into converting to a religion? Religion is all about faith--belief in something unseen. A person isn't converted by saying a magic incantation.
This.
Even IF this teacher is actually attempting to convert the kids, that doesn't mean it's going to magically work and all kids in the class will suddenly be Muslims.
And there is a lot more to conversion than writing some calligraphy in school for a day.
Actually, Coca- Cola is known as a very charitable corp. Sorry Comrade
Of course, I was being facetious. But didn't Coca-Cola start out as a patent medicine? That's what I recall - & one - if not the - active ingredient was laudanum? Hmm, get your buzz on with Coke! I always wondered where that came from.
"Originally intended as a patent medicine when it was invented in the late 19th century by John Pemberton, Coca-Cola was bought out by businessman Asa Griggs Candler, whose marketing tactics led Coke to its dominance of the world soft-drink market throughout the 20th century. The name refers to two of its original ingredients: kola nuts, a source of caffeine, and coca leaves."
(My emphasis - more @ the URL)
There you are - good to see that the little gray cells are still ticking over, @ least.
Even IF this teacher is actually attempting to convert the kids, that doesn't mean it's going to magically work and all kids in the class will suddenly be Muslims.
And there is a lot more to conversion than writing some calligraphy in school for a day.
That phrase was written in Arabic. They were practicing writing Arabic.
Calligraphy is nothing more than decorative handwriting.
That can be done in the English language.
What they were asked to do is to copy the Shahada, written in Arabic.
Look at the screenshot of the worksheet in the OP link.
That phrase was written in Arabic. They were practicing writing Arabic.
Calligraphy is nothing more than decorative handwriting.
That can be done in the English language.
What they were asked to do is to copy the Shahada, written in Arabic.
Look at the screenshot of the worksheet in the OP link.
I did look. It looks difficult, as I've said many times. I saw the picture.
So they're writing Arabic. What a sin! Kids in my high school wrote in Japanese in their classes, Mandarin, and other languages for certain assignments. It's a world geography class. They learn about the world and its cultures. Geography in high school is usually more than "here's a country and its capital, okay moving on." They learn about the world, including different cultures, including religion and language.
This was no attempt to convert. Anyone who thinks it was is paranoid. I guess now VA will have to change its education standards for this curriculum due to the outcry, since this was defended by the district as following the guidelines set by the state...
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How could one person trick another into converting to a religion? Religion is all about faith--belief in something unseen. A person isn't converted by saying a magic incantation.
Red Coke, Tovaritch
Kids in my high school wrote in Japanese in their classes, Mandarin, and other languages for certain assignments. It's a world geography class. They learn about the world and its cultures. Geography in high school is usually more than "here's a country and its capital, okay moving on." They learn about the world, including different cultures, including religion and language. 
I guess now VA will have to change its education standards for this curriculum due to the outcry, since this was defended by the district as following the guidelines set by the state...