Most will agree that our personalities and opinions are formed by our childhood experiences. But are today’s children learning to accept diversity in their schools and communities?
Throughout the years, the consequences of bullying have made headlines, and elementary and high schools around the country have attempted to stomp out the epidemic that has unfortunately led to a number of suicides among students.
Almost half of primary and secondary school students will be bullied at their school, and more than 10 percent of students are bullied on a daily basis, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Bullying is undeniably a major issue in schools today, but progress against this epidemic is constantly hindered by the condemnation of religious leaders.
The Mix It Up at Lunch Day program, which rallies students to sit at lunch with students whom they wouldn’t otherwise, has recently and wrongly been attacked by religious groups.
The 11-year-old program, which was created by the Southern Poverty Law Center and will be hosted by more than 2,500 schools nationwide today, encourages friendship among students and gives the student body a chance to get to know the marginalized students in their schools.
Mix It Up at Lunch Day would encourage all students — including those of different religion, race, gender and even sexual orientation — to mingle together at lunch. And what’s wrong with a little diversity?
The American Family Association has spoken out against the program and taken yet another step forward in pursuing their reputation as another hate group.
According to The New York Times, the AFA called the program “a nationwide push to promote the homosexual lifestyle in public schools” and requested that parents keep their children from attending school.
Bryan Fischer, the AFA’s director of issue analysis, said the Southern Poverty Law Center used the program to hide its “real agenda” to promote homosexuality, according to the Christian Science Monitor.
“That’s what makes this [program] particularly insidious,” Fischer said. “I use poisoned Halloween candy as an illustration. This looks harmless on the surface, but you don’t realize how toxic it is.”
Shortly after the AFA’s announcement, nearly 200 schools canceled the lunch event.
In an interview with The New York Times, Tabatha Walton, the principal of the Chattahoochee County Education Center, said the event was canceled at her school because “teachers were too busy trying to meet basic state teaching requirements.”
“The decision had nothing to do with taking a position on gay rights,” she said in the interview. “We support diversity.”
It’s unfortunate that so many schools felt they must cater to the AFA’s demands in order to keep children in the classroom, and any reasonable person can see this is just another example of intolerance today.
Did Tyler Clementi’s suicide teach us anything, or did he die in vain?
Parents shouldn’t be concerned that their children may be exposed to diversity; they should be concerned that their children are entering a world that continues to encourage bigotry.
The AFA claims to believe and follow the Bible, but clearly needs to take a closer look at Jesus’ teachings.
Select and twist your Bible verses as much as you’d like to convey your specific message, but even as an agnostic, I can tell you the message of Christianity centers on salvation through Christ and the acceptance of others. Jesus didn’t befriend the Sadducees or the Pharisees; he befriended outcasts, tax collectors and even prostitutes.
So will you embrace those in your community — no matter how diverse? Or will you cast the first stone?
