Riverside County parent furious after teacher leads political chant involving preschool students

[Person of Interest]

NORCO, Calif. (KABC) -- An Eastvale mother is furious after discovering a video showing her daughter's preschool teacher leading a political chant in which the 4 and 5-year-old students were calling for President Joe Biden to leave office.

"I was just in shock," said Christina McFadden, who told Eyewitness News the video was posted on a school messaging app that is used to communicate with parents. The incident allegedly happened on Feb. 18 at Turning Point Christian School in the city of Norco.


"I had to watch it multiple times to realize, is this really happening?" McFadden said.
The video lasts only about eight seconds. You can hear a teacher asking the students, "Who's our President." The students then respond in unison, "Biden!" The teacher then asks the students "What do we want to do with him?" and the students respond twice, "We want him out!"

https://abc7.com/riverside-county-teacher-leads-political-chant-in-preschool-video-joe-biden/11662414/

[MineralMan]

1. Turning Point Christian School in Norco, CA?

Sounds like an every day thing there, really.

Not a public school, so no firing of the teacher, I'm sure.

[Thomas Hurt]

7. Of course, right after the pledge and morning prayer.

[Initech]

20. Toilet Paper USA

[magicarpet]

22. Used,.. dirty,.. and filthy toilet paper.

Recind the Fascist Christian school's charter,.. deny any further municipal funding to this Fascist school,.. remove their tax exempt status for conducting themselves as a political propaganda outlet. What is the name of the school,.... by chance would it be the Fascist Christian Taliban Academy of Lower Learning ?

[abqtommy]

2. I'm familiar with Norco, having lived in that area years ago. It's unfortunate that these

types of "teachers" infest our society but they've gotta go. There are a lot of people
and entities to sue here.

[stopdiggin]

6. in a private X-tian pre-school?

(you might have greater insight here - but I don't see any sort of lawsuit gaining traction .. )

[reACTIONary]

26. +10 nt

[Initech]

21. Norco is right next to where I live.

Lots of MAGAs and Trumpholes in this part of So Cal.

[dalton99a]

3. "A program that requires students to be engaged while developing Christ-like character"

https://www.turningpointchristianschool.com/about

[Bettie]

4. Weird....because that doesn't sound remotely

like the Jesus in their purported holy book.

[Mariana]

5. Depends on which parts of the purported holy book they focus on.

They don't even need to stick to the Old Testament, as there are passages in the Gospels that portray Jesus as racist, sexist, violent, destructive, and as putting his own comfort above the needs of the poor.

[alphafemale]

8. That bit about him cursing a fig tree to death because it didn't have fruit out of season

lmao

Not always so great a dude.

[stopdiggin]

11. quite true that the Bible has seen a lot of 'interpretation'

But yours is one of the more 'creative' that I've run across.

" .. Jesus as racist, sexist, violent, destructive, and as putting his own comfort above the needs of the poor."

[Mariana]

13. Examples:

Racist: Matthew 15:21-28, in which Jesus is hateful toward a woman who asked him to heal her child because, he said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel" and she was of a different ethnicity. He compares her to a dog begging for scraps, and only relents after she grovels enough to suit him, and agrees with his dehumanizing characterization of her.

Sexist: Zero of his disciples were female.

Violent: John 2:13-22, in which Jesus flies into a rage, constructs a weapon and attacks people who were performing sanctioned activities within the Temple grounds.

Destructive: Same story, in which he vandalizes the place. Also Mark Chapter 5, in which Jesus causes a herd of pigs to run off a cliff and die, after which the locals begged him to leave the area. This might also be a racism story, because the owners of the pigs would have been Gentiles, and "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."

Put his own comfort above the needs of the poor: Mathew 26:6-13, in which Jesus is anointed with very expensive perfume. His own disciples are disturbed by this, and protest that it should have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus rebukes them, saying, "The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me."

[stopdiggin]

15. it is likely that the vast majority (all?) of both Old and New

Testament are parable and outright fiction. On the other hand - the vast majority of those that believe any part of it - come away with a far different picture of the character Jesus than you do.

You make a good defense of your interpretation - but I still think it a rather singular one. --- i.e., do you really think that most 'readers' come away from this work with the impression that Jesus had a disdain and disregard of the poor? (you are of course entirely free to do so, but ... )
----- -----

[Mariana]

16. I didn't claim that the entirety of the Gospels portray Jesus that way.

I only claimed that there are some passages that do so.

If figuring out Jesus's character, intentions, and even his teachings from reading the Gospels was a simple and straightforward thing to do, there wouldn't be thousands of different flavors of Christianity.

[stopdiggin]

18. you did indeed

and I perhaps leapt to a conclusion in thinking they represented you're take on the Jesus figure. Apologies.

[Hekate]

27. It may help your understanding to read the entire passage & not stop short

Matthew 15:21-28
New International Version
The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Source throughout: https://www.biblegateway.com/

[Hekate]

28. Female disciples: actually, that is in some scholarly dispute & not a settled matter. In any case..

Last edited Sun Mar 20, 2022, 07:10 PM - Edit history (1)

It is without dispute that there were, throughout the early times, a number of women who guested groups of Jesus’s followers to meals where all were considered brothers and sisters.

Hey, I can do this all day.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/first/women.html

Women In Ancient Christianity: The New Discoveries
Scholar Karen King examines the evidence concerning women's important place in early Christianity. She draws a surprising new portrait of Mary Magdalene and outlines the stories of previously unknown early Christian women.
by Karen L. King

Karen L. King is Professor of New Testament Studies and the History of Ancient Christianity at Harvard University in the Divinity School. She has published widely in the areas of Gnosticism, ancient Christianity, and Women's Studies.
In the last twenty years, the history of women in ancient Christianity has been almost completely revised. As women historians entered the field in record numbers, they brought with them new questions, developed new methods, and sought for evidence of women's presence in neglected texts and exciting new findings. For example, only a few names of women were widely known: Mary, the mother of Jesus; Mary Magdalene, his disciple and the first witness to the resurrection; Mary and Martha, the sisters who offered him hospitality in Bethany. Now we are learning more of the many women who contributed to the formation of Christianity in its earliest years.

Perhaps most surprising, however, is that the stories of women we thought we knew well are changing in dramatic ways. Chief among these is Mary Magdalene, a woman infamous in Western Christianity as an adulteress and repentant whore. Discoveries of new texts from the dry sands of Egypt, along with sharpened critical insight, have now proven that this portrait of Mary is entirely inaccurate. She was indeed an influential figure, but as a prominent disciple and leader of one wing of the early Christian movement that promoted women's leadership.

Certainly, the New Testament Gospels, written toward the last quarter of the first century CE, acknowledge that women were among Jesus' earliest followers. From the beginning, Jewish women disciples, including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna, had accompanied Jesus during his ministry and supported him out of their private means (Luke 8:1-3). He spoke to women both in public and private, and indeed he learned from them. According to one story, an unnamed Gentile woman taught Jesus that the ministry of God is not limited to particular groups and persons, but belongs to all who have faith (Mark 7:24-30; Matthew 15:21-28). A Jewish woman honored him with the extraordinary hospitality of washing his feet with perfume. Jesus was a frequent visitor at the home of Mary and Martha, and was in the habit of teaching and eating meals with women as well as men. When Jesus was arrested, women remained firm, even when his male disciples are said to have fled, and they accompanied him to the foot of the cross. It was women who were reported as the first witnesses to the resurrection, chief among them again Mary Magdalene. Although the details of these gospel stories may be questioned, in general they reflect the prominent historical roles women played in Jesus' ministry as disciples.

WOMEN IN THE FIRST CENTURY OF CHRISTIANITY
After the death of Jesus, women continued to play prominent roles in the early movement. Some scholars have even suggested that the majority of Christians in the first century may have been women.
…… Here is clear evidence of women apostles active in the earliest work of spreading the Christian message.

More at link

[Mariana]

37. I was referring to the Gospel stories only

in which all 12 disciples were men.

[Hekate]

40. Read the article I linked to

[Hekate]

30. John 2:13-22 aka chasing the moneychangers from the Temple. Dreadful

Jesus Clears the Temple Courts

13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”[a]

18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

[Mariana]

38. Was the violence and vandalism absolutely necessary?

“Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!”

Many of the Christian churches in my area put on flea markets, farmers' markets, craft fairs, art shows, etc. as fundraisers. Vendors set up on the church property to sell their stuff, and the church gets a piece of the action. That really isn't any different. If someone did to them what Jesus is supposed to have done in the Temple grounds, they would very rightly land in jail with a pile of criminal charges, and it would probably be classified as a hate crime.

[Hekate]

31. You know, this is not my path. But I am a scholar & I've actually read the book in question....

It matters to me that religious beliefs and practices be reported without smears and slurs.

People believed in demons in those days, and that they could cause illness, including mental illness. A story of the times, over 2,000 years ago. The next bit after this is about curing a sick woman and raising a dead girl. I suppose that’s terrible, too.

Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man

5 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.[a] 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

[dawg]

32. Mariana, these things are a matter of faith.

And it takes a lot of faith, on your part, to interpret these passages the way that you do. You have to *want* to see them that way.

I come away seeing Jesus as giving the woman an opportunity to demonstrate her great faith and humility, shaming any in his audience who might have thought of her as "lesser". Then he proceeds to heal her daughter.

I come away thinking of Mary Magdalene, Martha, and the other Mary, who were all followers of Jesus and all played their important parts.

It was Judas who criticized the women for treating Jesus with that "very expensive perfume". This passage is there to demonstrate that the women had been paying better attention to Jesus' teachings than some of the men (at least Judas). They knew he was going to be sacrificed, and they were annointing him. That time was almost at hand.

Honestly, the male disciples consistently come across as being slower on the uptake than the women, disbelieving at first when the women came to tell them that Christ had risen.

As for chasing the moneylenders from the temple, that should speak for itself. I find it hard to imangine any liberal not being at least a little sympathetic to that one.

So, for our own reasons, you choose to believe the harshest of interpretations of these stories while I choose to believe the kindest ones. I won't ask you to change the way you look at them, but please don't confuse your interpretations as the "objective truth". They are made through the lens of your "faith" just as mine are made through the lens of mine.

[Hekate]

34. Thank you, dawg

[Mariana]

39. There's a reason there are thousands of denominations of Christianity.

Last edited Sun Mar 20, 2022, 11:06 PM - Edit history (1)

It's because there are thousands of ways to interpret the Bible stories. You believe your interpretation is correct. The majority of Christian voters in the US cast their ballots for Trump. They believe their interpretation is correct, too. I'm certainly in no position to determine which of you is right.

Edited for clarity.

[Hekate]

33. The poor ye shall always have with you, but you will not always have me. Statement of fact, imo.

Note that Jesus in this story is “staying in the home of Simon the Leper” — more than a little unusual, given the status of lepers. Note also that he says he is being prepared for burial.

Matthew 26:6-13
New International Version
Jesus Anointed at Bethany

6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.
8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you,[a] but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

[Azathoth]

35. This is so clumsily inane it has to be a joke nt

[Hekate]

36. Probably you should read Matthew 5-7, Sermon on the Mount / Beatitudes. All the way through.

You have already observed there are groups of people who twist the words of Jesus — cherry-picking for their own purposes, even as you did. Reading the Sermon on the Mount is restorative and clarifying.

One of the most pernicious movements to come along in American religious history has been Evangelicism, wedded to “prosperity gospel,” which has its roots in Calvinism. If you are doing well, it’s because God is pleased with you. If you are not doing well, it’s because God is mad at you for some reason. Those are the people who close their hearts to the poor and disenfranchised, the sick who can’t afford treatment — because it’s clearly their own fault. If fortune turns against them personally, it makes it hard to remain a believer.

I liked them a lot better when they just called themselves Fundamentalists, because they were mostly inclined to stay out of politics and keep their eye on the world-to-come. The transformation into “Evangelicals” with mega-churches, political aspirations, and bought-politicians has had terrible results, for both American Christianity and the body-politic, our system of government including the SCOTUS.

One of the Founding Fathers who insisted on the “wall of separation between church and state” pointed out quite accurately that both entities would be a great deal cleaner by doing so.

I will close by quoting Mr. Rogers’ mother regarding times of sorrow and disaster: “Look for the helpers.” They are there among every religious group, whether Buddhists, Jews, Pagans, Muslims, or Christians. They are quietly doing their work of brotherhood and healing, as whatever holy writ they adhere to requires. As my agnostic mother used to say, “Love your neighbor as yourself” is part of them all.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

[obamanut2012]

12. lolz

As an atheist, I say you are mistaken. lol

[Mariana]

14. Please see post #13 for examples. nt.

[Boomerproud]

9. But the public schools are brainwashing kids, right?

Wrong! 😡

[woodsprite]

10. Revoke their tax exempt status!

If not theirs, the church behind them (or better yet, both).

[kimbutgar]

17. Even though it is a private school no teacher should talk politics like that to small children

After TFG was selected by Putin in 2016. I spent the day after being sad and comforted the children who were afraid he was going to send Grandma back to Mexico or China. I didn’t bash TFG and only said I hoped he would be a good president. Inside I was sick and seething but I never injected any negative politics into the discussion with my class. During the 4 years of hell I stayed neutral and just said he is our president until we elect a new one. Kids would diss TFG but I remained silent and changed the subject.

I hope that teacher is dismissed and loses her credential( if she has one, unfortunately you don’t need one if you teach in a private school).

[keithbvadu2]

19. Hate is a credential in some of these private Christian schools.

Hate is a credential in some of these private Christian schools.

[kimbutgar]

25. Sadly you are correct!

😢😭

[RANDYWILDMAN]

23. Pathetic !

Teachers are better then that, no matter what side you are on.

[Hortensis]

29. Yes, need to be, and most are. Thank goodness. But those who aren't!

[Baitball Blogger]

24. This is why we should watch how we pass public money to private religious schools.

We knew this was going to happen. Now it's happening. The next step should be obvious.