Suspended for chanting Hindu prayer: Teacher

[utubekhiladi]

Would it be racism or intolerance?

i think racism first and then the later

 

[Razor]

would christains chant hindu mantras and sing bhajans too? because they also refer to "lord god" i am sure our hindu mantras are also universal.

would they offer namaz too? because namaz also refers to "lord god"

with all respect ray sir, we dont want to derail this topic. we don't need any preaching regarding this.

With all due respect sir. Even though I am not a practicing Christian and am highly agnostic, when I go to my native village (yes, I am a villager) in Kerala, I make it a point to attend mass at the local church. Believe it or not the mass begins with:

asato ma sadgamaya
tamaso ma jyotirgamaya
mrtyorma amrtam gamaya

Upanishad

Now that is accepting what is good in others. In Kerala (most of) everybody celebrates Onam (Hindu) and Vishu(Harvest) including some Muslims that I know. What I am saying is it is better not to clump together and generalize people, saying Christians would never say Hindu mantras or Muslims are all hard-liners. It just simply doesn't work. There is too much diversity amongst us, that attempts to generalize are often ineffective.

And on topic. I ll repeat my stance. She shouldn't have barged in, that was wrong. And the other person was rude/intolerant (not racist. ). The first person certainly need not be suspended, maybe reprimanded and not for chanting Hindu mantras but for not following decorum. And the second person, yeah she was rude but I wouldn't punish her. I mean, tell me would you not kick out a mormon evangelist intruding your home, I would. Would you not shoot a burglar intruding your home to rob you inspite of the fact that, he is doing so to feed himself (Castle doctrine).

 

[Ray]

would christains chant hindu mantras and sing bhajans too? because they also refer to "lord god" i am sure our hindu mantras are also universal.

would they offer namaz too? because namaz also refers to "lord god"

with all respect ray sir, we dont want to derail this topic. we don't need any preaching regarding this.

With due respect to you, I wrote:

I take it that in other religions, their 'hymns' I*(in sense of their religious praise to God) would be equally universal and yet meaning their God!

Please do not jump to conclusions that is set in your mind.

I presume every religion sings 'hymns' (songs of devotion) that have universal appeal, but it is obvious that if they are in a congregation, they mean their God.

So, if in this school Christian hymns are sung, it is to the Christian God. I take it that it is a Christian Minority School.

Therefore, if a Hindu teacher wanted the Hindu students to invoke their God just before a test, it was nothing wrong. And turning of the microphone was incorrect. This act would cause consternation and unhappiness amongst the Hindu students. The teachers could have been spoken to later.

If this was a Christian minority school, then they are within their rights to invoke the Christian God, but do not have the right to force such invocation on non Christian students.

In my school, Chapel was for Christian boys and it was voluntary for others. Most non Christians did not attend since that time could be well used to copy homework from others!

To be fair, if the School was a Christian minority school and it was the practice to sing only Christian hymns and nothing else, then it would be wrong of the Hindu teacher to invoke Hindu hymns since it was a departure from the School's practice and hence an incorrect 'intrusion' to the accepted norms.

In Ramakrishna Mission schools, it would be an equal departure from the norms, if suddenly some teacher started singing Christian hymns during assembly.

So, please read before jumping to conclusion.

My post was well within the ambit of the subject of the thread and not something that can derail!

Racism = a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior.

I take it the teachers were Indians and Tamils. So, there should be no issue of racism.

Intolerance = Unwilling to tolerate differences in opinions, practices, or beliefs, especially religious beliefs.

By using the word racism, it could lead to derailing, if a foreigner and a Christian were to comment!

 

[pankaj nema]

Stupid teacher

What was the BIG need to do this silly thing in the first place

Before an exam starts kids need peace and quiet And many of them rush to the toilet
or the water cooler

 

[Razor]

Stupid teacher

What was the BIG need to do this silly thing in the first place

Before an exam starts kids need peace and quiet And many of them rush to the toilet
or the water cooler

Exactly. What is the need for prayers. Be it christian/hindu/islam. I mean, for me the most important thing is toilet. I need to empty my bladders.

 

[pankaj nema]

What is the scene of an exam hall

Before an exam starts kids need to settle on their correct seats ; check their roll numbers and hall tickets
check and clean small pieces of paper
lying around so that they wont be accused of cheating ; check their pens ; calculators; other
necesssary things that they need for writing

Many of them are trying to calm their nerves by talking to their mates around

Kids are engaged in quite prayers anyway on their seats anyway
what is the need for this MEGA prayer

Really stupid teacher

 

[Ray]

One chap in my school invoked all Gods of all religions (he knew of).

His rationale - who knows which God had gone to take rest after worrying about the world and staying awake all the time!

Returning to the thread, it is silly of the School Administration to have suspended the teacher.

In today's environment, one has to be very careful before showing religious arrogance!

 

[utubekhiladi]

And on topic. I ll repeat my stance. She shouldn't have barged in, that was wrong. And the other person was rude/intolerant (not racist. ). The first person certainly need not be suspended, maybe reprimanded and not for chanting Hindu mantras but for not following decorum. And the second person, yeah she was rude but I wouldn't punish her. I mean, tell me would you not kick out a mormon evangelist intruding your home, I would. Would you not shoot a burglar intruding your home to rob you inspite of the fact that, he is doing so to feed himself (Castle doctrine).

look, the teacher didn't chant hindu mantra inside a church or christian specific gathering/assembly or in a christian institute. it was an examination hall. then what kind of decorum are you talking about and who created such decorum? why are you repeatedly dodging my question when i ask why christian prayer is forced upon on all students. what do u mean by you wouldn't punish the teacher who turned the mic off? did the teacher own the mic or the institution? is she because holier than thou?

i will come back to that Upanishad later.

 

[utubekhiladi]

it is silly of the School Administration to have suspended the teacher.

In today's environment, one has to be very careful before showing religious arrogance!

that's precisely what i am trying to rant for the past 1 hour

also, why no action is taken against the teacher who turned the mic off.

 

[lemontree]

do christian teachers do the same? - do they announce their desire first before singing christian songs

i am still trying to understand why christian song/prayer is forced upon on all students

Maybe you should ask the same question to the Arya Vidya Mandir group of schools.
They follow strict vedic chants in the school assembly and all teachers irrespective of their religion have to follow it or they are kicked out.

All school assemblies are formal drills, it appears that the teacher tried to be "innovative" without taking/ getting approval. Now that she has been kicked out, and she is communalising the issue.

If you are so anti-christian in your views, why do you live in a christian country? Come back to your vedic roots.....You can live is a purely BJP ruled state, you can choose Gujarat, MP, Bihar, Goa (but its catholic, so you may not like it there).

You must be miserable in Texas. Poor you.

 

[Razor]

look, the teacher didn't chant hindu mantra inside a church or christian specific gathering/assembly or in a christian institute. it was an examination hall. then what kind of decorum are you talking about and who created such decorum? why are you repeatedly dodging my question when i ask why christian prayer is forced upon on all students. what do u mean by you wouldn't punish the teacher who turned the mic off? did the teacher own the mic or the institution? is she because holier than thou?

i will come back to that Upanishad later.

Now from what I understand this was probably the board exams. There are no prayers before other usual exams, as far as I can remember. Before the students are taken to the exam center which is another school, they are gathered together and a few teachers are on the dais, sayin sh!t like: "You will do well" etc. It is during this assembly that this prayer thing happens. Hence the decorum.

And I am not dodging your question. I simply don't know the answer. I don't run that chain of schools.

PS: 200th post. Yeah ftw. These small things make me happy.

 

[utubekhiladi]

With due respect to you, I wrote:

if in this school Christian hymns are sung, it is to the Christian God. I take it that it is a Christian Minority School.

no, it wasn't a christian school to begin with. or was it?

Therefore, if a Hindu teacher wanted the Hindu students to invoke their God just before a test, it was nothing wrong. And turning of the microphone was incorrect. This act would cause consternation and unhappiness amongst the Hindu students. The teachers could have been spoken to later.

i agree.

If this was a Christian minority school, then they are within their rights to invoke the Christian God, but do not have the right to force such invocation on non Christian students.

i agree.

To be fair, if the School was a Christian minority school and it was the practice to sing only Christian hymns and nothing else, then it would be wrong of the Hindu teacher to invoke Hindu hymns since it was a departure from the School's practice and hence an incorrect 'intrusion' to the accepted norms.

i have to agree to disagree, but it wasn't christian school. - correct me if i am wrong

My post was well within the ambit of the subject of the thread and not something that can derail!

yes, that's because i interfered. i have seen many of your post which ends up preaching whenever u bring the topic called "trinity".

 

[pankaj nema]

Prayers and Assemblies during normal school days is fine

It happens in most schools

But wasting the time and energy of the students during exams

This is simply horrible

 

[utubekhiladi]

Now from what I understand this was probably the board exams. There are no prayers before other usual exams, as far as I can remember. Before the students are taken to the exam center which is another school, they are gathered together and a few teachers are on the dais, sayin sh!t like: "You will do well" etc. It is during this assembly that this prayer thing happens. Hence the decorum.

read the news again, it happened inside examination hall.. not in assembly or prayer hall.

I simply don't know the answer. I don't run that chain of schools.

ok.

 

[plugwater]

Maybe you should ask the same question to the Arya Vidya Mandir group of schools.
They follow strict vedic chants in the school assembly and all teachers irrespective of their religion have to follow it or they are kicked out.

All school assemblies are formal drills, it appears that the teacher tried to be "innovative" without taking/ getting approval. Now that she has been kicked out, and she is communalising the issue.

If you are so anti-christian in your views, why do you live in a christian country? Come back to your vedic roots.....You can live is a purely BJP ruled state, you can choose Gujarat, MP, Bihar, Goa (but its catholic, so you may not like it there).

You must be miserable in Texas. Poor you.

Spot on!! Now expect some abuse from him

If he cant do anything he gets personal, spoiled one.

 

[sesha_maruthi27]

Every Human has his own right to practice his religion and this is what the CONSTITUTION OF INDIA says. Even I was

ordered to swipe away the thilak on my forehead and it is a shame that the principal of the school directly ordered me and

the name of the school is Stanes Higher Secondary school in coonoor, it is a chrisitian missionary school and it is also 100

years old. Believe me they forced me and after a long discomfort I had to take it of my forehead. Very bad, I could have filed

a case against the institution for forcing their religion up on me but it is waste of time and I got out of that school. Earlier I

studied at Mountain Home Higher Secondary school and I used to go to the prayer hall with the thilak and no one ever

asked me to take it off my forehead and the school is also a Christian Missionary school.

 

[lemontree]

@Karthic Sri,

All you seem to do is rake up communal issues in your threads/ posts. Why??
There are tons of stuff one can post on the mischief of the VHP or RSS, but it is of no use as it only viles the atmosphere of a forum.

Anti-christian threads seem to give you a kind of morbid orgasmic pleasure.

 

[sesha_maruthi27]

All you seem to do is rake up communal issues in your threads/ posts. Why??
There are tons of stuff one can post on the mischief of the VHP or RSS, but it is of no use as it only viles the atmosphere of a forum.

Anti-christian threads seem to give you a kind of morbid orgasmic pleasure.

Because some of those people are preaching what is against Christianity and Jesus. In fact we HINDUS know more about

Jesus, whom we call as ISHA NATH. Think you don't know much about LORD JESUS.

 

[utubekhiladi]

If you are so anti-christian in your views, why do you live in a christian country? Come back to your vedic roots.....You can live is a purely BJP ruled state, you can choose Gujarat, MP, Bihar, Goa (but its catholic, so you may not like it there).

You must be miserable in Texas. Poor you.

you don't even know shyt about me. so stop making assumptions.

Maybe you should ask the same question to the Arya Vidya Mandir group of schools.
They follow strict vedic chants in the school assembly and all teachers irrespective of their religion have to follow it or they are kicked out.

it is foolishness to jump into between a thread and play the hard bull without reading previous post. read my previous posts again, you will find that all i am saying is, if it is not a dedicated christian institute, then there is no harm in offering hindu or muslim prayers. if it is a dedicated christian institute then yes, hindu prayers should not be offered without consultations. vidya mandir is a dedicated hindu institution.

 

[Razor]

read my previous posts again, you will find that all i am saying is, if it is not a dedicated christian institute, then there is no harm in offering hindu or muslim prayers.

Agreed. Now all I am saying is: This teacher should have talked to the people who are organizing this assembly saying, "Now, look I need a time slot too." Then the problem would have been solved. But s/he didn't do that and climbed up the dais and said the prayer.