Lawmakers urge S.F. archbishop to withdraw teacher morality clauses

[CatholicHockey7]

It occurs to me that the same people who want to block this move are happy to allow newspapers and other media outlets to fire employees who post election signs in their yards.

That’s actually a real thing! We learned about it in my journalism classes. Many newspapers have a clause in the contract prohibiting their employees from campaigning in any way on any political issue on the ballot, especially for political candidates. They do this for two reasons: 1.) Because the editorial department usually gives an endorsement one way or the other, and they don’t want someone to think the paper endorses “Candidate A” because sports reporter John Smith has a sign in his front yard, and 2.) they want their staff to appear as unbiased as possible. It’s hard to convince someone you’re giving unbiased coverage of “Candidate B” when your bumper sticker says “Vote for A!”

Keep in mind I’m talking about LOCAL media outlets, not national.

Somehow it’s okay to have those clauses, but to ask a teacher at a Catholic school to live according to Catholic values is intolerant?

 

[gocardsgo11in11]

Student at the end of the article: "We just think that maybe the Catholic Church should become as progressive as the Episcopal Church.”

Wait… What?

To quote one of my favorite commercials: That’s not how this works… that’s not how any of this works.

:banghead:

 

[CatholicHockey7]

Since some teachers are not Catholic, how exactly can a non-Catholic be considered a Catholic minister?

Because at the end of the day you are representing the school, which is Catholic, and you are responsible for teaching them in a Catholic environment.

 

[JimG]

Since some teachers are not Catholic, how exactly can a non-Catholic be considered a Catholic minister?

From the article:
Catholic education is truly a ministry in which all teachers perform — or ought to perform — a vital religious function. Catholic schools are not simply places of secular education with a moral environment and religious instruction for students. Their primarily objective should be the whole formation of students as Christians, and all teaching ought to be presented in the light of the truth revealed through Jesus Christ and his Church.

ncregister.com/daily-news/are-catholic-schoolteachers-ministers/#ixzz3SLumHsUR

 

[Thorolfr]

From the article:
Catholic education is truly a ministry in which all teachers perform — or ought to perform — a vital religious function. Catholic schools are not simply places of secular education with a moral environment and religious instruction for students. Their primarily objective should be the whole formation of students as Christians, and all teaching ought to be presented in the light of the truth revealed through Jesus Christ and his Church.

ncregister.com/daily-news/are-catholic-schoolteachers-ministers/#ixzz3SLumHsUR

How could a mathematics teacher, for example, be performing a vital religious function and how could mathematics be “presented in the light of the truth revealed through Jesus Christ and his Church”?

 

[CatholicHockey7]

How could a mathematics teacher, for example, be performing a vital religious function and how could mathematics be “presented in the light of the truth revealed through Jesus Christ and his Church”?

Because even though he is teaching math he is still a role model to the students. If he (or she) is publicly living in a way contradictory to the values of Catholicism it could lead students to false beliefs about the Church.

Also, because it is a Catholic school, there may be some things which the students must participate in (weekly/monthly liturgies, daily prayer, etc.) and the teachers would be looked to as examples. Students who see the teacher doesn’t care or doesn’t participate will ask why they have to participate.

In either case, they will point to the teachers as examples to justify their behavior or beliefs.

 

[unstoppable_II]

I saw that. You have to remember that man’s right to life existed long before it was mentioned in the Declaration of Independence.

There really should be no question about the inclusion of rights within the Constitution. The Constitution grants no rights. It protects existing rights by limiting the government.

That is what I was leading up to. Some believe they were not put in the Constitution to avoid the idea that rights were granted by it. Of course, if it did, they could be taken away.

 

[Brendan]

How could a mathematics teacher, for example, be performing a vital religious function and how could mathematics be “presented in the light of the truth revealed through Jesus Christ and his Church”?

In Catholic Theology, knowledge of the created world shows the Glory of God and is a means by which God reveals Himself to mankind. As such, there is no scientific field that is not, at it’s core, theological.

 

[edwest2]

Because even though he is teaching math he is still a role model to the students. If he (or she) is publicly living in a way contradictory to the values of Catholicism it could lead students to false beliefs about the Church.

Also, because it is a Catholic school, there may be some things which the students must participate in (weekly/monthly liturgies, daily prayer, etc.) and the teachers would be looked to as examples. Students who see the teacher doesn’t care or doesn’t participate will ask why they have to participate.

In either case, they will point to the teachers as examples to justify their behavior or beliefs.

Well said. Thank you.

Ed

 

[JimG]

Archbishop: Would You Hire A Campaign Manager Who Works Against What You Stand For?

 

[unstoppable_II]

Archbishop: Would You Hire A Campaign Manager Who Works Against What You Stand For?

Mega

 

[Tony_Micelli]

No doubt it’s absolutely stupid for teachers and students at catholic schools to want the church to not judge anyone or anything. But these expensive catholic high schools mostly cater to parents who only care about getting thier children into elite colleges and high paying careers. They can care less about the morality of what the church teaches.

 

[jtauke]

Tell them Catholic schools will withdraw the requirement the day the public schools stop persecuting Christian students.

This is ridiculous. I went to public school throughout high school and went to a state university.

I never witnessed any persecution in the slightest, against myself or any other christian denomination.

 

[Thorolfr]

In Catholic Theology, knowledge of the created world shows the Glory of God and is a means by which God reveals Himself to mankind. As such, there is no scientific field that is not, at it’s core, theological.

They could just rename all the classes to justify making their teachers into “ministers”, i.e. “The Theology of Mathematics 101” or “The Theology of Chemistry 201”.

 

[jtauke]

They could just rename all the classes to justify making their teachers into “ministers”, i.e. “The Theology of Mathematics 101” or “The Theology of Chemistry 201”.

Changing a name doesn’t change what they are…

Theology of Mathematics? Just putting the word theology in the name doesn’t make it a theological class…it’s still just math.

If I call a kernel of corn the cob fruit, does it become a fruit and not a vegetable? No.

 

[Thorolfr]

Changing a name doesn’t change what they are…

Theology of Mathematics? Just putting the word theology in the name doesn’t make it a theological class…it’s still just math.

If I call a kernel of corn the cob fruit, does it become a fruit and not a vegetable? No.

I agree

That’s why I think it’s silly to pretend that math or science teachers (many of whom might not even be Catholic) should be classified as “ministers”. The main purpose for doing this is to get around certain laws that protect those teachers.

 

[jtauke]

In Catholic Theology, knowledge of the created world shows the Glory of God and is a means by which God reveals Himself to mankind. As such, there is no scientific field that is not, at it’s core, theological.

That’s a huge cop-out answer. “Oh well, God made everthing, so everything is theology…”

It doesn’t change the fact that a Math teacher is teaching math, not theology.

It doesn’t change the fact that there is no theology to algebra, geometry, pre-calc, calc.

What theology would you teach in a class regarding any of the above? Or chemistry, physics, etc…

 

[jtauke]

I agree

 

[unstoppable_II]

This is ridiculous. I went to public school throughout high school and went to a state university.

I never witnessed any persecution in the slightest, against myself or any other christian denomination.

Were you a STEM major?

In any event, you weren’t everywhere, and I guess you were never made to “play Muslim for a day” when seventh-grade students were required to pretend they’re Muslims, wear Islamic garb, memorize verses from the Quran, pray to Allah and even to play “jihad games” in California public schools. [Imagine the ACLU reaction if Muslims were required to “play Christian for a day.”] You were probably never called a “făscĭst băstärd” Lopez v. Candaele] or kicked out of a class for expressing your Christian views Glowacki v. Howell Public Schools and teacher Johnson McDowell]

 

[jtauke]

Were you a STEM major?

In any event, you weren’t everywhere, and I guess you were never made to “play Muslim for a day” when seventh-grade students were required to pretend they’re Muslims, wear Islamic garb, memorize verses from the Quran, pray to Allah and even to play “jihad games” in California public schools. [Imagine the ACLU reaction if Muslims were required to “play Christian for a day.”] You were probably never called a “făscĭst băstärd” Lopez v. Candaele] or kicked out of a class for expressing your Christian views Glowacki v. Howell Public Schools and teacher Johnson McDowell]

Computer Engineering, though I moved to Management Information Systems because I disliked the programming emphasis.

So yes, I was a STEM major. And no I didn’t experience any of the rarities that you listed off.