Steven Williams Case - more factual information

Fri Dec 10 11:16:19 PST 2004

Imagine the following assignment by a Jewish teacher to his class in
World History two weeks before Easter (when, it so happens, the syllabus
for the course is treating the Holocaust):  

The account of Jesus's trial and subsequent punishment as set out in the
Christian Gospels is viewed by many historians and theologians as a
central source of anti-Semitism and the cause of persecution and,
indeed, massacre, of Jews throughout the ages.  Please read the various
accounts of Jesus's trial in the four Gospels and indicate why someone
might view them as anti-Semitic.  (Is there significant variation among
the Gospels in this regard?) 

Would anyone on this list who supports Mr. Williams have any problems
with this assignment?

-----Original Message-----
From: religionlaw-bounces at lists.ucla.edu
[mailto:religionlaw-bounces at lists.ucla.edu] On Behalf Of Marc Stern
Sent: Friday, December 10, 2004 11:24 AM
To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics
Subject: RE: Steven Williams Case - more factual information

IF this is typical of what the teacher was complaining about being
forbidden  to teach, the only question for the court is whether
plaintiff will be liable for the school's attorneys fee under Rule 11,
Marc Stern

-----Original Message-----
From: religionlaw-bounces at lists.ucla.edu
[mailto:religionlaw-bounces at lists.ucla.edu] On Behalf Of Ed Brayton
Sent: Friday, December 10, 2004 12:18 PM
To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics
Subject: Steven Williams Case - more factual information

The key question in the Steven Williams case, as Jim Henderson and I
agreed last week, will revolve around the facts of the case - the
contents of the handouts that were disallowed by the principal and
whether they indicate that what Mr. Williams was engaged in was
proselytizing rather than teaching history. Some of those handouts were
included in the complaint that the ADF filed
(http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/media/WilliamsvCupertinoComplaint.pd
f),
and one more has been published at
http://www.eriposte.com/philosophy/fundamentalism/StevenWilliams_Easter_
assignment.jpg. 
The latter is apparently an assignment that Williams handed out about
Easter to his 5th grade class. Here is the text of that assignment:

----------------------------

Activities on Exploring Easter and Why it's Relevant in our Culture and
Nation

Christianity has had a huge influence on our nation and so during the
Easter season it's important to know why Christians celebrate this
'Holy'-day and what impact Jessu Christ had on our society and nation. 
Pick 2 of the following activities and present them next week.

* Read the East er story in the bible. Start reading Luke, chapter 22
and continue to the end of the book of Luke. Write a resopnse to some of

the themes in the Easter story of the bible: betrayal, sacrifice,
resurrection, love, hope, new life. Write a response to any of the
themes in the story using references from the bible and how they apply
to our culture today. Make a diorama of a scene from the story and
attach your written response.

*Interview a Christian family that celebrates Easter and write about
what they do and why they do it. Write a summary of your interview and
give an oral presentation to the class on what you found using props and

antyhing appropriate to enhancing your presentation.

*John Adams wrote, "Our constitution was made only for a moral and
religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any
other." He also wrote a paper called, "American Independence was
Achieved Upon the Principles of Christianity." Write a one page report
on why he felt so strongly that this nation should be founded on
Christian principles and quote from primary sources.

*Review some of the famous teachings of Jesus Christ such as: the Golden

Rule, the Sermon on the Mount, and parable of the Good Samaritan. Write
a response to this teaching and how it is applied today in our culture
and examples of how it has shaped our nation. Present a short oral
presentation or skit to the class which demonstrates what you learned.

*You will pretend to be a newspaper reporter and you will need to
interview someone who works for a church near you. Ask them, what will
their church be doing to remember Jesus' death and resurrection? Why is
Easter important to them? Write a one page article based on your
interview.

Pick 2 of the activities to complete by next Wed. 4/14

-------------------------------------

Assuming this document is authentic, it would certainly seem to me that
it strongly undercuts Williams' case. The assignment is clearly
inappropriate proselytizing and it would strongly support the school
district's argument that Mr. Williams could not be trusted to determine
what is appropriate or inappropriate when it came to supplemental
materials and that the administration's oversight on that matter was
entirely justified.It should also be noted that there are at least 2
quotes in his other handouts that are entirely fictitious, and quite
possibly one entire document referenced that is a forgery (Washington's
"prayer journal").

Ed Brayton

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unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see
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Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as
private.  Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are
posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly
or wrongly) forward the messages to others.