" Great comments, Jerry. It's sad that the intolerant preach about intolerance incessantly. Just because one is godless, as Scott obviously is, doesn't mean he can't be a hypocrite, which he is. Unfortunately, no matter how many complaints from parents, students and other teachers there are, he remains, teaching intolerance to those most easily influenced - our children....another great example of how tenure is ruining the educational system. I thank God (or whoever it's okay to thank these days...)that my kids won't have to deal with him. "

" wesley 2007 not 1777 "

" Well stated, "godseymail". "

" ricocafe99, you are absolutely right! Great comments. "

" Religious training is the responsibility of the parents not the government. Society has changed significantly since the bible was written as well as since the constitution was adopted...there should be some flexibility to allow for changing social mores within reason. The people who wrote the bible did not know of the existence of people who lived far from them and their religious beliefs and our Christian forefathers could not have foreseen the mixed heritage of today's America. We all must respect others whether we agree with them or not...within reason. "

" Isn't it ironic that someone who is calling for tolerance uses phrases like, "little Bible thumper," "Stepford mother and Ward Cleaver dad" and "stilted views?" True tolerance means that Mr. Fullerton should be as generous to Mr. Shinn as he expects Mr. Shinn to be to everyone else. It never ceases to amaze me how intolerant we can be when we call people intolerant... "

" The predicted Apostasy began full force when Emperor Constantine made "christianity" part of the Roman Empire. The "rotten fruits",(Matthew 7:15-28) of that unholy merger have been evidently abundant ever since. "

" Westly is right on here. There is no separation of church and state 'stated' in the constitution. The BoR are negative law. 'shall make no...', 'shall not infringe', etc. By design they are prohibiting the government from areas of intrusion on The People. CDJ "

" Wesley, Many "christians" overlook Jesus' position regarding mixing religion and politics,as stated in ,John 18:36, "my kingdom is NOT a part of this world, if it was, my disciples(christians),would have fought so I wouldn't be delivered unto the Jews." If being a "Christian" means following the teachings of Jesus,where does that leave those that want to fight to make his kingdom "a part of this world"? The answer lies in Matthew chapter seven: "I never knew ye." "

" Good rebuttal!! What went through my mind was that Samuel's parents are grossly negligent in not enrolling little Samuel in a Christian school where hopefully there is no fun to lead little Samuel astray. Let's face it, little Samuel is being raised to be religiously intolerant. My folks taught us to be respectful and mindful of the beliefs of other people and to keep our religious beliefs to ourselves. But I am not as tolerant as Mr Fullerton, my message to little Samuel and his folks is; if you don't like it here, move to some other religiously intolerant place or planet where you might feel more at home. Now, if you will excuse me, I am late to the after Halloween sales! "

" you're making a fool of yourself Wesley. I have no problem with Christianity as long as it is practiced as Jesus said it should, in the home. Bible-beaters like Ann Coulter and others who argue for a greater presence of religion in government violate my right to not have to have their beliefs shoved down my throat. I am a Christian myself, but I make sure to respect the rights of others by respecting the decisions they make in terms of religion while still keeping my faith strong. Isn't that what we're supposed to do anyway? "

" English Civil War....Catholic v. Protestants ? I thought this was mostly between the Parlimentarians and Royalists over control of British Government and who had the paower; "elected" Parliment or the King......wasn't the 30-years War that ripped "Germany" and spilled over into Austria, France, the low Countries, between "Catholic" and "Protestant" ? As for the US Constitution, IIRC, wasn't it Thomas Jefferson who championed a "separation of Church and State" ? And, not in the Constitution, but in one or a couple of his many letters of coorespondence with other learned men ? Sadly, too many in history have used religion as a stepping stone for their personal gain. Mr. Fullerton and those who responded....keep writing and discussing....you can't do this in Iran, or North Korea, or really even in modern 21st century Russia. Bravo for Amendment One of our US Constitution. "

" Right on the mark Wesely!This country is already morally corrupt! Seems that the educators are trying to push an agenda rather than teach the 3 R's. Muslims can take time out in school for praying, our kids should be able to recite the "pledge" in it's entirety. "

" How funny abelito. Would those be the same thought police that have banned the Boy Scouts from using public venues because of their Christian beliefs? Would this be the same thought police that tried to destroy the Mt. Soledad Cross in San Diego, a war monument. There's thought police alright but they are out to get Christians and any other group that has the least bit of morality. "

" pinomatus, of course I am biased. I'm biased in favor of the US Constitution, which was created by men of faith, the Christian faith. Any reasonable person can see that Christianity is being drummed out of the public square by those that despise American values. The US Constitution says what it says. The establishment clause of the first amendment states that Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion. That means the US Congress is banned by the Constitution from enacting a law that makes any one religion a national religion. There is no such phrase of "separation of church and state" in the US Constitution. Contrary to Mr. Fullerton's opinion, the US Constitution does not ban "God" from the classroom. "

" The "end game" will be when "Little Samuel" comes crying home and tell his parents that "the neighbors don't worship god the way we do." Mommy will call "The Thought Police" and have the neighbors dragged out of their home, in the middle of the night, to never be heard from again. Scary stuff that will make Freddy Kreuger and Halloween seem like a nursery rhyme. "

" wesley your points sound biased. i would say due to your religous preferences. mr. fullerton well stated. "

" This has nothing to do with the constitution. The establsihment clause Mr. Fullerton refers to, states that Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion. It doesn't state that every last vesitge of Christianity must be banned from the public square. The fact is individual states can enact their own state religions. If the California state legislature wanted to enact a law making Catholicism the state religion, it could do so. Such an act would not violate the US Constitution. "

" can discern the difference= can't discern.... "

" "Kids are much smarter than Jim Shinn lets on in his little morality play." This is stated by Mr. Fullerton. Then we have this by Mr. Fullerton: "The notion of belief is key here because while kids might believe in God, they know Freddy and Jason exist only in movies." As well as this: "Let us suspend belief here for a second and assume an actual 9-year old can make the disingenuous suggestion linking 1) an absence of God in a public classroom" Apparenlty nine year old kids are only smart if they agree with Mr. Fullerton. According to Mr. Fullerton nine year old kids can discern the difference between real and fictional characters yet they can't discern whether or not there is hostility towards their beliefs. "

" Well stated Mr. Fullerton. "

" This is an insgnificant and rather meaningless event. So, what if some kid doesn't like Holloween? The bigots will jump at every chance to bash Christianity. Of course when students are given assignments to act like muslims that is fine Mr. Fullerton. "

" As a child of the 70s and a parent today I feel today's kids miss a lot of what Christmas is really about. They and the nation seem to think that it is all about spending, spending, spending, all of the collected media are pushing consumerism upon us which I know is necessary for the economy but still it seems that the "reason for the season" is lost. When I was a child we had Christmas songs and pageants at school so we had a more genuine feel for Christmas as the celebration of Jesus' birthday. I know that in today's society we have many different religions, more then when I was in school. Social norms inevitably change and recognizing that Christianity is not the only religion is an example. I do think many of today's children are missing out on the meaning of the holiday, but that is not the public school system's mandate. Religion should be taught at home. My children attend church regularly with me so they do know what Christmas is all about but they sure seem to want presents more than I did...or maybe it just seems that way since I'm paying! "

" Good article. Mr. Shinn forgets that, despite man's best,sincere efforts to make "the Kingdom of God" part of this country's, or any country's government, God is not of the same inclination,(see John 18:36). "

" I'd turn to religion if I had to endure the everyday torment of living in the Imperial Valley! "