Texas Seventh Grader Says Teacher Told Class: ‘God is a myth’

Washington Post

In a five-minute, tape-recorded statement to the Katy school board, Jordan Wooley, 12, a student at West Memorial Junior High School, says her reading teacher was leading students in an exercise designed to distinguish between statements that are an”opinion,” a “factual claim” or a “commonplace assertion,” according to KTRK-TV, the ABC affiliate in Houston.

To the statement “There is a God,” Wooley told KTRK she answered that it was both a “factual claim” and “opinion.”

Wooley says the teacher disputed that answer.

“She told anyone who said fact or opinion is wrong and that God is only a myth,” Wooley says in her statement. “She started telling kids that they were completely wrong and when kids would argue she had told them that we would get in trouble.”

Though I agree with statement that, "There is a God" is opinion (an opinion I share) and not fact, this teacher should not have brought God or lack of God into a classroom of seventh graders or any classroom in the public school system. It's not any less wrong for a public school teacher to have done this than it is for them to ask students to pray. Both are a violation of the 1st Amendment.

a reply to: Kali74

Give that teacher a pay rise, any other statement on religion to children is effectively brain washing.

a reply to: Kali74

Agreed. The teacher would have done much better to discuss the difference between "opinion" and "myth" rather than get all caught up in her own belief system and whether or not anyone agrees with it.

a reply to: Kali74

I have been told this for 12 years in my school ... constantly. We were even threatened to get BEATEN if we attended any religious courses after school or similar.


Meh ...


Only made me research God even more. Praise be to Him.

a reply to: Zcustosmorum

I disagree. A publicly funded education system is not a place to tell children what they believe is wrong that what their parents teach them is wrong, it's not a place to children they should believe in anything either. I don't like religion either, that's why I choose not to practice one. That freedom to choose is precious.

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum
a reply to: Kali74

Give that teacher a pay rise, any other statement on religion to children is effectively brain washing.

No, take that opportunity to have a decent (but elementary...they're just 12-year-olds, after all) but logical discussion as to why it's not a truly factual claim, but you don't just jump out and say God is a myth and leave it at that (although something tells me there were more words than that involved).

Teachers are supposed to not only teach absolutes, but also how to employ critical thinking in everyday situations that their students will encounter--religion is one of those.

But brain-washing works both ways, and any hardcore religious person will tell you that a teacher telling students that God is a myth is also brainwashing.

And for what it's worth, I'm a pretty hardcore atheist, so while I agree with the teacher, I disagree with how she asserted her claim.

originally posted by: sHuRuLuNi
a reply to: Kali74

I have been told this for 12 years in my school ... constantly. We were even threatened to get BEATEN if we attended any religious courses after school or similar.


Meh ...


Only made me research God even more. Praise be to Him.

Sorry, not buying that.

a reply to: sHuRuLuNi

Ha, and I grew up in a super-religious household (Baptist, father was a deacon, mom was choir director, dad started the AWANAS program, etc.), and that made me research religion even more.

Now I'm an atheist.

Funny how that works.

originally posted by: Open_Minded Skeptic
a reply to: Kali74

Agreed. The teacher would have done much better to discuss the difference between "opinion" and "myth" rather than get all caught up in her own belief system and whether or not anyone agrees with it.

The exercises was designed to do just that. Critical thinking skill exercises should be a part of school but bringing God into it, is wrong.

originally posted by: Kali74
“She told anyone who said fact or opinion is wrong and that God is only a myth,”

I disagree that it's not an opinion. It definitely is.

I agree with you that this shouldn't be part of the class. It's not her place to deny what the kids' parents are telling them is fact. "There is a God" is an opinion.

Seems the little girl was lying... www.abovetopsecret.com...

originally posted by: Kali74
a reply to: Zcustosmorum

I disagree. A publicly funded education system is not a place to tell children what they believe is wrong that what their parents teach them is wrong, it's not a place to children they should believe in anything either. I don't like religion either, that's why I choose not to practice one. That freedom to choose is precious.

Excellent point, I should've added that the teacher should've got promotion if they simply said that there isn't actually any scientific evidence that points to the existence of God.

a reply to: Kali74

Do we know if the teacher brought up that statement, or could it have been submitted by a student?

In either even, I'm glad she didn't ignore the issue altogether, but at the same time, she handled it incorrectly.

originally posted by: sHuRuLuNi
a reply to: Kali74

I have been told this for 12 years in my school ... constantly. We were even threatened to get BEATEN if we attended any religious courses after school or similar.


Meh ...


Only made me research God even more. Praise be to Him.

That is how I feel, too. My faith is number one priority in my humble little life. Respect to you. Yea! Praise be to Him!

a reply to: sHuRuLuNi

Where did you go to school? Jeez, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were lying through your teeth here. This has been going on for at least 12 years and no one has come out about it until right now on this forum? Sounds extremely hard to believe.

As for the OP, the teacher should be punished in some way, maybe a week or two suspension without pay. You don't go around telling kids that in a secular school, it's just as bad as preaching that Jesus saves. If true, she was out of line.

originally posted by: sHuRuLuNi
a reply to: Kali74

I have been told this for 12 years in my school ... constantly. We were even threatened to get BEATEN if we attended any religious courses after school or similar.


Meh ...


Only made me research God even more. Praise be to Him.

This sounds HIGHLY unbelievable. Especially the threat of physical violence for attending religious courses outside of school hours.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

I think it's an opinion also but it's not a public school teacher's place to introduce that.

originally posted by: Kali74

originally posted by: sHuRuLuNi
a reply to: Kali74

I have been told this for 12 years in my school ... constantly. We were even threatened to get BEATEN if we attended any religious courses after school or similar.


Meh ...


Only made me research God even more. Praise be to Him.

Sorry, not buying that.

Ahm, are you saying I am lying?

I grew up in a communist country. Our school principal would threaten us constanty since we were firstgraders. His exact words were usually like this "If I hear any of you has attended a religious course/school (usually in our mosque) I WILL BEAT HIM LIKE A DONKEY.".

That went on for years until the fall of communism.

So, yeah ...

a reply to: Kali74

And when a child asks why hasn't God dealt with the problem of mum dying young and leaving her and her little brother what does one tell the child that is the truth? How long do we have to dream up excuses generation after generation - sorry but I think its time for the truth and not the myth about god being perpetuated. Kids see the news which is on all day so they see the atrocities being enacted both in Israel in the name of one god versus another and with ISIS and all the ghastly behaviour in the name of God again. Isn't it time man grew up and faced truth rather than myth.

For some reason I just don't believe the school threatend to beat you for being religious. "Meh" doesn't really seem like an appropriate response.

Communist country you say? What one?


a reply to: sHuRuLuNi

originally posted by: SlapMonkey
Do we know if the teacher brought up that statement, or could it have been submitted by a student?

The teacher brought it up. It was on the assignment. Source