The legislature in Florida passed a bill to allow school districts to hire religious chaplains to help students in need of counseling. The bill awaits DeSantis’ signature. Pastors, priests, imams, ministers, rabbis, and other spiritual counselors are standing by.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has yet to sign a bill that would allow chaplains to offer counseling in public schools, but one colorful religious figure says he is already eager to volunteer.
He’s a self-described “Hindu statesman” from Nevada who says he would like to bring “the wisdom of ancient Sanskrit scriptures” to students — perhaps not exactly what Florida lawmakers had in mind when they approved a bill that supporters tout as a way to make up for a shortage of mental health counselors in many schools.
The offer from Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, may amount to just his latest effort to raise his organization’s profile, but it also underlines concerns from critics. Mainly, that the bill’s vague definition of “counseling” will invite religious groups — whether they are Hindu, Christian or otherwise — to use it as a door to teaching their beliefs in secular school systems.
Florida has a shortage of guidance counselors, and the religious chaplains are supposed to replace the missing counselors.
“This is the beginning … of them trying to implement religion in some type of capacity back into our schools,” said Sen. Shevrin D. “Shev” Jones, D-Miami Gardens, referring to lawmakers who support the bill. “It just opens up the gate for other things.”
Jones, whose father is a pastor, said he’s concerned that the bill may lead to some schools allowing chaplains to preach to students who may not hold the same beliefs, putting them in uncomfortable situations.
“In the words of one of my colleagues on the floor, ‘We need God back in our schools.’ But what about the child who doesn’t believe in God? What if some of the chaplains don’t resonate with the lives of those kids?” Jones said.
He used an example of a chaplain dealing with an LGBTQ child or a child battling depression. “Has the chaplain been trained enough? Once they hear those concerns, where do they direct that child to go to?”
OMG! Duh-SATAN should be in the psych ward of a hospital.
the separation of church and state is good for both
As a pastor once said to me, “the church must be protected from the state, and the state must be protected from the church.”
The real concern I have for this is that it will surely open the door for religious zealots like Bob Shepherd and his church. Think of the things his disciples might teach the children of Florida.
Mr. Turrentine, as one of Enlightened Master Bob’s Spiritual Wives, I can say that despite the darkness into which you have here descended, there is hope even for you, for Enlightened Master is as forgiving as he is handsome.
–Sister Wife Darlene Cornflower Muse
And, ofc, think of how expanded will be the minds of the little Cosmic Wanderers of the Altered States of Florida!!!
Roy: Oh No! NOT BOB! It’ll be nothing but PROPAGANDA!
But while I’m at it, I was thinking about Florida and DeSantis when reading another post here . . . I think God made Florida to hang there loosely at the bottom of the rest of the USA in order for it to break off from the rest of us more easily. Maybe Bob could put that in his counselling curriculum and make Florida more amenable to us reasonable Christians up here in the other states. (I don’t know what to do about Hawaii and Alaska, though. Maybe Bob could put his mind to it and figure it out.) Sitting in for CBK
DeSantis accuses public schools of “indoctrinating” children. This law opens the door to all types of zealots as well as some potentially dangerous people that can indoctrinate young people as well as give them harmful advice from untrained counselors. DeSantis does not want teachers to make students uncomfortable about the teaching of the history of slavery in the schools, but I can imagine lots of young people being more than uncomfortable in the company of untrained religious personnel that may hand out advice to young people in public schools. This reckless law is one more example Florida’s bias and hypocrisy.
Indoctrination of students is highly likely in a religious school; that is their purpose.
Indoctrination is highly unlikely in a public school because students come from diverse backgrounds.
I can cite examples of well-intentioned teachers who took recalcitrant students into a closet to pray with them. This law opens the door for lunacy.
!!!!
You are right, rt.
The First Amendment “Establishment Clause” will require that chaplains of all religions must be included as chaplains…or do ideologues like DeSatan think that the branch of the Vatican Council that controls today’s Supreme Court will limit chaplains to only those of Christian faiths? And even if that happened, what kind of religious wars would break out between the various Chrisitan sects as to which can serve as chaplains, considering that the current Supreme Court majority is entirely Catholic (as am I)? Pandora’s Box is a box of Cheerios compared to what DeSatan and others are about to open.
Satanic Temple approved for display in Florida’s Capitol (tampabay.com)