• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!
  • Welcome to our archives. No new posts are allowed here.

This IS Illegal, right?

Gideon

New member
Joined
Aug 17, 2005
Messages
35
Reaction score
0
Gender
Undisclosed
Political Leaning
Slightly Conservative
Okay we have this teacher called Mr. Bob (name changed)
Hes a pretty good teacher, but when they came on the topic of religion, and got to the mormon part, he called the religion a "cu;t" and then said saying stuff such as we worship Joseph Smith, which is completely false.
Isnt that illegal for a teacher to do?
 
Thank goodness for the 1st Amendment to protect the populace from people like you who would infringe upon that.

Don't forget, Mormonism is the religion that wants people to think that Joseph Smith read some stuff while wearing spectacles made of stone.
 
It's certainly inaccurate, and grounds for complaint to the school board, but I don't think inaccuracy is a firing offense in the modern secular school environment (except maybe in the backward schools that still have standards).
 
I'm pretty sure that he can't get arrested for that, but it's probably against school policy. You said he's a pretty good teacher. Maybe he didn't realize the seriousness of the charges he was making. Was it a passing comment or did he go into a whole lecture about it?

If you feel offended yet you still think he is a good teacher, you might want to talk to him about it personally and in private - and explain why you were offended while being polite. If you can get him to stop saying those things without contacting his boss and getting into a big fight, you'll solve the problem most effectively, and you'll be more likely to gain a friend than an enemy.

Now as a disclaimer, I don't know much about the Mormon religion, and obviously I don't have the details to your situation, but I think its usually better to find mutual understanding than to get into a legal battle.
 
Gideon said:
Okay we have this teacher called Mr. Bob (name changed)
Hes a pretty good teacher, but when they came on the topic of religion, and got to the mormon part, he called the religion a "cu;t" and then said saying stuff such as we worship Joseph Smith, which is completely false.
Isnt that illegal for a teacher to do?

He probably has a valid reason for saying what he said. Have you talked to your teacher about it? I would think a teacher would surely have some thing more to say on the subject. Keep in mind the word cult, although it may have some negative connotation associated with it, is not neccessarily a bad word. But, to answer your query, It's definitely not illegal to say a religion is a cult. Unless you live in a fascist state. Which some may argue, we are quickly becoming. And if you want to have people arrested for saying what they think, then you are dangerously leaning toward favoring a fascist state. SEE BOLD.

cult n.

1. A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.
2. The followers of such a religion or sect.
2. A system or community of religious worship and ritual.
3. The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual.
4. A usually nonscientific method or regimen claimed by its originator to have exclusive or exceptional power in curing a particular disease.

1. Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.
2. The object of such devotion.
6. An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or intellectual interest.
 
Last edited:
Gideon said:
Okay we have this teacher called Mr. Bob (name changed)
Hes a pretty good teacher, but when they came on the topic of religion, and got to the mormon part, he called the religion a "cu;t" and then said saying stuff such as we worship Joseph Smith, which is completely false.
Isnt that illegal for a teacher to do?

Last year, I had an idiotic substitute teacher for science who somehow wandered off into a monologue about how people with bipolar disorder are dangerous and shouldn't be allowed to care for children, obviously unaware that one the students (me!) was bipolar. Needless to say, the other kids in the class just froze - I can barely think of a more humiliating moment in my life. I complained to the other staff, and what did they do? Nothing. I never even got an apology.

Some teachers are bastards. Boo freaking hoo.

It's ironic, really... how people froth at the mouth over what they see as "political correctness" (both genuine and paranoid), and then have a hissy fit when someone says something that offends them.
 
vergiss said:
Last year, I had an idiotic substitute teacher for science who somehow wandered off into a monologue about how people with bipolar disorder are dangerous and shouldn't be allowed to care for children, obviously unaware that one the students (me!) was bipolar. Needless to say, the other kids in the class just froze - I can barely think of a more humiliating moment in my life. I complained to the other staff, and what did they do? Nothing. I never even got an apology.

Some teachers are bastards. Boo freaking hoo.

It's ironic, really... how people froth at the mouth over what they see as "political correctness" (both genuine and paranoid), and then have a hissy fit when someone says something that offends them.

I see your point. He stopped (I think) this year after a couple of us LDS people tried to refute him, and im pretty sure hes smart enough to get the point.
 
Okay we have this teacher called Mr. Bob (name changed)
Hes a pretty good teacher, but when they came on the topic of religion, and got to the mormon part, he called the religion a "cu;t" and then said saying stuff such as we worship Joseph Smith, which is completely false.
Isnt that illegal for a teacher to do?

If a teacher is allowed to Bash Bush,praise communism,and spew out other liberal garbage, then why can't a teacher voice his opnion about the mormon prophet Joseph Smith?
 
Gideon said:
Okay we have this teacher called Mr. Bob (name changed)
Hes a pretty good teacher, but when they came on the topic of religion, and got to the mormon part, he called the religion a "cu;t" and then said saying stuff such as we worship Joseph Smith, which is completely false.
Isnt that illegal for a teacher to do?

according to Websters New World Dictionary.... cult = 1: a system of religious worship or ritual. 2: devoted attachment to, or admiration for, a person, principle, etc.

So to be fair your teacher was correct in calling Mormonism a cult in the fact that it is a religion. I don't know if he meant it in that manner or if he meant it in a more negative context but seeing as how you seem to think he's a pretty good teacher why not give him the benefit of the doubt? I say you talk to him about it either in a public forum like in class, or privately after class before going to authority figures.
 
jamesrage said:
If a teacher is allowed to Bash Bush,praise communism,and spew out other liberal garbage, then why can't a teacher voice his opnion about the mormon prophet Joseph Smith?

and since when were teachers allowed to do this?
 
and since when were teachers allowed to do this?

Does Ward Churchill ring a bell?
 
Ward Churchill has more anarchistic tendencies than communistic. And he is a professor in a college, not a teacher in a public school. The rules are a little different.
 
Anarchism,communism,socialism,facisism all the same to me.
 
What, political leanings in general? Right...
 
jamesrage said:
Anarchism,communism,socialism,facisism all the same to me.
A sign of a true right winger
"Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11!"
"But they're arabs, right?"
"Yeah"
"Then what do you mean that they weren;t involved in 9/11, OF COURSE THEY ARE!"
 
galenrox said:
A sign of a true right winger
"Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11!"
"But they're arabs, right?"
"Yeah"
"Then what do you mean that they weren;t involved in 9/11, OF COURSE THEY ARE!"
:lol: true. true.
 
a testament to your ignorance as well as your political bent.

All of these by definition are against the American way.Communism and socialism are about the same.All are against the American way.

Main Entry: communism
Pronunciation: 'käm-y&-"ni-z&m
Function: noun
Etymology: French communisme, from commun common
1 a : a theory advocating elimination of private property b : a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed
2 capitalized a : a doctrine based on revolutionary Marxian socialism and Marxism-Leninism that was the official ideology of the U.S.S.R. b : a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production c : a final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably d : communist systems collectivel

Main Entry: socialism
Pronunciation: 'sO-sh&-"li-z&m
Function: noun
1 : any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2 a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3 : a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done



Main Entry: anarchism
Pronunciation: 'a-n&r-"ki-z&m, -"när-
Function: noun
1 : a political theory holding all forms of governmental authority to be unnecessary and undesirable and advocating a society based on voluntary cooperation and free association of individuals and groups
2 : the advocacy or practice of anarchistic principles

Main Entry: fascism
Pronunciation: 'fa-"shi-z&m also 'fa-"si-
Function: noun
Etymology: Italian fascismo, from fascio bundle, fasces, group, from Latin fascis bundle & fasces fasces
1 often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
2 : a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control <early instances of army fascism and brutality -- J. W. Aldridge>
 
jamesrage said:
All of these by definition are against the American way.Communism and socialism are about the same.All are against the American way.

Main Entry: communism
Pronunciation: 'käm-y&-"ni-z&m
Function: noun
Etymology: French communisme, from commun common
1 a : a theory advocating elimination of private property b : a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed
2 capitalized a : a doctrine based on revolutionary Marxian socialism and Marxism-Leninism that was the official ideology of the U.S.S.R. b : a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production c : a final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably d : communist systems collectivel

Main Entry: socialism
Pronunciation: 'sO-sh&-"li-z&m
Function: noun
1 : any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2 a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3 : a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done



Main Entry: anarchism
Pronunciation: 'a-n&r-"ki-z&m, -"när-
Function: noun
1 : a political theory holding all forms of governmental authority to be unnecessary and undesirable and advocating a society based on voluntary cooperation and free association of individuals and groups
2 : the advocacy or practice of anarchistic principles

Main Entry: fascism
Pronunciation: 'fa-"shi-z&m also 'fa-"si-
Function: noun
Etymology: Italian fascismo, from fascio bundle, fasces, group, from Latin fascis bundle & fasces fasces
1 often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
2 : a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control <early instances of army fascism and brutality -- J. W. Aldridge>


Wow. Read your definitions. I will bold two important bits.

jamesrage said:
Main Entry: anarchism
Pronunciation: 'a-n&r-"ki-z&m, -"när-
Function: noun
1 : a political theory holding all forms of governmental authority to be unnecessary and undesirable and advocating a society based on voluntary cooperation and free association of individuals and groups
2 : the advocacy or practice of anarchistic principles

jamesrage said:
Main Entry: fascism
Pronunciation: 'fa-"shi-z&m also 'fa-"si-
Function: noun
Etymology: Italian fascismo, from fascio bundle, fasces, group, from Latin fascis bundle & fasces fasces
1 often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
2 : a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control <early instances of army fascism and brutality -- J. W. Aldridge>

Those two are so different from each other it hurts to read. It physically hurts me to read that you look at those definitions and think they are the same. Yes, faschism is "unamerican", because American ideals lean towards democratically elected politicians as representatives to the states. We also hold the idea of balancing of power that totally denies the fascist idea of a dictator. Anarchism could also be called "unamerican" because it's for the tearing down of national ideals, which would naturally call for the end of labels like "American" and "unamerican". Anarchism and fascism are so far apart, again, it hurts to read your words.

Socialism and communism are also quite different, and that can even be seen in the dictionary definitions (as if a dictionary definition captures everything about a theory like socialism or communism. It's so complex you can only get a vague idea of what's actually meant).

Communism: "a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed"

Socialism: "a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done"

In one system the goods are distrubited based on needs, while in the other goods are still distributed according to work. They are very different. Look farther than the dictionary and you will see that as well.

Some of the things (especially fascism) violate some of America's more key ideals. Others don't.

Even if your assertions are true, that doesn't really address the fact that Ward Churchill was a college professor, and things really are quite different on that level.
 
Last edited:
jamesrage said:
All of these by definition are against the American way.Communism and socialism are about the same.All are against the American way.

Main Entry: communism
Pronunciation: 'käm-y&-"ni-z&m
Function: noun
Etymology: French communisme, from commun common
1 a : a theory advocating elimination of private property b : a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed
2 capitalized a : a doctrine based on revolutionary Marxian socialism and Marxism-Leninism that was the official ideology of the U.S.S.R. b : a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production c : a final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably d : communist systems collectivel

Main Entry: socialism
Pronunciation: 'sO-sh&-"li-z&m
Function: noun
1 : any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2 a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3 : a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done



Main Entry: anarchism
Pronunciation: 'a-n&r-"ki-z&m, -"när-
Function: noun
1 : a political theory holding all forms of governmental authority to be unnecessary and undesirable and advocating a society based on voluntary cooperation and free association of individuals and groups
2 : the advocacy or practice of anarchistic principles

Main Entry: fascism
Pronunciation: 'fa-"shi-z&m also 'fa-"si-
Function: noun
Etymology: Italian fascismo, from fascio bundle, fasces, group, from Latin fascis bundle & fasces fasces
1 often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
2 : a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control <early instances of army fascism and brutality -- J. W. Aldridge>

Congratulations, you have proven two things

1: you can read

2: you are capable of carrying a dictionary to your computer and copy down it's contents.
 
u can see that nc avoided communism and socialism knowing that these governments only provide equality through everyone supporting everyone.
 
Gideon said:
Okay we have this teacher called Mr. Bob (name changed)
Hes a pretty good teacher, but when they came on the topic of religion, and got to the mormon part, he called the religion a "cu;t" and then said saying stuff such as we worship Joseph Smith, which is completely false.
Isnt that illegal for a teacher to do?
World religions are not cults, but cults are often based around them.
No.


Mormonism is a cult as per cultwatch.com

What they will tell you:
Mormons are Christians. (Mormons want very much to be recognised as a normal Christian denomination.)

What they won't tell you:
They believe that God is just an exalted man.

They believe that Jesus and Satan are brothers.

They believe we can become gods ourselves.

They believe that Mormon women are to be pregnant for eternity populating their own planets.

Absolutely no archeological evidence for the Book of Mormon has been discovered (except for the part that was copied straight from the King James Bible).

Over 4000 changes have been made to the Book of Mormon since it was first published - a far cry from what Smith called "The most correct book on earth."
 
shuamort said:
What they won't tell you:
They believe that God is just an exalted man.

They believe that Jesus and Satan are brothers.

They believe we can become gods ourselves.

They believe that Mormon women are to be pregnant for eternity populating their own planets.
These make it a cult?

Absolutely no archeological evidence for the Book of Mormon has been discovered (except for the part that was copied straight from the King James Bible).
The Bible has no archeological evidence either.

Over 4000 changes have been made to the Book of Mormon since it was first published - a far cry from what Smith called "The most correct book on earth."
I would be very interested in some examples of this.
 
-Demosthenes- said:
These make it a cult?
Per Cultwatch.org:
What is a cult?

We define a cult in two ways.

Firstly, if they use Mind Control as part of their day to day practice then we define them as a cult. If we find Mind Control in use in their practices then we will examine the independent stories of ex-members. If those independent stories have the threads of Mind Control running through them then we certainly have a cult on our hands.

Secondly, when working with Christians we use the classical Christian definition of a cult. That is if a group claiming to be Christian teaches significantly different things from what the Bible teaches then we would label them a cult. For example the Mormons claim to be Christian yet teach that Jesus and Satan are brothers and that God came from a small planet near the Star base Kolob. Even a person who does not know much about Christianity would know that these beliefs are not Christian beliefs. Hinduism on the other hand is not a cult, but a world religion. Why? Because it teaches things very different from the Bible but does not claim to be Christian.

While the classical Christian definition of a cult will normally be only of interest to Christians, we find that the Mind Control definition is one almost all people agree with.
 
Firstly, if they use Mind Control as part of their day to day practice then we define them as a cult. If we find Mind Control in use in their practices then we will examine the independent stories of ex-members. If those independent stories have the threads of Mind Control running through them then we certainly have a cult on our hands.
[...]
While the classical Christian definition of a cult will normally be only of interest to Christians, we find that the Mind Control definition is one almost all people agree with.
How and where is mind controlled used in the Mormon Religion?

Secondly, when working with Christians we use the classical Christian definition of a cult. That is if a group claiming to be Christian teaches significantly different things from what the Bible teaches then we would label them a cult. For example the Mormons claim to be Christian yet teach that Jesus and Satan are brothers and that God came from a small planet near the Star base Kolob. Even a person who does not know much about Christianity would know that these beliefs are not Christian beliefs. Hinduism on the other hand is not a cult, but a world religion. Why? Because it teaches things very different from the Bible but does not claim to be Christian.

Because they interpret the Bible in a different way they are a cult?

Over 4000 changes have been made to the Book of Mormon since it was first published - a far cry from what Smith called "The most correct book on earth."
I would still like to see examples of this.
 
Back
Top Bottom