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[Gaborn]

A Christian student suspended from a high school in Nova Scotia for sporting a T-shirt with the slogan "Life is wasted without Jesus" vows to wear it when he returns to class next week.

William Swinimer, who's in Grade 12, was suspended from Forest Heights Community School in Chester Basin in Lunenburg County for five days. He's due to return to class on Monday.

The devout Christian says the T-shirt is an expression of his beliefs, and he won't stop wearing it.

"I believe there are things that are bigger than me. And I think that I need to stand up for the rights of people in this country, and religious rights and freedom of speech," he told CBC.

Officials with the South Shore Regional School Board plan to meet with Swinimer to hopefully reach a compromise.

Nancy Pynch-Worthylake, board superintendent, said some students and teachers found the T-shirt offensive.

"When one is able or others are able to interpret it as, 'If you don't share my belief then your life is wasted,' that can be interpreted by some as being inappropriate," she said.

Refuses principal's order
Swinimer wore the T-shirt every day to class for several weeks. The principal told him repeatedly to stop wearing it, but the student refused to comply.

Swinimer says the principal would have accepted a shirt with the slogan, "My life is wasted without Jesus."

"But I didn't go for that because I have my rights as a Canadian citizen," Swinimer said.

Swinimer says he never intended to attack anyone else's beliefs. He says he will continue to wear the shirt and is prepared to be suspended the rest of the year.

The board is looking for some guidance on the matter. It hopes to bring in an expert to help mediate the dispute with Swinimer, his family and church supporters.

"We'll be looking for some people with understanding in this area to help us with that," Pynch-Worthylake said.

Story Here

I disagree with the message of the shirt (and the color of it, ewwww) but I think he should be allowed to wear it.

UPDATE:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/05/07/ns-jesus-shirt-student-school.html

Students said William Swinimer has been preaching and making them feel uncomfortable, and the shirt was the last straw so they complained.

"He's told kids they'll burn in hell if they don't confess themselves to Jesus," student Riley Gibb-Smith said.

Katelyn Hiltz, student council vice-president, agreed the controversy didn't begin with the T-shirt.

"It started with him preaching his religion to kids and then telling them to go to hell. A lot of kids don't want to deal with this anymore," she said.

Hiltz said she supported the school's decision to suspend Swinimer for continuing to wear the T-shirt.

This was a culmination of things.

He was preaching at the school and annoying students by telling them they are all going to hell. The t-shirt was the last straw.

I'm not sure this changes anything. If you want to suspend him for his other activities that's one thing but the shirt is a different issue entirely.

 

[Genesis Knight]

So you can dress up as Jesus for "Come as a Fictional Character Day" and get an award (if I remember the story right), but if you wear a shirt without the mockery then you get in trouble?

 

[shadyspace]

Let the poor kid where his shirt, damn Canada.

 

[thefro]

So you can dress up as Jesus for "Come as a Fictional Character Day" and get an award (if I remember the story right), but if you wear a shirt without the mockery then you get in trouble?

The student got in trouble for dressing up as Jesus for Fictional Character Day, but got an award from an atheist group.

 

[Suairyu]

I believe that the notion of a school being a free-for-all centre for freedom of speech is ridiculous anyway, so I agree with the school's expulsion.

Schools have a responsibility to maintain an environment that makes all students feel welcome and included so that they can go about their learning in peace. If that means not allowing people to wear stupid tshirts, so be it.

Just implement a school uniform or something then the students can't be all (intolerably wrongly) "my rights!!!" if they're wearing a stupid shirt.

 

[marrec]

So you can dress up as Jesus for "Come as a Fictional Character Day" and get an award (if I remember the story right), but if you wear a shirt without the mockery then you get in trouble?

You don't remember it right, the award did not come from anyone affiliated with the school so you really have no point. The school in the case of the guy who dressed up like Jesus made him take the costume off.

 

[Gazzawa]

Gaborn, what will it take to bring you down?

 

[Ravensmash]

I can understand why the headteacher felt it was inappropriate; as it DOES imply superiority over those who aren't Christian.

I can also understand why he was suspended if he continually defied orders from authority to not wear it.

 

[Vaporak]

So you can dress up as Jesus for "Come as a Fictional Character Day" and get an award (if I remember the story right), but if you wear a shirt without the mockery then you get in trouble?

The fictional Jesus guy did get in trouble so I'm not really sure what your point is.

 

[Steelrain]

So you can dress up as Jesus for "Come as a Fictional Character Day" and get an award (if I remember the story right), but if you wear a shirt without the mockery then you get in trouble?

Err....Different countries.

Plus, What the guy above me said.

 

[Gaborn]

Gaborn, what will it take to bring you down?

In what sense?

 

[falconzss]

I also disagree with the message but I honestly see no reason why he shouldn't be allowed to wear the shirt.

 

[AppleMIX]

Eh? I'm a atheist and I have no problem with him wearing that shirt.

 

[SmokyDave]

A Christian student suspended from a high school in Nova Scotia for sporting a T-shirt with the slogan "Life is wasted without Jesus" vows to wear it when he returns to class next week.

Congratulations! You're a dick!

 

[ReBurn]

Let him wear his shirt. Let everyone else take responsibility for their own feelings.

 

[bluehat9]

Why does the font of 'wasted' look like its from an old monster movie?

 

[Farooq]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/05/07/ns-jesus-shirt-student-school.html

Students said William Swinimer has been preaching and making them feel uncomfortable, and the shirt was the last straw so they complained.

"He's told kids they'll burn in hell if they don't confess themselves to Jesus," student Riley Gibb-Smith said.

Katelyn Hiltz, student council vice-president, agreed the controversy didn't begin with the T-shirt.

"It started with him preaching his religion to kids and then telling them to go to hell. A lot of kids don't want to deal with this anymore," she said.

Hiltz said she supported the school's decision to suspend Swinimer for continuing to wear the T-shirt.

...

Swinimer wore the T-shirt every day to class for several weeks, even after the principal told him repeatedly to stop wearing it, before he was suspended. He said he never intended to attack anyone else's beliefs.

This was a culmination of things.

He was preaching at the school and annoying students by telling them they are all going to hell. The t-shirt was the last straw.

 

[marrec]

Congratulations! You're a dick!

Great, he'll probably end up being the Patron Saint of Ugly T-Shirts when he's martyred in school next week.

 

[Stat Flow]

Let him wear his shirt. Let everyone else take responsibility for their own feelings.

It's not that simple.

 

[Ravensmash]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/05/07/ns-jesus-shirt-student-school.html

This was a culmination of things.

He was preaching at the school and annoying students by telling them they are all going to hell. The t-shirt was the last straw.

Interesting, thanks.

Kid honestly sounds like a bit of a dick, unable to even accept compromise in a public setting such as a school.

 

[shinobi602]

You've got to be kidding me.

This guy has every right to wear this shirt. It's not infringing on anyone else's rights, only their poor, hurt feelings.

I see a lot of hypocrisy in this thread already.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/05/07/ns-jesus-shirt-student-school.html



This was a culmination of things.

He was preaching at the school and annoying students by telling them they are all going to hell. The t-shirt was the last straw.

Edit: Ok that changes some things.

 

[ReBurn]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/05/07/ns-jesus-shirt-student-school.html



This was a culmination of things.

He was preaching at the school and annoying students by telling them they are all going to hell. The t-shirt was the last straw.

If he was being confrontational or aggressive toward students or faculty I can see suspending him for that. The shirt should have never been a straw on the pile.

 

[marrec]

You've got to be kidding me.

This guy has every right to wear this shirt. It's not infringing on anyone else's rights, only their poor, hurt feelings.

I see a lot of hypocrisy in this thread already.

Your hallucinations are becoming more vivid.

 

[IrrelevantNotch]

You've got to be kidding me.

This guy has every right to wear this shirt. I see a lot of hypocrisy in this thread already.

Oh, good, an expert on Canadian law. Please enlighten us all mister

 

[Dariee]

I want to be able to wear a t-shirt stating the opposite, so this student should be allowed to wear the pro-Jesus shirt, I'd say.

Despite absolutely disagreeing with that message: equal rights to everyone. The right to make a fool of yourself to wear such a t-shirt should be protected.

Edit: last sentence is obviously my individual subjective interpretation. Point being: if the kid beliefs that, let it wear the shirt.

 

[U2NUMB]

If they had just let him wear it only a handful of students would have seen the shirt. Now they stirred it up and we are talking about it even here on Gaf..

People really need to stop being offended by something as simple as a T shirt. I really wonder how some people make it through life.

Anyways I just dont see the point but honestly if this is what they are going to do just go with uniforms and all their problems will be solved.

 

[massoluk]

Yeah, just let him wear his shirts.

/Atheist

Spoiler

We can always just point fingers and laugh at him if he spouts holier than thou attitude.

 

[Particle Physicist]

So you can dress up as Jesus for "Come as a Fictional Character Day" and get an award (if I remember the story right), but if you wear a shirt without the mockery then you get in trouble?

Same school?

 

[Buckethead]

I never understood people wearing t-shirts as a statement.

Also waste of time and money.

Just ignore the crazies and move on with your life.

 

[Farooq]

If he was being confrontational or aggressive toward students or faculty I can see suspending him for that. The shirt should have never been a straw on the pile.

He also apparently wore the t-shirt everyday for weeks.

Swinimer wore the T-shirt every day to class for several weeks, even after the principal told him repeatedly to stop wearing it, before he was suspended. He said he never intended to attack anyone else's beliefs.

 

[Suairyu]

Let him wear his shirt. Let everyone else take responsibility for their own feelings.

They're high schoolers.

Emotionally vulnerable, socially awkward and completely insecure.

A school is not the proper environment for people to exercise their freedom of speech. The teachers have a responsibility to steward things so that all students feel accepted and welcome enough to get on with their studies.

The notions that:
1 - absolutely freedom of speech is a good idea in a school
2 - people not yet adults should manage their own feelings to the same degree as fully mature twenty-somethings
... are ridiculous.

 

[K.Sabot]

A Life Well Wasted.

 

[equap]

another example of why free speech is a dangerous thing.

 

[Alrus]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/05/07/ns-jesus-shirt-student-school.html



This was a culmination of things.

He was preaching at the school and annoying students by telling them they are all going to hell. The t-shirt was the last straw.

Proselytism in a public school? What a dick.

 

[Petit Melon]

That reminds me of a shirt I saw at a Christian store that said "SATAN IS A NERD!" in a horrible font. This reminds me of some 40's era insult or something. It's meant to be incendiary, but it's far too saccharine. And lol using a horrible shirt to claim persecution. He doesn't understand the horror of that word.

 

[AppleMIX]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/05/07/ns-jesus-shirt-student-school.html



This was a culmination of things.

He was preaching at the school and annoying students by telling them they are all going to hell. The t-shirt was the last straw.

I take back my comment from earlier. Fuck him.

 

[marrec]

That reminds me of a shirt I saw at a Christian store that said "SATAN IS A NERD!" in a horrible font. This reminds me of some 40's era insult or something. It's meant to be incendiary, but it's far too saccharine. And lol using a horrible shirt to claim persecution. He doesn't understand the horror of that word.

As a nerdy Atheist, I would wear the fuck out of that shirt.

 

[ReBurn]

They're high schoolers.

Emotionally vulnerable, socially awkward and completely insecure.

A school is not the proper environment for people to exercise their freedom of speech. The teachers have a responsibility to steward things so that all students feel accepted and welcome enough to get on with their studies.

The notions that:
1 - absolutely freedom of speech is a good idea in a school
2 - people not yet adults should manage their own feelings to the same degree as fully mature twenty-somethings
... are ridiculous.

Well, I never supported either of those notions. I'm just wondering...does this school also prevent students from coloring their hair and wearing piercings? Does everyone have to adhere to the same dress code? Is the standard the same across the board? Or is this guy being singled out because of his beliefs? Which decisions are the students able to make on their own and which are they unable to handle?

There is nothing wrong with his shirt. No matter how many times he wears it.

 

[PuppetSlave]

You've got to be kidding me.

This guy has every right to wear this shirt. It's not infringing on anyone else's rights, only their poor, hurt feelings.

I see a lot of hypocrisy in this thread already.

Where? Please point it out. Point it out now and in a post before your own. Oh wait, you can't, becuase it's a lie.

 

[KO Traveling Hobo]

Why does the font of 'wasted' look like its from an old monster movie?

I interpreted it as a reference to alcohol/drugs. The silly font and coloring are meant to highlight the wordplay.

 

[The_Darkest_Red]

I see no problem with this as a Christian but I honestly wouldn't have a problem with an atheist wearing a shirt expressing their lack of belief either. Personally I wouldn't wear a shirt like that though (and not just because it's ugly), it doesn't seem like a very loving way to share what you believe. I see it a lot like a bumper sticker which I'm also generally not a fan of.

 

[Tesseract]

fucking attention whores.

 

[Gaborn]

They're high schoolers.

Emotionally vulnerable, socially awkward and completely insecure.

A school is not the proper environment for people to exercise their freedom of speech. The teachers have a responsibility to steward things so that all students feel accepted and welcome enough to get on with their studies.

The notions that:
1 - absolutely freedom of speech is a good idea in a school
2 - people not yet adults should manage their own feelings to the same degree as fully mature twenty-somethings
... are ridiculous.

This is Canada so my response won't work for THIS story, but in the US that's not the conclusion we have reached. No one is talking about "absolute" freedom of speech either incidentally. Students are not allowed to support gangs, or killing people, or have offensive language on shirts. They are absolutely allowed to express political opinions however. For example, Tinker v Des Moines students are constitutionally protected even to wear arm bands to protest the Vietnam war even though it was controversial at the time. Essentially the standard is anything materially and substantially disruptive, but that does NOT mean someone's feelings make something bannable, it means the student's actions or wardrobe directly causes the disruption in a way that a t-shirt with a message or an armband would not.

Though there have been some limits on that over the years in the US your opinion is (fortunately I think) not controlling.

 

[chazmonkey]

Lunenburg County eh?

Not surprised.

 

[OttomanScribe]

School uniforms solve all these problems. Never understood schools that didn't have them

 

[Danielsan]

I see no fault with the shirt, let him wear it. As long as he doesn't bother students with unwanted preachy behaviour he should be free to wear whatever he wants.

 

[shadyspace]

At my middle school some of black students started where shirts that said "I'm black" so these dumb white kids started wearing shirts that said "I'm white" and it turned into this big thing. But all the school to do was tell the kids why doing this was offensive and idiotic, not actually tell them they couldn't wear the shirts. Cause this is 'Merrica.

 

[jdogmoney]

Should he be allowed to wear a shirt proclaiming his particular brand of nonsense? Of course.

Should he be allowed to disrupt a learning environment by proselytizing to the other kids? Probably not.

 

[Gaborn]

Should he be allowed to wear a shirt proclaiming his particular brand of nonsense? Of course.

Should he be allowed to disrupt a learning environment by proselytizing to the other kids? Probably not.

Agreed, if he stands up during class and starts disrupting it by preaching he should be thrown out. Wearing a t-shirt that students are free to ignore? No problem.

 

[shinobi602]

Where? Please point it out. Point it out now and in a post before your own. Oh wait, you can't, becuase it's a lie.

I'm not even religious, so I'm not defending this shirt, but if that kid instead wore a shirt that said "Following Jesus is a waste of life" or something similar, barely anyone here would bat an eye.