Is It OK to Force Students to Stomp on Jesus for Religious Tolerance?

Is It OK to Force Students to Stomp on Jesus for Religious Tolerance?

By Michelle Carr Crowe, San Jose real estate agent selling homes in Cupertino Schools

A recent Examiner.com article noted that a Mormon student was kicked out of his class on interfaith religious tolerance for objecting to, and refusing to participate in a religiously offensive exercise to “Stomp on Jesus.”Reportedly students were directed to write the name of Jesus on a paper then actively jump up and down and “stomp” on Jesus.

Student Ryan Rotela, a Mormon, told the professor, “I do not believe what you told us to do was appropriate. I believe it was unprofessional and I am deeply offended by what you told me to do.”

Professor Deandre Poole’s supervisor, Noemi Marin, reportedly responded thus on behalf of Florida Atlantic University, “As with any academic lesson, the exercise was meant to encourage students to view issues from many perspectives, in direct relation with the course objectives.”

The course is an Intercultural Communications Class supposedly designed to spread respect, tolerance and understanding among cultures.

How could this exercise ever be construed as conducive to religious respect, understanding or tolerance? Why not just have everyone shout "Crucify him" instead? At least that's historical.

If the professor truly believed in this exercise the students should have been directed to write the professor’s name down and "stomp on it."

Interestingly the student’s objection to the exercise was considered invalid as it wasn’t “critical enough of Christianity.”

Once again, the lesson in “religious tolerance” is to be tolerant of every religion except Christianity, just as people are directed to celebrate every holiday by name except Christmas for fear of offending any other religion.

You can bet this supposedly “religious tolerance” exercise would have been front page news, with interviews by noted news organizations, and a lawsuit by the AFL-CIO if it was Mohammed, Buddha or Allah students were coerced to perform the “stomp on” exercise upon.

What do you think? Is It OK to Force Students to Stomp on Jesus for Religious Tolerance?