Ok, you may not like "religion", but come on!

[Nerezza]

This is the story that was probably put on the candy canes:

A Candy Maker's Witness.

A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness of his faith, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols of the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ.

He began with a stick of pure white hard candy. White to symbolize the Virgin Birth and sinless nature of Jesus; and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the Church, and the firmness of the promises of God.

The candy maker made the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth as the Savior of all mankind. It could also represent the staff of the Good Shepherd with which He reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs, who, like all sheep have gone astray.

Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candy maker stained it with several small red stripes representing the stripes Jesus received when He was beaten before His Crucifixion; The stripes that the Bible says we are healed by. The large red stripe is for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that mankind would have the promise of eternal life.

As time passed, the candy became known simply as a candy cane. It is now a standard decoration we see at Christmas time, but not nearly carrying the meaning that was originally intended. But the meaning is still there to those who have "eyes to see." Perhaps this story of the origin of the "candy cane" will help you to witness the wonder of God's Gift at this blessed time of the year.


OH MY GOD, LOCK THOSE RELIGIOUS FANATICS/TERRORISTS UP!!

[Celeste]

I agree...PeacefulWarrior,  I would be honoured also & absolutely not offended.
Nerezza- I've never heard the story behind Candy Canes! Thanks

Right now, the world is very messed up & we are definitely not going in the right spiritual direction. A lot of what's happening now certainly fits with prophecy, which can make you think.  []
  Celeste

[Nerezza]

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.-Matthew 24:4-14.


Sometimes I wonder if it is truly coming.

[kifyre]

By remaining silent, the school could be construed as approving of the Christian message specifically. There's nothing wrong with disseminating your beliefs, but this was a obviously a planned, organized dispersal. A compromise could have been a statement by the school (on the PA during morning announcements, for example) that they did not necessarily agree with the views being presented, etc, etc.

Speaking from a minority perspective, I didn't really care during the holidays during highschool, but it was still a bit of a downer to see it everywhere. There's a difference between transformative spirituality and holding beliefs. And I think one tends to be lost when the other is pushed on you too hard.

On the other hand, it's nice to see kids who care. Their futures shouldn't be compromised, certainly. []

Mark

[James S]

In this case the punishment was way too excessive for the crime.

On one hand these students should have adhered to teachings of the bible that state they should respect the authority placed over them here on earth, which does include their school principal, and failure to do so does leave them open to some sort of punishment. On the other it seems this principal grossly overreacted to an essentially harmless act. This is something you'd expect in a militantly communist country, not in America.

There have been incidents here in Australia also, where authorities have sought to ban harmless religious traditions or observances because of a vocal minority who find them offensive. Such people I find to have small minds and very poor sense of perspective.

James.

[Fat_Turkey]

That's just crazy. Just because the principal isn't a religious fan (and neither am I, for a fact), doesn't give him the right to overreact and punish those students so prejudicely. Also, to the one who was saying "lock these religious fanatics/terrorists up," the terrorists AREN'T true muslims. They are blaming their acts on the Muslim religion to make everybody hate them. All people across the world who yell at Muslims or hate them because of the terrorists are falling into the terrorists' plans. It's exactly what Osama bin Retard wants us to do. And although some people can get tired of Christian ramblings, definitely shown in my school, they should remind themselves that it is important to have faith in something. Me? I have faith in ki, psi, mana and the astral planes. Everything related is my faith.

A little off topic now...

There's a hell of a lot of prejudice in this world today, and such evils as racism, sexism, etc are all on the rise. Plus younger and younger people, especially females in my country, seem to be finding that sex is so damn cool, until their parents almost disown them for being pregnant. I'd say give this world a few more years and we're all hating each other and most of the women of this world will carry STDs by the time they pass high school. This world will simply slowly die away. And the threat of nuclear war has been constantly rising since the Cold War.

Religious non-acceptance is just one of the screwed up things that society simply seems to accept in these times. I'm not any religion, and I'm actually quite atheist, but I truly believe that some kind of slow painful end for this near-pathetic world is coming. Mankind seems to have only about a century left, in my eyes anyway.

[Tisha]

It's simply inappropriate to proseletyze on school grounds.  A public school is secular institution.  Jerry Falwell wouldn't be making all this fuss if the children in question were trying to convert his precious flock to Islam.  Would he call THAT free speech?  Would he rush to their defense?

But suspension for a first offense?  That's nuts.  The whole point of disciplinary action is to correct, not punish.  The smallest action possible to correct the situation should have been taken.

[Nerezza]

Fat Turkey,

Where did I mention that muslims were terrorists?  

[Anonymous]

Ha! Westfield! This town sucks! I go to college here, at Westfield State. The college education is good and the professors are excellent, but the administration sucks. Did you know that incoming freshmen in most colleges, who might not stick around, get first priority of housing, while returning students like me get the short end of the stick? You know why? It's the money. There is something wrong with our college institutions in this country. If you want proof, look at the cars their college administration staff drives around and look at the cars the professors drive around. There's a pretty significant difference in the purchase price and the age of the cars.

Anyway, here's a quote that reflects my feelings on this, out of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (by Douglas Adams):

"And then, one Thursday, nearly two thousand years after one man had been nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be to be nice to people for a change, ..." a few students were expelled for passing on his word. Thursdays suck so it was probably Thursday that they were expelled. I base this on no particular theory.

So these students were suspended because they passed out stuff about a guy who was nailed to a cross for saying how nice it would be if we were all more kind to each other. That's Westfield logic for you. I go to college here. 99% of everyone I know hates this town. We have stamp machines here on campus that only accept five dollar bills! And they don't give more than $3 change, but it gets much weirder than that... much weirder. As Morpheus from the Matrix says, "I can't explain it to you. You have to see it for yourself." It doesn't surprise me that something like this would happen in Westfield.

Though the students could have simply passed out the candy canes across the street or something, I think suspending them is a bit ridiculous. If I were passing out sayings of Buhdda, it would be considered "philosophy" even though it is an actual religion. Why then, cannot Christianity be a philosophy?

I *hate* Westfield. Can you tell? You would too if you were here. Many people I know that are residents of Westfield want to leave. Guess I shoulda gone to UMass Amherst so I would't be stuck in this town which they have mislabeled a city. It's so desolate here. What did they do, count the squirrels as part of the population? can you imagine the obituaries in their newspapers? "Five squirrels have died today."

Sorry, I got a little carried away (*cough* understatement *cough*). But I couldn't resist the opportunity to say something about it. I just can't believe out of all the places in the world, the town in which my college was established is having problems that do not surprise me- and it made it to a newswriter-type person and then onto this site. This is the last place I expected to find the vile, unmentionable name of Westfield, MA. I hope those students get off for such a petty action. Hey, it coulda been worse- they coulda been kids going on another school shooting spree. Why is the principal worried about things like this when there are much larger issues at hand? Westfield is a poor town which for some reason people call a city. The principal should worry about the school's budget. I think even that's more important. I am not saying the issue should not be addressed. Perhaps an afternoon of detention would have sufficed? I'm pretty sure they don't put that on your record. I am sure that this is the one and only time these bible students got in trouble, which everyone is entitled to do once in their lives. They don't sound like the kinds of kids who bully people out of their lunch money. I think the principal needs to chill out.

[PeacefulWarrior]

Before reading this article, I just want to say that while I am Christian, if someone from another religous group or belief system gave me some token of their religion I would be pleased/honored.  If it was something I found offensive I would simply turn it down or throw it away later.  I think this kind of thing is insane:

The Case of the Offensive Candy Canes
Jerry Falwell
Monday, Jan. 13, 2003

Seven high school students in Westfield, Mass., have been suspended solely for passing out candy canes containing religious messages.

Here's the background on this case: In December, the student members of the L.I.F.E. Bible Club decided to pass out candy canes to their fellow students. The candy had attached messages contained Scripture verses and told the story of a candy cane maker who wanted to invent a candy that was a witness to Christ. The distribution of the candy and the attached literature was to occur one day prior to the Christmas break on December 19.

Members of the Bible Club decided to ask their principal for permission to distribute the candy canes during non-class time. The principal refused the request, saying that the Christian message contained in the literature may be "offensive" to other students. He then consulted with the school superintendent, who agreed that other students might be offended by the Christian message. The request was denied.

The students had a tough call to make. They believe that God has called them to share the Gospel message with their classmates. Should they abide by the school's decision or follow through with what they see as a greater calling?

The students determined that they would go ahead and distribute the small gifts, handing out about 450 candy canes to fellow students during non-class time.

After these seven students returned from Christmas break on January 2, they were summoned to the principal's office and told that they would be suspended for their actions.

The courageous young people now stand at a crossroads that could impact the rest of their lives. For example, senior Sharon Sitler, a member of the National Honor Society, is currently in the process of applying to several colleges and universities for admission and scholarships. She faces the prospect of being removed from the National Honor Society because of the school's disciplinary actions against her, which could place her at a disadvantage when she competes for admission and scholarships.

Another student, Paul Sitler, is currently a freshman at Westfield High School. He has aspirations to attend the United States Air Force Academy upon graduation. Again, the disciplinary action taken against him may result in his disqualification from any military academy.

My friend Mathew Staver, founder and general counsel at the Orlando, Fla.-based Liberty Counsel, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Westfield Public Schools, the superintendent and principal. The lawsuit requests that the policy and actions of the school district and officials be declared unconstitutional and that the suspensions be immediately removed from the files.

Mr. Staver, who is representing these students, says this case underscores several important principles.

"These students faced a dilemma in which they had to make a decision whether to compromise their Christian beliefs by remaining silent or to stand up for Christ and face the consequences," he said. "These courageous students chose to do what was right rather than what was expedient."

I agree that this case reveals the blatant hostility by school officials toward the Christian message and exposes the ignorance of these officials – who are representative of educrats across the country – regarding the constitutional rights of religious students.

Staver, who has represented dozens of students in similar cases, notes that as far back as 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that public school students do not shed their constitutional rights when they enter the schoolhouse gate. Why should they? These students are citizens under the Constitution and are protected by the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

The fact is, students have the right to free speech in the form of verbal or written expression during non-instructional class time. And yes, students have just as much right to speak on religious topics as they do on secular topics – no matter what the ACLU might propagate. Quite simply, school officials may not censor religious or Christian messages solely because another person might be "offended."

Virtually every day I learn about Christian students who are persecuted and mistreated because they dared to voice their beliefs. I thank God for every one of these young people. They are to be admired. I am committed to doing everything I can to make known their trials and to help them win their rights to endure in their faith.