# Don't be an atheist in Fort Wayne.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [August 5, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069 "2015-08-05T15:09:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/1 "2015-08-05T15:09:42Z")
This: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/08/03/lawsuit-alleges-7-year-old-quizzed-on-religion-ordered-to-sit-alone-at-lunch-for-telling-classmates-he-didnt-believe-in-god/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/08/03/lawsuit-alleges-7-year-old-quizzed-on-religion-ordered-to-sit-alone-at-lunch-for-telling-classmates-he-didnt-believe-in-god/)
Summary: a 7-year old boy told a classmate that he didn’t go to church and didn’t believe in god. The classmate started to cry and the teacher, after finding out why, chastised the boy and had him shunned at lunch for three days until the parents got involved. Now, with the help of the ACLU, they are suing. Apparently, the principal thought the teacher perfectly correct.
---
### Author:  [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/2 "2015-08-05T15:15:53Z")
As a resident I have to say that Fort Wayne is hippie-liberal compared to the towns surrounding it!
---
### Author:  [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/3 "2015-08-05T15:20:12Z")
Darn. I was hoping they’d handcuff the little heathen.
😉
---
### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/4 "2015-08-05T15:21:57Z")
I suspect that the teacher does not understand that she did something wrong and _why_ it was wrong. I expect a non-apology apology any time now.
---
### Author:  [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/5 "2015-08-05T15:24:31Z")
It was an object lesson for the child - to show what seperation from God is like, how he’ll feel like in hell when he goes there.
it was only three days - hell, Christ DIED for three days ya little punk!
---
### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/6 "2015-08-05T15:27:31Z")
He got better…
---
### Author:  [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/7 "2015-08-05T15:30:02Z")
I grew up an atheist in Fort Wayne. Was never “shunned at lunch” over it, but looking back, I lost a lot of friends over it. My parents wouldn’t let one prospective boyfriend take me to his nondenominational church to see people speak in tongues. I sort of mind having missed that.
---
### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/8 "2015-08-05T15:37:33Z")
This is just another way in which Christians are persecuted. Why shouldn’t a 7 year old child be punished for questioning the existence of God? What’s next, evolution? Sex Ed? This is a Christian, God fearing country, just like it says in the Constitution. That’s what Freedom of Religion is all about, the freedom to believe to believe in God instead of being forced to be atheist like those godless communists at the ACLU. They should have nailed that kid to a cross, that would make a Christian out of him.
---
### Author:  [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/9 "2015-08-05T15:39:56Z")
> [@simster](#):
>
> It was an object lesson for the child - to show what seperation from God is like, how he’ll feel like in hell when he goes there.
>
> it was only three days - hell, Christ DIED for three days ya little punk!
> [@Ethilrist](#):
>
> He got better…
😃
\
---
### Author:  [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/10 "2015-08-05T15:41:19Z")
Man, I’m glad I don’t live in IN anymore.
---
### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/11 "2015-08-05T15:44:24Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#):
>
> Darn. I was hoping they’d handcuff the little heathen.
A heathen wouldn’t be as bad. At least pagans believe in some kind of god.
---
### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/12 "2015-08-05T16:03:33Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#):
>
> Now, with the help of the ACLU, they are suing.
Amen.
---
### Author:  [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/13 "2015-08-05T16:25:34Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#):
>
> Now, with the help of the ACLU, they are suing.
Good for them. I think most people don’t realize how self-sacrificing these kinds of suits are.
They probably aren’t going to win any real money from this, if they win any money at all. And they will likely face a lot of backlash in their community for it. Even people who don’t agree with the school will chastise these parents for wasting school resources. And it will cost them a lot of time and energy.
But they are absolutely right to take action when the school administrators wouldn’t.
---
### Author:  [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/14 "2015-08-05T17:50:26Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#):
>
> As a resident I have to say that Fort Wayne is hippie-liberal compared to the towns surrounding it!
And as a former resident of one of those surrounding towns…there’s a reason that I left.
What’s odd is that I attended a RC elementary school and never witnessed anything like that.
---
### Author:  [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/15 "2015-08-05T19:21:19Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#):
>
> I suspect that the teacher does not understand that she did something wrong and _why_ it was wrong. I expect a non-apology apology any time now.
I know what we can do. Let’s PhotoShop a picture of the teacher and principal with a dead lion. That will teach them.
---
### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/16 "2015-08-05T19:40:07Z")
> [@Voyager](#):
>
> I know what we can do. Let’s PhotoShop a picture of the teacher and principal with a dead lion. That will teach them.
And a dead robot.
---
### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/17 "2015-08-05T19:47:03Z")
> [@Hari Seldon](#):
>
> Now, with the help of the ACLU, they are suing.
> [@kayaker](#):
>
> Amen.
:dubious:
---
### Author:  [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/18 "2015-08-05T20:10:49Z")
> [@Colibri](#):
>
> A heathen wouldn’t be as bad. At least pagans believe in some kind of god.
Say what you want about the tenets of Christianity, at least it’s an ethos.
---
### Author:  [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/19 "2015-08-05T20:36:13Z")
I guess showing compassion and forgiveness was out of the question.
---
### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069/20 "2015-08-05T20:58:45Z")
Not to be an ungodly PITA, but what we have here are allegations in a lawsuit (while I suspect they are substantially correct, nothing has been proven yet). Maybe the “victim” was a little arch-fiend who told his classmate she was a horse’s ass and that Satan would get her for believing in God.
I used to live in Indianapolis, and can assure Dopers that there is plenty of unbelief in the Hoosier State, not to mention lurid vice and various other sorts of hanky-panky.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-an-atheist-in-fort-wayne/727069.md?page=2)