# Why are t-shirts about god allowed in school?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-t-shirts-about-god-allowed-in-school/83341
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [September 23, 2001, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-t-shirts-about-god-allowed-in-school/83341 "2001-09-23T15:08:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2001, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-t-shirts-about-god-allowed-in-school/83341/41 "2001-09-24T01:59:34Z")
Oh My! I didn’t spell ‘calmly’ correctly! I guess I must be an idiot or something, huh? Or perhaps I just got home from working an eleven hour shift. Life’s too short to nit-pick spelling errors - especially ones where the original meaning can be easily noted.
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### Author:  [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2001, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-t-shirts-about-god-allowed-in-school/83341/42 "2001-09-24T02:10:53Z")
Back on topic, there was a big argument a few years ago at my school. We had a graduating class of 180, with around 200 kids in each grade, so everyone pretty well knew everyone else. At one of the parties, a very conspicuous girl got very conspicuously drunk and had very conspicuous sex with a very conspicuous football player who was not her boyfriend. She then proceeded to have an abortion.
Once this got around school (because high schoolers really get a kick out of other people’s sexual mistakes and anguish), one of the Jesus Freaks started showing up in a sweatshirt with big white letters that said “ABORTION IS MEAN.” On the back, it had several Bible verses that seemed to apply.
None of the admin could, for the life of them, understand why anyone was offended on any level other than the fact that it promoted religion. ☹
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### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2001, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-t-shirts-about-god-allowed-in-school/83341/43 "2001-09-24T02:48:34Z")
My bet is that the poor souls who received da’cook’s letter are still trying to glean the meaning of it from the hate, bad spelling, bad “facts,” and bad grammar. That is, if one were to judge by da’cook’s postings here.
> [@](#):
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> People around me don’t care what I say and I don’t care what they say (not including you all).
I’d venture that those around you already have determined the quality (or lack thereof) of what you’ve had to say in the past and therefore have determined that you’re just not worth listening to. Perhaps you could improve on your attitude towards others and, just maybe, others would respect you just a tad.
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> I am naturally a nasty and hostile person
Nobody is a naturally nasty and hostile person. It takes time to get that way. Have you considered working on being a nice and polite person? Didn’t think so.
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> because I dislike most people
Without even having met most people? Truly amazing. There’s a word for that, you know.
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> (I threw that dislike in instead of hate for you religous nuts).
Oh, then that makes it all right, hey? Plus, it’s “religious.”
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> People think that just because a shirt or something is about god it can’t be wrong or offensive.
You don’t know what people think unless you can read minds. What you can do, though, is presume that people think a certain way.
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> Well I got news for you bozos who think that: IT IS and why don’t you do something better with your life instead of dedicating it to something that isn’t real.
To some folks, deity is real. Just because you don’t happen to share that belief doesn’t give you carte blanche to dismiss their belief out of hand.
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> Of course that’s my opinion
Funny thing about opinions: there are informed opinions and then there are yours. (Again, judging by your posts here.)
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> and I can’t change your mind about it.
Well, you might have a better chance at changing people’s minds about it if you would: a) quit being so hostile, b) learn how to communicate, and c) interject a correct fact or two into your spiel.
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> I evolved from an ape and that’s what I believe.
Incorrect parsing of Theory of Evolution. Please try again.
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> But why am I not allowed to express me beliefs in school but others can?
Perhaps because others are more able to communicate?
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### Author:  [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2001, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-t-shirts-about-god-allowed-in-school/83341/44 "2001-09-24T07:09:30Z")
**da’ cook** , mayhaps you’d convert more to your cause if you’d quote what was actually on the shirt rather than just complaining about it in the abstract. I, for one, am interested in what it said.
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### Author:  [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2001, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-t-shirts-about-god-allowed-in-school/83341/45 "2001-09-24T11:44:44Z")
Well…I suppose that you could have a T-shirt with “Worship Satan!” on it done…And if someone finds it offensive, tell that you just happen to worship Satan. If they want to ban it, ask all the other religious T-shirts to be banned too…
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### Author:  [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2001, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-t-shirts-about-god-allowed-in-school/83341/46 "2001-09-24T12:13:29Z")
> [@](#):
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> \*Originally posted by da’ cook \*
> I evolved from an ape and that’s what I believe. But why am I not allowed to express me beliefs in school but others can?
Perhaps you could make your own T-shirt and wear it to school. Might I suggest the wording: “My dad is an ape”? I think that that has just the right amount of subtlety to slip past your school censors, yet the right amount of forthrightness nedded to let the word know that your dad is, indeed, an ape.
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### Author:  [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2001, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-t-shirts-about-god-allowed-in-school/83341/47 "2001-09-24T12:23:26Z")
> [@](#):
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> _Originally posted by da’ cook, from under a bridge:_
> \*\*Who’s that, trip-trapping across my bridge?
> \*\*
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2001, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-t-shirts-about-god-allowed-in-school/83341/48 "2001-09-24T13:16:50Z")
> [@](#):
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> \*Originally posted by ITR champion \*
> \*\*Many people become rich and famous without ever doing anything calmly. Just ask Jerry Falwell. \*\*
I disagree. I bet Falwell is very calm when he counts his money and plans his next insult-laden cash grab.
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### Author:  [@ozonebaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ozonebaby)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2001, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-t-shirts-about-god-allowed-in-school/83341/49 "2001-09-27T20:58:25Z")
Sorry if I did or said anything with inncorrect grammar or anything mean, but that’s how you get when you are in a school where your own grades are high while everyone else’s are low and everyday you have to explain everything you have to do that day to at least 5 different people. It gets a little frustrating because you have to be the teacher to all the other kids in your class who still don’t know how to do things that they were supposed to have learned 2 years ago.
But getting back to the subject, I beleive the shirt said something like, “If you don’t beleive in Him, you will not be allowed into heaven because you heart is not enlightened,” but I don’t know that for a fact because I can’t remember everything. I know it doesn’t say “If you don’t believe in God you are going to hell” but for me it does (and you might not agree with me but that’s fine). 🙂
P.S. Language is definently not my highest grade and I am not bragging or trying to make you feel sorry for me.
P.S.S. I am saying it like this because I am trying you nice and polite thing, Monty.
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### Author:  [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2001, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-t-shirts-about-god-allowed-in-school/83341/50 "2001-09-27T22:45:29Z")
I see two different **da’ cook** s here. I see the **da’ cook** who is
> [@](#):
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> _originally posted by da’ cook_
> **naturally a nasty and hostile person because {he} dislike{s} most people**
and I see **da’ cook** who has
> [@](#):
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> _originally posted by da’ cook_
> **to explain everything you have to do that day to at least 5 different people.**
> …and has to…
> **be the teacher to all the other kids in your class who still don’t know how to do things that they were supposed to have learned 2 years ago.**
Now, now…are you nice, or aren’t you? Those two statements don’t fit together particularly well. However, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, because I’ll ASSUME that you mean that you get easily annoyed with people, but you still try to help them out. Remember, I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt here, so try and help me out…
About the shirt:
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> _originally posted by da’ cook_
> **something like, "If you don’t beleive in Him, you will not be allowed into heaven because you heart is not enlightened,"**
Myself being a Christian, I don’t find this particularly OFFENSIVE to myself, but I do find it in extremely poor taste. I would not wear a shirt like that to school, because I don’t believe I have a right to judge who gets into Heaven. Not my call.
Is this person **actively** trying to convert you? Is he (or she) being spiteful to you? Or is he merely wearing a shirt which states his beliefs?
I advise you to find or make a shirt which states your beliefs. Wear it. See what happens.
(_note: the above paragraph only applies under the assumption that you can state your beliefs without resorting to obscenities, vulgarities, or lewdness in any form. if this is impossible, perhaps it’s time to rethink your beliefs…_)
Garfield226\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
Hoping this doesn’t get him flamed too badly…[sub]yeah, right…[/sub]
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### Author:  [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2001, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-t-shirts-about-god-allowed-in-school/83341/51 "2001-09-27T23:00:31Z")
You know, I’m beginning to get the idea this person wore this shirt just to piss da’cook off. Not that that’s a bad idea.
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### Author:  [@Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefarious_Chipmunk)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2001, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-t-shirts-about-god-allowed-in-school/83341/52 "2001-09-27T23:14:18Z")
FWIW at my elementry school we were not aloud to wear shirts that mentioned God in anyway. I remember one girl who had to wear her shirt backwards all day because of this rule. At my High School you could wear whatever you wanted. There was a girl who used too wear a velvet bra as a shirt. Personally, I don’t care either way what other people wear. If I don’t like their shirt, I ignore it, which, by the way, is possible despite them sitting right in front of you.
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### Author:  [@Lady\_Juliet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Juliet)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2001, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-t-shirts-about-god-allowed-in-school/83341/53 "2001-09-27T23:33:08Z")
> [@](#):
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> \*Originally posted by Monty \*
> \*\*Without even having met most people? Truly amazing. There’s a word for that, you know.
> \*\*
I believe they would call that being an asshole.
You would probably be much happier if you stopped being so pissed off and tried being nice to people.
Now, in response to the OP, you probably won’t get anywhere writing “nasty letters” and being a dick. You said yourself, you have high grades in school, which implies that you do relatively well in your classes and are smart. With this being said, I think it’s safe to assume that it is not above your head to write a polite, coherent letter about the situation suggesting solutions to the problem. That would probably get you a lot farther than some unwelcome and obviously unflattering comments.
Also I think wearing a shirt with your own beliefs and seeing what happens would work just as well. If they approach you about it, tell them your situation (\*Nicely ;)).
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### Author:  [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2001, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-t-shirts-about-god-allowed-in-school/83341/54 "2001-09-28T05:29:11Z")
for those wondering where to get shirts about athiesm/evolution/whatever, a good place to start is [http://www.evolvefish.com](http://www.evolvefish.com)
Someday, I hope to own many of their buttons. 😃
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