Closing the Gates to Hell

A five-year-old kid’s name is Max Hell. His dad’s name is Alex Hell. The surname has an Austrian origin. Alex says the name means “bright.”

Now, the Hells are feeling the heat.

According to Yahoo! News, Max was “barred from enrolling in a Catholic school in Australia because his surname jarred with its religious teachings…”

That’s it. Max could be a perfect angel, but his last name is Hell, so no deal.

The school eventually came to their senses and said he could enroll, but the family is declining. Good for them.

Alex Hell (the dad) said this:

… why would you want to go there after being victimised?

…

I’d rather go to another school — we had no problem with the public school but we just wanted to further Max’s education.

In a statement, the school said this:

The school is working with the family in the best interests of the child.

By teaching him that he should be punished for something he has no control over. Even if he did have control of it, it’s still a horrible reason to have him go through all this hassle.

Incidentally, a lot of media are reporting on this. But the story also appears in this satirical publication— it adds a couple details, but says the story is a spoof. The school does exist, though.

If someone knows the truth, let us know.

(via Freakonomics Blog)

[tags]atheist, atheism, Max Hell, Alex Hell, Austrian, the Spoof, St. Peter the Apostle[/tags]