A Lesson in When Not to Speak

Laura Lopez (center) with son Jesse

We’ve now heard of yet another lady, Laura Lopez, who tried to ban books from a school library. They never seem to understand that banning books just makes children want to read them even more…

Which books did she want off the shelves?

Two of the books that Lopez challenged are: Sexual Values: Opposing Viewpoints by Charles P. Cozic and Abortion: Opposing Viewpoints by Tamara L. Roleff.

What?! Opposing viewpoints? A debate on the issues?! How dare they try to educate the children with various perspectives…

Thankfully, the school board denied her request.

Anyway, Lopez is a prime example of a person who should keep her mouth shut. Not because her views shouldn’t be heard. But because she says amazingly idiotic things:

Lopez, in a January letter to Johnson, wrote, “I know that the Constitution says freedom of speech, but what about my freedom as a parent to not want [my children] to read about abortion and homosexuality in their school library.” (Link)

Then tell your three kids not to get those books.

No one is forcing them to read Homobortion: the Novel.

Stop forcing your beliefs on children you don’t control.

“My kids are going to school to learn, not to become a homosexual or an abortion doctor or an atheist,” she said. (Link)

There’s a book that leads children to become abortion doctors?

Worst. Curious George. Ever.

I like this comment from Brent’s blog: “I flunked out of homosexuality and abortion doctoring, and barely got a passing grade in atheism.” 🙂

And while she doesn’t want her children becoming atheists, something tells me she’d object to removing the Bible from the bookshelves.

“They’re teaching kids the Big Bang. They’re teaching kids lies,” she told the board. “The world was created 6,000 years ago. In my son’s elementary school book, it says the world was created several million years ago.” (Link)

You knew that one was coming, right?

“I am going to the American Center for Law and Justice,” she said. (Link)

That’s the poor fundamentalist Christian man’s version of the ACLU, headed by Jay Sekulow.

If you have to rely on them, you know you’re fighting a losing battle.

“My oldest son doesn’t believe in God,” she said. “I guess he kind of thinks I’m stupid.” (Link)

I’m resisting the urge to say, “He’s not the only one.”

But seriously, if you’re trying to strengthen your case, don’t say things like that. It doesn’t make you more endearing to us.

(Thanks to Bjorn for the story!)

[tags]atheist, atheism, Laura Lopez, Sexual Values: Opposing Viewpoints, Charles P. Cozic, Abortion: Opposing Viewpoints, Tamara L. Roleff, Constitution, Homobortion: the Novel, homosexual, Curious George, Bible, Big Bang, American Center for Law and Justice, ACLU, ACLJ, Jay Sekulow, God[/tags]

mollishka

In my son’s elementary school book, it says the world was created several million years ago.

*twitch, twitch* … Does “four thousand six hundred” equal “several”?
Logos

Why am I not surprised that this is taking place in the south.
Calladus

Mollishka, It’s an Answers in Genesis sort of thing that I’ve run into before. Daniel J. Lewis, a AIG spokesperson has it in his own blog:

…and I also covered a couple basic science examples that confirm the Bible’s history and oppose the world’s teachings of millions of years.

It is as if imagining an infinite God actually limits their worldview – they just can’t bring themselves to imagine vast amounts of time.
Chris Hallquist

Personally, I’m always happy when evangelicals draw attention to the silliness of their own beliefs.
Jen

I totally want to read Homobortion: The Novel.

In junior high, I remember reading all sorts of books these people would want to burn- Lois Lowry novels, Judy Blume, all those evil puberty books. I also wrote my sixth grade research paper on why UFOs are real, using only junior high library books. I went through a major binge on Unsolved Mysteries reruns back then, so I read all those books, from UFOs to Bigfoot to Loch Ness to to ghosts and palm reading. I pretty much don’t believe any of those things anymore, but I am glad I had the opportunity to read those books.

I also remember my grandma giving my mother a sex ed manual to give to me, and my mother told her she wanted to read it before giving it to me, so I stole it and I read it first. It was from the 1970s, so it was all free love and allow your children to masturbate with their boy or girlfriends in their room. It was pretty awesome.
Skeptigator

From my own blog post on this lady,

“Laura Lopez would like your children to immediately stop reading anything she disagrees with. She would also like all children to be held in separate hermetically-sealed rooms devoid of light, sound and germs.

Upon reaching adulthood, your children who have spent their entire adolescence using this method of sheltering children from reality, will be presented with a world they cannot understand and will spontaneously explode. Completing their journey to heaven.”

http://skeptigator.com/2007/07/10/will-no-one-stand-up-for-laura-lopez/
vjack

Actually, I think she should be encouraged to speak as often as possible. This sort of thing keeps the freethought movement engaged and helps to shape public perceptions of Christian extremism.
Maria

It is as if imagining an infinite God actually limits their worldview – they just can’t bring themselves to imagine vast amounts of time.

I agree. It’s not her belief in a higher power that bothers me (okay well, if it’s the God of the bible, then yes it does bother me). It’s that she’s trying to “speak for it” and impose her views, and say they are “God’s views”. As if she or anyone could actually know. If she doesn’t like the books, her kids don’t have to read them. She’d be up in arms if someone tried to remove all religous books from the library, and rightfully so. So why do the same to others? Btw, this library thing doesn’t suprise me. I bought Dawkins book, but I can’t afford to buy anymore books, so I wanted to check Sam Harris’s books out of the library. It took searching 3 libraries to find them-and I live in a pretty decent liberal city. And I can’t find David Mills’s book anywhere. I’ll have to save up and buy it. These books have been out for a while, so I can only wonder why they are so hard to find…..
Lois

WOW, that woman is amazingly stupid. I bet she spent most of HER school years sitting in the back of the class with the other slow learners. Why are Christians so terrified of knowledge and information? If they want their kids to never be exposed to other viewpoints, then maybe they should not live around other people.
Mikey

Unbelievable stuff. No wonder people are worried that America is rotting from the inside out. All the stupid people in the middle are sucking the intelligence from the rest.

(Note I am referring to the red states which dominates the centre. This woman however is from Florida).