"Child, are you going to Hell?" asks North Dakota Middle School Teacher

This is a bad one, folks.

In Simle North Dakota, at the Middle school, a

...teacher is under investigation after showing a religious-themed video in health class.

"We acknowledge that a video clip was shown in a classroom that violated School Board policy and that a parent has submitted a letter of complaint," said Superintendent Paul Johnson, reading a written statement. "We are investigating the incident and will decide on Monday what action to take."

The teacher showed "A Letter from Hell," off of Godtube.com to a health class Wednesday, according to a letter from Steven and Heather Balaban, who have a daughter in the class. Two messages at Steve Balaban's law office were not returned, and a home number was not listed.

The rest of the story is here.

My daugter came home the other day ... she's in middle school ... and mentioned that the teacher in her health class showed a video about Adam and Eve.

But just as I was dialing the number for the ACLU (speed dial number 7 on my cell phone) she leaped across the room and wrestled the phone from me, and clicked it off. She preferes to handle these things herself.

Anyway, the video in question, from GodTube.com, is here:

Heavy stuff. The first lesson of this video is that if you die before you take Jesus into your heart, you will go to hell and suffer eternal damnation. The second lesson is that if you have already taken Jesus into your heart, then your job, under thread of suffering in hell yourself, is to impose this concept ... the Jesus thing ... onto your friends.

Nice message for a public middle school. This teacher should be flayed.

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By Scott Belyea (not verified) on 09 Dec 2007 #permalink

The scariest part of that video for middle schoolers is the implication that there is no text messaging in hell.

When I watched the Adam and Eve movie rather impatiently in health class, it was no where near as scary as this. Basically Adam and Eve ( who were in the whole leaf getup) were walking around talking about the skeletal system. I was heavily entertained when I stayed after class and asked my health teacher if Adam had one less rib then the modern man. I tried to look serious as I waited for her answer, In which she kind of grimmiced at me and sidled away to the corner murmuring something about 'discussing this with your parents':D

I am now free to strut in the room every day, do a little flip of my hair in her face, and sit down; and she can't do anything about it - I wonder if I and the ACLU control her career?

The Bismarck Tribune writes:

The Balabans' letter said the video was meant to show the effects of drunken driving.

My driving instructor never told me that I could go to hell for blowing over the legal limit.

One little niggle, Simle is the name of a middle school in Bismarck, not the name of a town.

By justawriter (not verified) on 10 Dec 2007 #permalink

Justa: Thanks for the clarification. There was no way to actually know that from the news report. (That would require reporters to always file from a) a place and b) the place where the news happened!)