Here's what the blog said - I highlighted in red the obvious lie:
el Rio Charter School will not advocate or promote any form of
religious or political ideology to the children. Our aim is to teach
children how to think, not what to think.
Posted: August 11th, 2009 | Author: Joan Jaeckel | Filed under:
Uncategorized | Tags: anthroposophy not a religion, Establishment
clause, First Amendment, non-religious, religion and public Waldorf
education, Rudolf Steiner, U.S. Constitution, Waldorf education is
secular, Waldorf litigation | No Comments»
Q: Will el Rio Charter School, offering a public Waldorf-like
education, be secular?
A: Yes, public, Waldorf-like charter schools are 100% secular. Its
core anthroposophical concepts are not religious. This has been
upheld in courts in California and worldwide for the following
reasons:
Anthroposophy is the name giving by Rudolf Steiner, the designer of
Waldorf education, to designate a cognitive research method using
focused concentration and learned compassion as a way of knowing or
method of inquiry. Anthroposophy, essentially, means"inquiry into
the nature of being human". The purpose of anthroposophy is to
humanize human life on earth through learned openmindedness,
openheartedness, objectivity, positivity and intentionality.
Unlike a religion or a church, anthroposophy has no creed or any other
form of doctrinal statement to which members must or are expected to
subscribe.
Anthroposophy has no clergy or form of clergy and membership in the
anthroposophical society does not qualify persons to perform marriage
ceremony.
Anthroposophy does not have sacraments like communion or babtism.
Unlike a religion, anthroposophy does not claim to have sacred
scripture and it does not have or administer a system of canon law.
Anthroposophy holds no formal worship services and makes no efforts to
propagate or missionize.
Anthroposophy is a way of knowing and inquiry into the mysteries of
human life. Its aim is not answers to be believed, but questions and
more questions into the nature of life on earth.
An atheist may become a member or interested in the anthroposophical
society and remain an atheist; an agnostic may become a member and
remain an agnostic; a member of any traditional religious sect or
denomination Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, etc may become a
member of the anthroposophical society and remain a member of their
sect or denomination.
The trial court's final judgment in favor of the Sacramento City
Unified School District and the Twin Ridges Elementary School
District, states in part: “Plaintiff failed to carry its evidentiary
burden of establishing that anthroposophy is a religion for purposes
of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United
States Constitution or the other California constitutuinal provisions
involved in this case, as stated in the Court's pretrial order dated
April 20, 2005 Waldorf Methods Litigation Update, January 21,
2006, by Christian M. Keiner: Kronick, Moskovitz, Tiedemann & Girard.
ckeiner@...
Courts in California and worldwide have found that anthroposophy,
the philosophical foundation of the Waldorf-like curriculum and
methods in public charter schools, is a philosophy and not a religion.
The curriculum and methods of the Waldorf-like education at el Rio
Charter School will be 100% non-religious. Although our teachers will
be trained at institutions like Rudolf Steiner College to observe,
relate to and teach children based on the anthroposophical philosophy,
we can make this assertion because the non-religiosity of Waldorf
education has been upheld in courts in California and worldwide forthe following reasons:
1. "Anthroposophy", the name of the philosophy behind Waldorf
education's curriculum and methods, designates a cognitive research
method using focused concentration, learned compassion and sensory
cultivation as a way of knowing or method of inquiry. “Anthroposophyâ€,
essentially, means “inquiry into the nature of being humanâ€. The
purpose of anthroposophy is to humanize life on earth through learned
openmindedness, openheartedness, objectivity, positivity and
intentionality.
2. Unlike a religion or a church, anthroposophy has no creed or any
other form of doctrinal statement to which members must or are
expected to subscribe.
3. Anthroposophy has no clergy or form of clergy and membership in
the anthroposophical society does not qualify persons to perform
marriage ceremony.
4. Anthroposophy does not have sacraments like communion or
babtism. Unlike a religion, anthroposophy does not claim to have
sacred scripture and it does not have or administer a system of canon
law.
5. Anthroposophy holds no formal worship services and makes no
efforts to propagate or missionize.
6. Anthroposophy is a way of knowing and inquiry into the mysteries
of human life. Its aim is not answers to be believed, but questions
and more questions into the nature of life on earth.
7. An atheist may become a member or interested in the
anthroposophical society and remain an atheist; an agnostic may become
a member and remain an agnostic; a member of any traditional religious
sect or denomination – Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, etc. – may
become a member of the anthroposophical society and remain a member of
their sect or denomination.
The trial court's final judgment in favor of the Sacramento City
Unified School District and the Twin Ridges Elementary School
District, states in part: "Plaintiff failed to carry its evidentiary
burden of establishing that anthroposophy is a religion for purposes
of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United
States Constitution or the other California constitutuinal provisions
involved in this case, as stated in the Court's pretrial order dated
April 20, 2005". Waldorf Methods Litigation Update, January 21,2006, by Christian M. Keiner: Kronick, Moskovitz, Tiedemann & Girard.
ckeiner@...
You may be surprised to hear that, in Los Angeles public schools,
organizations like the Kabbalah Center, Scientology and Transcendatal
Meditation offer (with parental permission) students scripted lessons,
like"Rules of the Game of Life". Kids bring home marketing materials
inviting students and their parents to find out about or join these
organizations. El Rio Charter School will never do this. No
pamphlets, invitations or lesson plans promoting any religious,
spiritual or political organization will ever be distributed to
parents or given to students either by word, deed or implication.
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