An Alabama principal let a preacher "talk about Jesus" at a mental health assembly (Livestream) 

Can you imagine the outrage from Christians if an Imam came and preached about Islam. 🙄

It's time to tax religion. Enough is enough.

Imagine the pressure. I have to pretend to pray or else I will be singled out and possibly punished by the principal.

Jesus is not an accepted therapeutic modality.

Putting in a preacher instead of a mental health expert at a mental health assembly, tells us that principal doesn't believe in "hocus pocus" medicine. He's one of those "They just need Jeebus, not psychiatrists," kind of fools.

many years ago, after being robbed at gunpoint and having difficulty dealing with it, i went to talk to a therapist. when i said i was an atheist, she commented that she was christian but me not believing wasn't an issue. the subject never came up again. amazing therapist. in two visits, i was doing much better. i just wish i could remember her name so i could give her some free advertising.

Letters complaining about the behavior are ineffective. A lawsuit that costs the school systems actual money from their budget would be quite effective in putting a stop to this.

As someone who has lived in AL, I can tell you precisely why this was allowed to happen; because the principal and the preacher both *believe* that nobody is going to do a damn thing about it.

Grade 10, 1987 we had a school assembly . Word got out that it was a christian evangelical performance from a group holding a revival in the evenings. We ditched the rest of the week after finding out they were going to be there until friday.

I would have been livid if my children were there. And I bet no one would have listened to me. Better yet, the principal would likely have pulled a power move. Aaaaannnnd then I’d have posted this all over Facebook and _still_ have gotten nowhere.

In the lawyer 90's my high school had a catholic group give an anti suicide talk in the auditorium. It was about going to limbo etc. I called yhem on it and they actually denied the fact it wad a religious presentation. The faculty got mad cause I was being disruptive by asking a question during the question and answer period. This was a wealthy town in Massachusetts.

Ah, spreading religious bs to a captive audience of kids at a public school. What could possibly go wrong? ⚖️

The preacher likely only got a degree because he could get away with preaching with the excuse of giving mental health advice.

I just don't understand how "do not proselytize to children at school" is so freaking hard to understand.

"There are two things that are infinite-the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe."-Albert Einstein

Wow, so guy said, 'oh, you got mental health problems? Let's add shame and more to it.' 👍🏿💙💙💙🥰✌🏻

So he's just going to break the law? Got it.

Guaranteed that those with issues like suicidal ideation, will be left to deal with it alone. I know the church did this to me. I was fortunate someone else stepped in. All to save face at the cost of potentially my life. This religious BS needs to stop.

Religious freedom for me but NOT for thee.

Alabama is #45 in education in this country!Those kids would have been better served staying in class and learning to read (even the bible) 😒

They should be publicly mocked and shamed as long as they keep dragging these private Ludacris beliefs out in public.

Not an atheist, but I'm smart enough to know that when you mix religion and any other social institution in our society (here public education) disaster lies ahead.

Way to get lawsuits happening and wasting taxpayers money for fighting lawsuit instead of hiring more teachers or teachers assistants or school support staff..making teens learning how to say no to adults in a pressure situation over religion intent in school is very disengentist on thise adults that are supposed to protect children.

The principal obviously knew he was doing something he should not do. If I went to that high school I would have left. It is outrageous that students would be forced to sit through that B.S.

Should have been immediately fired.

I don’t expect much from Alabama. Glad that I can continue to keep my expectations low

Yeah. It should be mandatory that these assemblies need to be recorded. Especially if you’re going to have a guest speaker. Just for transparency reasons Also, professional religious folks that prey on people with substance abuse issues, just for the mare fact of indoctrinating them, is vile and grotesque

These same "good" people would lose their minds if you or I went to speak about a lack of evidence for any gods. Hypocrite much?

Religion is all about having a captive audience.

He's probably planning to run for some local office.

Just another excuse to use Tax Exemption....

Just remember kids, it’s okay to lie and break laws if you want!

You mean, they're going after our children?! How could they?!

I really don't like living in Alabama sometimes

I guarantee you they would not let a Muslim preacher that was a psychiatrist or a counselor do the same thing

No different than going to a voodoo practitioner to get rid of cancer

A way to fix this situation is to *BAR* preachers from holding licences as clinical social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists. A *STRICT* screening process needs to be in place to *WEED OUT* any potential proselytisers from those seeking to be clinical social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists. This prohibition needs to be *UNIVERSAL,* not just in the USA, but *ALL OVER THE WORLD!*

Back in High School we had a religion class. I told the teacher I was an atheist and I was willing to learn for cultural purposes but wasn't about to pray or listen to preaching. Whenever he prayed I stepped out and a few other students followed. We never got into trouble.

As stated, I grew up in Alabama in the 70s and 80s. "Jesus", "God", "Bible", ... were ubiquitous in school. We were led in prayer by preachers several times a year. And every kid knew if they spoke out against it, in even the gentlest way, they would be subject to major bullying and would be ostracized by all, even many teachers. You just kept your mouth shut and bowed your head or nodded in agreement when required.

Imagine working for a Evangelical Christian? If I do not pretend to pray I will lose my job. I will receive a bad evaluation, my employee file will be full of negative comments, customer complaints that never happened, and my career will be destroyed. The Christian right, which this principle is obviously a part of, will destroy anyone. They will go after your family, your livelihood, you're standing in the community. They will destroy you and run you out of town.

How is displaying a rainbow flag "grooming" students but this isn't? Someone explain that please using reality and facts and not Right Wing fiction.

1969 my family had recently relocated to NW Georgia. There was a Christian assembly and my Catholic mother lost her mind. She marched into the principals office, and then the school board meeting to remind them that religious instruction does not belong in our public schools. I’m so glad she isn’t alive to see how far our country has fallen.

Invoking a supernatural deity with magic spells and incantations is not a therapeutic modality.

The only point I'd say - I wouldn't put it past the preacher to be lying through his teeth in order to sell his ministry.

The number of students who sat out does not change the fact that it is AGAINST THE LAW !!!!!

Why wouldn't they just do it at their church if it wasn't mandatory, wasn't coerced? They could have easily used their own location to not estrange half the school to affirm their magic.

I would have been frozen like a deer in headlights in the bleachers, as an adult i know i could simply leave but you just don't have that kind of foresight when you're still a kid ☹️ this is messed up

Best practice teach your child what they believe, but "EXACTLY what they believe" and why it is ridiculous and stupid so they can't be recruited by these people.

I'm all for prayer but not when it is forced on people. I can't even imagine how much damage this did to kids who are traumatised by their religious community and to don't wanna be hugged (autism, abuse etc.). Mental health education is so important and this is not how it is done.

It's disgusting that people are doing this stuff so openly and brazenly and not facing any punishment for it. What's the point of even having a constitution if people can violate it so blatantly without any consequences?

I don’t think an imaginary god and Bronze Age beliefs are the solution to anything

I am a mental health professional and public servant. At a state conference last year we got a speech from a MH professional who tries to encourage men's MH awareness in churches. He told us point blank that he thinks the threat of h3ll is a valid method of discouraging su1c1de in church going men. I wrote to the conference to protest.

Lying for Jesus, what else are they going to do.

There's no hate like Christian love.

It's beyond me how educated principals don't know the separation of church and state, yet this is OK in there eyes. plus put there districts on the hook for this.

Elmore county teens must have a serious substance abuse problem if this guy needs to drop by the high schools to give them a tune up. In my whole life I've only known a few teen addicts, one was with booze.

While I don't think it's negligent to suggest that spiritual disciplines can be a helpful part of maintaining a resilient mindset for SOME people, I don't understand why anyone - least of all a member of the clergy - thinks that religion is a useful prescription for mental health crises or conditions. I can think of about a handful of healthcare professionals in my immediate circle who practice religion. But none of my friends who practice family medicine would treat a serious cut with prayer. They would give the patient stitches. I grew up with this stuff, and it took years to understand that anxiety and depression are not symptoms of a weak faith.

Talking to the voices in your head is not a healthy alternative to therapy.

The fact that one student had the strength to opt out is surprising

THERE WAS NEVER A MANDATORY SCHOOL PRAYER in Public Schools. My grandma went to school in the 1800s and she got her jesus fix at THE CHURCH. She NEVER had prayers at school ir a PLEDGE. They knew back then you NEEDED THAT MENTAL HEALTH BREAK.

Most secular moment in Alabama's history.

I have a wonderful LCSW as a therapist. She is a faithful Episcopalian, married to a retired Episcopalian minister. I was a Christian when I began my therapy. When I became an atheist, she supported me 100%. Our therapeutic relationship is so healthy that there is trust at its core. My therapist uses scientifically verified treatment tools. When people accept & respect each other's individual expressions of either belief or nonbelief, bridges of understanding & cooperation as fellow human beings is possible.

Yeah, enough with this crap they want to play. They don’t wanna play by the rules. Tax them.

My school did this several times a year, public school in Ohio, graduated early 2010s. Eventually they even stopped letting (the three of) us (that werent interested) opt out. There was even an alter call one year, and I think its in one of my yearbooks... sickening

@ 11:22 Ha, ha, ha! Perfect words! Religion is the cause of many mental disorders. Keep up the good work Hemant! Love you're reports.

12:18 "there is a website....secular therapists" WTF, that sounds like such an American issue. I have been to a bunch of therapists over the last decade and I don't know if any of them where religious or not. The question just didn't come up. Here in Germany you can trust that your therapist cares about your problems not their religion. At least that is my experience.

You always do such a great job . . . I love your videos!

Imagine if companies held assemblies at a school to sell or advertise a product. Similar situation.

I appreciate you Hemant!❤

Clearly the principal needed the mental health assembly the most

Fire Him

"HAND MAIDENS TALE" is all about, "the captive audience, "

Alabama. ‘Nuff said.

This event was NOT about not getting into trouble! It's 1) a continued effort to see what they can get away with, and 2) a deliberate provocation in order to make themselves seem like they're the victim. The current process is: Constitutional violation > appropriate pushback > cries of being an oppressed class who's silenced for their belief > outcries of support for the "injustice" faced by those Constitution violators > hope no one continues to check on the legal outcome ('cause already-underfunded US public schools are the arena of choice) > rinse & repeat. I'm not a conspiracy guy, but more and more this resembles a plot to financially cripple public schools as a way to make room for more "alternative facts" in our education system.

Nothing has been worse fornmy mental health than evangelical Christianity was. Souther Baptist specifically. I've faced a lot of struggles with deconversion but nothing I have faced has been even close to how wretched I felt as a Christian just for existing.

Because delusion is SO mentally healthy.

I hope there is already a lawsuit in process,

Religion definitely contributes to poor mental health. I’ve suffered from poor self esteem, anxiety and depression for decades. When I deconverted in my my late 50s (with the help from proper medical professionals as opposed to “Christian Counsellors” the depression and anxiety and poor self-esteem all went away!

I don't know that they're the same groups, but it's kinda interesting that this institution wants to place the opt-out onus on students, while there is an ongoing push for "parental rights" in public schools from instutions who claim students cannot be trusted to make informed & mature decisions

Kind of weird how the preacher is so proud to be a criminal

He should lose his license.

People taking advantage of laws and loopholes because they choose to be a bad person is exactly why we have to many laws! It's the only way to protect ourselves for many of us from predators and groomers like preachers like this

The Southern Baptist Convention (aka Confederacy) owns Bama lock, stock and barrel

This is so disturbing.

It's a beautiful day, my trike has a full charge, so screw the world, I'm going riding! Enjoy what you can while you still can because when it goes away its never coming back.

Dominionism in action. This is what the right wing politicos WANT.

I would demand equal time to talk about Zeus and all the other gods civilizations made up. Why is it just the Christian god that gets the attention?

Serious question which version of “Jesus”????!!!!

Great!! I am sure that that school will allow an atheist to talk to students........

Preacher man got one over on the School Principal, or the Principal lied.😮

It's Alabama. It's the south. The south is America's MRDD group home.

He's praising being able to bring the twelve step program? That's a joke. Does he not realise that steps two and three are basically "believe and follow in god" respectively? The twelve step program just replaces an addiction to drugs with an addiction to religion.

Of course he did. Because, Alabama... I hate my state.

If only one student out of more than a hundred "opted out," you know they didn't tell them in advance that the assembly was religious. There's no way they have a student body that's more than 99% Christian. Of course they didn't tell the students what was going to be in the assembly before they went to it. Once they were there, they weren't going to want to start complaining about the presentation. I went to public school in the 1970's and 80's. There were a few times that we had Christianity pushed on us. As a life-long atheist, it did nothing to alter my beliefs. I just sighed and played along because I didn't want to rock the boat. I doubt that this assembly in Alabama will do anything to change any students minds. If anything, the blatant attempt at manipulation just serves to undermine the credibility of the claims.

NO MORE.

If students opt out what do they have to do? Go sit in the principal's office and do busy work?

Nothing good happens in .... The many entanglements of religion and recovery are just to huge to even attempt to list. Christ centered 13 Steps....that says it all!

Which truth is true? Let me see..so I'm a high school student and I'm being offered money to be prayed over..but also the "meeting" is mandatory. Pretty sure even a high school student, if they were told, would understand the difference between mandatory and non-mandatory. Well if I am said high school money I would for sure go to the mandatory meeting if it meant I was going to make a few bucks...money is money and it seems like an easy way to make a few bucks..having to go to a non-mandatory meeting. Pretty sure there were a few high school students having a grand time trolling the preacher...lol glad they may have made a few bucks along the way.

FFRF is involved? No worries.

He reminds me of John Sokal from TCAP