Catholic rosary beads banned from US high school as gangland symbol

Did I hear you right, borefield? You said we should emulate the Australian Prime Minister? You've got to be kidding! Her name is Julia Gillard and she is an atheist who does not believe in God, marriage, family, etc. She wants to have Australians endorse a "marriage contract" and you decide how long the marriage contract is for and if, when the contract expires, you want out, you just walk away, no strings! She's a real jughead and poor Australia is over 50% atheist, God help them!

This is the most absurd thing I've ever heard. In the Constitution we have the right to freedom of religion! Where the hell is that right? I think people are forgetting what country we are in ? AMERICA!

A SIMPLE ANSWER TO THIS WAS FOR YER MAN JAKE TO ENQUIRE FROM HIS PARISH PRIEST THE PROS AND CONS ETIQUETTE IN EXPOSING AND THE TRANSPARENCY OF HIS ROSARY BEADS IN SUCH A VOLATILE ENVIROMENT OF GANGS ETC.

If he is wearing for his grandma, put it under his shirt, close to his heart- end of story.

This is the new ussa, if it had been a star of David, they would have recognized it????

The kid is a "thug" and not even Catholic. He is "flamed out" and "showing his gang colors". The hat is a big tip off. He has gang written all over him. The shirt lettering says "Don't Sniff Dog". Another gang tip off. Mom and dad are both very supportive. Another bizarre aspect.

Have I been banned from posting ?

Er... to be fair, I went to the most catholic of Irish catholic schools (it was actually a convent too) and there's no way you'd have been allowed to walk around with a big rosary around your neck! You were only allowed a small cross tucked under your jumper. Very understated and not on display. What's the problem with putting the beads in his pocket if he wants to feel close to his grandmother?

Can they wear a burka? I bet no one at that school would dare ask a young Muslim girl to remove it or ban the quran either. I feel we are loosing our country. Time we emulated the Australian prime minister. Those that come here live by our laws, speak our language which is English and we would be a stronger country. If people come here to work and live and they don't like our ways they are free to leave.

"ByTheBay" - Can you please let me know what you're on? I want to make sure I don't take any by mistake! Éamonn, Dublin, Ireland.

America sure is just about ready for sharia law !

When I was in Catholic school many years ago the nuns told us NEVER to put a rosary around our neck - the rosary was a sacred/holy object and was used for prayer NOT jewelry or decoration.

I was a public high school teacher for 35 years and did not see the rosary used as a gang symbol but we banned blue or red kerchiefs worn as headbands, around the neck or dangling out of pockets. We banned one pants leg or one sleve rolled up. It was a constant game of one-up-man-ship trying to discover the symbol Du Jour. I've been retired for 5 years so I would not be surprised if some enterprising gang leader had settled on rosaries of different colors in my absence. The problem with kids wearing gang related stuff to school is not an attempt to stifle their individuality but rather an attempt to prevent them from being killed or maimed by a member of a rival gang. Administrators and teachers in public schools do their best to make it a safe haven for ALL kids, especially those who have few safe places elsewhere. These parents should be thanking the officials at their kid's school for keeping him alive to come home upset over not getting to where the beads. On the other hand, if he is a gang "wannabe" he should be told that wearing the wrong symbol in the wrong place gets kids killed in our current culture. Its not so different now as it was in the Five Points neighborhood of New York City almost two centuries ago.

Wearing the rosary beads was forbidden because they're used as a gang symbol, apparently not because they have a religious significance. And just because people in a certain core group of Catholics in the US don't wear rosary beads doesn't mean every Catholic in the US or elsewhere doesn't.

Typical of many Americans of Irish descent they have to slam Muslims. Joan where did you see Muslim Prayer beads and Buddist prayer symbols being worn by students at a public school in the US? Did you contact the schools' principals about those to find out if they were actually what you thought they were? In other words as an obvious American of Irish descent and probably Catholic, how do you even kinow what they were? It's laughable those of you who are constantly complaining about the prejudice of the British Empire against Catholics have no problem whatsoever being prejudiced against Muslims.