Here’s a recent news story, via Pharyngula, about a teenage girl who now cowers in fear at the prospect of going back to school because an atheist there publicly disrespected her god:

As many Parker High School students get ready for Christmas break, junior Elle Jacobson is at home and will not be returning like her friends.

“I have never felt threatened like that in a classroom before,” said Jacobson.

The 17-year-old is talking about an incident in her English class two weeks ago during a class presentation.

“This boy got up and his visual aid was a Bible and a book. And he got up and started his speech by saying ‘Now, this piece of crap’ and pointed to the Bible.”

Jacobson said that she quickly felt threatened.

“He took the Bible and he said, ‘I’m going to do this because I can. I’m going to do something that your stupid, little minds aren’t going to be able to comprehend and he took the Bible and started ripping out pages.”

Hmm. Seems like that boy was right on target in his prediction about his classmates not being able to handle something. He gets failing grades for tolerance and tact, but top grades for stirring the pot and eliciting meaning in a riveting manner.

The question is, despite the student’s belittling manner, why should any student feel threatened by what he did, to the extent that they have to cower in fear in their homes?

To answer the question, put yourself into the state of mind of a young, impressionable child who has, for all of her life, been told that there is an all-powerful god in the sky who will send you to be hideously tortured for all eternity if you don’t believe in him (because he is loving and forgiving, after all), and you believe this is as true and as real as the desk that you are sitting at, and the poor grade you’ll get from your teacher if you perform badly on tests.

I suppose that if I believed that story so strongly, I’d be scared out of my wits to be even near someone who then called the holiest of all books, god’s own words, “crap,” and then ripped it up.

That does make you realize some important things. For example, think of your distant ancestors, huddling in a cave, wearing animals skins, cringing at the thunder and the invisible god that wielded the lightning, who would strike you down or fail to provide you food unless you offered up a deer or something as a bloody sacrifice.

And then think of how far we have come since those days!

Depressing, isn’t it?