You know, I think it’s ridiculous how far the ACLU will go to remove all references to God or Christianity from the public sphere; but their argument is: we don’t want nutty Christians to be indoctrinating our children with their religion; my response is: relax — Christians are calm, friendly people; they’re not trying to “indoctrinate” anyone.

And then this guy comes along and proves me totally wrong. Here’s the Columbus Dispatch with the story:

The Mount Vernon public-school science teacher who won’t remove his personal Bible from the top of his desk also is accused of conducting a religious “healing session” during school and burning crosses onto students’ arms.

Administrators say John Freshwater taught his own religious beliefs in his classes, including describing the meaning of Good Friday and Easter. . . .

The “healing” allegedly occurred when Freshwater was a chaperone for a Christian student-athlete group that met during school hours. A guest speaker visiting the group in January had an illness, and Freshwater called for his healing.

“He said out loud, ‘Satan be removed from this man,’” said Jessica Philemond, an attorney representing a Mount Vernon Middle School student who witnessed the event.

The same boy also was among several students branded during a science class in which Freshwater asked for volunteers who wanted to see how an electrical device in his classroom worked.

Wait, hold on a second — there’s something fishy going on here: I think this teacher may actually be getting unfairly smeared from some of his students. Let me explain why:

1. “Conducting a religious ‘healing session’”: Look at some of the details: not only was this “healing session” during a meeting for Christian students, but Freshwater never made a mention to Jesus — only to Satan. Is “Satan” a Christian-only concept? Or does it imply a belief in Christianity? (I don’t know.)
2. “Burning crosses onto student’s arms”: Sounds terrible, right? But, again, look at the details: the teacher asked for volunteers to demonstrate an electrical device. High school boys, of course, want to prove their “macho-ness,” so I’m sure the “branding” was a totally volitional experience. And maybe the “cross” wasn’t really a cross at all, but just a piece of metal that resembled a cross; and how permanent was this branding? My guess is that it the effects faded rapidly.

Look, I’m not trying to get this guy off the hook; I’m just saying that there is a chance — even if it’s a small one — that Mr. Freshwater is not guilty of what he’s being accused of.

Either way, one has to believe his reputation is taking a hit right now. Is this an example of sloppy reporting? Eh, not really. But it is an example of why people — you — should include a healthy dose of skepticism when reading (or watching) anything.

Did you know that “gullible” is actually not in the dictionary?