The Heritage Academy in Hagerstown said Maddi Runkles violated the school's code of conduct by having premarital sex. However, Runkles and her parents are struggling to understand how their conservative Christian high school can teach and promote being pro-life, but then turn their backs on one of their own.
"It's like a small school and it is such a big deal and I am the only one that is not going to be there that night to walk to the stage,” Runkles said.
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31 comments:
I agree if she is trying to do the right thing then support her.
A shining example of Christian love and forgiveness..
No wait, that would be shaming and punishing and shunning...
I don't think the school should be forced to do anything... but they need to own this disgrace.
Really, the dichotomy of a religion founded on the fact that we are all sinners and make mistakes, and we ask for forgiveness then we forgive... then compelling people to sign an agreement guaranteeing they won't sin or make mistakes is unconscionable.
Judgment be left to god.. not man.
Ya'll should be ashamed.
Hypochristian!
Pick and choose our moral standings.
Pathetic 😑
Private Christian school may well be within their right!
Rules are rules. I think I would bend if I were the administrator. But if it is in the code of conduct and they have proof then you are SOL. Take responsibility for your actions and move on!
11:52, how can you prove she broke the rules? Would that mean that the Virgin Mary broke the same rule, by their standards? Unless the rule says you can't be pregnant how can they actually prove any real wrong doing?
I guess the libs wanted her to have a abortion .
Despite what some people think..she's in a Christian school, if she wanted to graduate on a stage she could have transferred to public school.I went to Catholic school and we knew growing up that we were expected to behave certain ways. WE also knew if we didn't we would be thrown out on our ear.Growing up Christian you were taught certain rules pertaining to sex.Don't expect the school to bend its standards because of your choices.
11:45. There are consequences for your actions....she broke the rules. If this was public school it would be different.
School policy troll
Christian Schools are exempt from Christian teachings is what I am hearing. Two things come to mind that I was taught; 1) Forgiveness and 2) Those without sin cast the first stone. There was only one person that has walked this earth without sin. They are not physically alive today walking this earth. Appears humility is not in this schools vocabulary.
@12:41 & 12:46
The point is that this is mean spirited, she all ready spent time suspended for it... and she was honest about it. A little bit of forgiveness and understanding seems to be the Christian thing to do.
The school has every right to make whatever decision they want... but I am going to label that decision as mean, unreasonable, and quite frankly Un-Christian. The form they make these kids sign is un-Christian.
This has nothing to do with consequences and everything to do with shaming. This girl made a mistake and was honest about it and didn't lie and get an abortion.
The ones who should be ashamed are the administrators at that school.
In your case you can't fix stupid
Key words in the story: "...attends a private Christian school..." No further explanation. If she thinks she's going to have the world crying boo-hoo about her plight, she's sadly mistaken. If this were Public School, not only would she be at graduation, her illegitimate pregnancy in her teens would be condoned and applauded by everyone except the Planned Parenthood pimps who would see her as an argument lost.
Good for the school for standing up for it's values. It would be nice if WCBOE had them but those were lost a long, long time ago. Last person on the board with integrity was Corrine LesCaullette When was that? Sometime in the early eighties? My point exactly. Cheers my fellow countrymen.
I listened to her interview. She kept saying she was being punished for her choice to keep the baby.
What she is being punished for is having sex. She attends a Christian School. They have their rules. She and her family understood this when she enrolled. They did not expell her. Only removed her from leadership roles. And took walking across the stage from her.
2:23. This is not un-Christian. Also, the school doesn't have to "forgive" her for getting pregnant....her repentance is between her and the Lord. There is a standard of behavior that is expected and she broke the rules.
I had three kids in a Christian school. When you first enroll in the school. You agree to abide by their rules and standards. She knew this from the beginning. It is a private Christian school. It gets no money from the government. It is solely supported by the tuition from students. Therefore they make their own rules and you are bound to abide by them. If you don't like the rules and standards simply quit and go to a different school or public school. I truly believe that the reason they picked a Christian school is because of strict standards and rules. As a result they get a superior education than offered in public school.
If you allow this you set an example for other students..parents send thier children there to learn a higher standard of living and to teach morals...not to bend rules for people who ignore the teachings they uphold.
An atheist view on this:
Christians have superior morality? It takes shaming a child who all ready admitted her mistake, and asked God for forgiveness (which I think the rules say God will forgive her), yet you have to keep whipping her with her mistake to prove your point.
You aren't moral. You are horrible.
Making people sign an oath not to sin when your very religion is hinged on the fact we are sinners. The absolute absurd hypocrisy. You are not loving, caring, moral, forgiving, nor are you kind.
You are the exact opposite of what your Jesus stood for and represented.
Another kid who thinks that SHE has a good reason why SHE doesn't have to follow them.
We have raised an entire generation of CHILDREN who think that if they cry, or get on TV, or find a petition to sign, that they are not accountable.
Rules are in place for a reason.
That seems to be something that somewhere, somehow, she missed.
Life is tough and this might be a good lesson for her. Maybe not.
Your an athiest..You aren't relevant because you don't beleive...if she were an athiest and not in Christian school it would not matter..but she and her family chose to follow the teachings..so your argument is invalid.
@9:29
Atheist here. Why is my opinion irrelevant, or not valid? My non-theism somehow invalidates my perspective? I would like you to substantiate this assertion please.
The teachings of Jesus don't include love, mercy, or forgiveness? She asks your God for forgiveness, but the humans can keep whipping this child with shame? That is what you assert is the teachings of Jesus?
I may be an atheist, but I've read the bible, and studied theology and know that this is not what the bible teaches, nor is it what Jesus teaches.
This is not being done for any just purpose. This is being done for two reasons. To shame a child, and to protect the school from what they see as the embarrassment of having a child walk the stage with a baby bump. This is protecting the pride of the school administration... also dubious in nature.
This is not about consequences or being accountable. She all ready has been suspended. She has confessed and prayed to your God. According to the rules God forgives her. Are you better than your God? She will be raising this "consequence" for the rest of her life.
What does stopping her from graduating with her class mates prove or solve. Nothing. This is shaming a child to save the face of the administration.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
@12:41 & 12:46
The point is that this is mean spirited, she all ready spent time suspended for it... and she was honest about it. A little bit of forgiveness and understanding seems to be the Christian thing to do.
The school has every right to make whatever decision they want... but I am going to label that decision as mean, unreasonable, and quite frankly Un-Christian. The form they make these kids sign is un-Christian.
This has nothing to do with consequences and everything to do with shaming. This girl made a mistake and was honest about it and didn't lie and get an abortion.
The ones who should be ashamed are the administrators at that school.
May 24, 2017 at 2:23 PM
"The point is that this is mean spirited"
Mean spirited. Wah, Wah, Wah! This sounds like Barrie Tilghman and what he, I mean she, called Joe Albero and the people posting comments on his "Hobby Blog." Typical Democrat mantra.
@10:40 AM
First, I am not a democrat. Political persuasion is of no bearing on this discussion, and quite frankly you are only using it as a strawman argument, and as an insult, which frankly doesn't add to or help the conversation.
Thankfully, I have hope that you are not representative of most Christians, and I will not blame them for your poor display of how a Christian carries themselves.
Irrelevant again..cops t let crying drunk drivers go..rules are rules..she has options..your atheism is clouding your common sense..sometimes you have to use that instead of you wishy washy feely touch ways. She could have left school as my cousin did.She could have gone to public school as my friend did.I don't feel like we should break rules for tears or wants.
Once again proving how harmful all religions are to society.
7:49am well said. 9:29am I disagree. The atheist point of view is spot on.
"...I am the only one who is not going to be there..."
Because YOU violated a very serious rule of behavior in an environment you CHOSE to be in.....poor thing.
This is how CHILDREN (and she IS still a child) learn about CONSEQUENCES of behavior. It's tough. It hurts sometimes. Did I mention "tough"?
It's a good execise of her "personal responsibility" muscle.
If she got drunk and crashed her car into the school office and hurt 2 old ladies, but didn't kill anyone and only did it once and was really sorry and prayed about it, does she still not get punished??
She CERTAINLY is forgiven. I'm sure that even the officials in the school have forgiven her. That is a separate issue from bearing the responsiblity of her actions. How about if she was caught shooting heroin, once?
That also falls under "maintaining order, fairness, structure, and discipline". Those are essential elements in a school, religious or not, and the lack of the same in the public school system has given us such shining results, hasn't it??
Its a serious punishment for a serious infraction. Learning to act like an adult and be responsible (totally) for what you DECIDE to do is an important lesson for children to learn and it is often painful. It STILL has to be done.
Ask any parent of a kid who has grown to be a good adult.
Or, better yet, look at the children of the latest generation who have been raised in an environment where, if you have a REASON (excuse is what it used to be called) for breaking the rules, well, it's okay then.
No, it's not.
Just look at them.
Imclain: She likely did not choose that school. Her parents did. So her "agreement" with the rules was because she had no choice.
A lot of talk about rules and standards from someone who popped out THREE while she was enrolled. Your hypocrisy is appalling.
6:12....REALLY reaching for some justification, huh?
She is a CHILD.
With THAT kind of half-asses reasoning, do kids in public schools get to ignore the rules and consequences because they didn't ask to go to school?
Your weak and laughable reasoning is part of the reason kids are so out of control now.
She doesn't have to follow the rules because she MAY not have "agreed with" going to that school???
Outstandingly stupid.
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