A Georgia middle school is apologizing after parents expressed outrage over a poem read to students that described God as a “mythical creature” who is akin to a “childish dream.”
Administrators at Cedartown Middle School in Cedartown, Georgia, released a statement last Thursday that described the poem’s inclusion by the school’s language arts team as an “unfortunate mistake.”
“After listening to the concerns and investigating the work and circumstances surrounding its selection, we recognize that it was an unfortunate mistake to have included the work as part of any of our classes here at our school,” the statement read. “The work was included as one piece of a larger unit covering Ancient Mythology.”
The school held a meeting last Thursday morning with “parent stakeholders” and representatives from district office to hear out concerns and to try and come to a resolution.
In the end, officials said that they came to the conclusion that there was no “malicious intent” in including the lesson.
“We had meaningful conversations and believe that the inclusion of this article to have been made not by malicious intent nor the desire to denounce the faith or beliefs of any of our students, staff, or community members,” the statement continued. “We expressed that the selection will not be used in our school in the future.”
Parents spoke out after the Aug. 30 lesson was delivered. The poem in question compared God to a “mythical creature, a unicorn with silver blood” and called God “foolish,” The Christian Post reported.
“The idea of God makes young children laugh and feel safe at night. But when you grow older and see the evil in the world and the face of death like a shadow behind the eyes of every living thing, then where is God?” the poem reportedly reads. “God is revealed in all His foolishness… a naked lie, a childish dream, a mythical creature like the unicorn.”
In the end, the school said that it supports parents’ rights to choose which religious beliefs will be taught to their children.
(H/T: Christian Post)