Faith

School Bans Student’s Rosary Over Fears it Could Be a Gang Symbol

Last year, a sixth-grader from Fremont, Nebraska, was banned from wearing her rosary-like necklace at school. Now, months later, another religious flap is unfolding in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, where 15-year-old Jake Balthazor has been told that he cannot wear the rosary he purchased to support his cancer-stricken grandmother. In both instances, school officials’ fears that the necklaces would indicate gang membership were cited as the basis for the bans.

(Reader: School District Bans Sixth Grader From Wearing Rosary-Like Necklace)

“He was upset when he came home from school,” Chad Balthazor, Jake’s father, explained in an interview with Fox News. “A teacher sent him down to the office, but the reason he was wearing it was for his grandmother.”

The decision to ban the black hematite rosary, which was purchased by the teenager in Mexico, was made by Coon Rapids High School leaders this past Wednesday. Jake has been proudly wearing the necklace in support of his grandma, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

School Tells Jake Balthazor He Cant Wear Rosary Because its a Gang Symbol

Jake Balthazor, the student at the center of the latest rosary controversy

While the student will no longer be able to wear the necklace — at least according to official policy — he is allowed to carry it with him in his pocket. Fox News has more about the intriguing anti-rosary policy:

The school district’s policy forbids any “apparel, jewelry, accessories or matter of grooming which by virtue of its color arrangement, trademark or any other attribute denotes membership in an organized gang,” Mary Olson, director of communication for the Anoka-Hennepin School District, told FoxNews.com.

Olson said Coon Rapids police informed the district in early May that some local gangs, namely the Latin Kings and the Surenos, do use rosary beads as affiliation symbols.

“He was told [Wednesday] by staff not to wear it to school and they were not told he was wearing it because of his grandmother,” Olson said. “He was told not to wear it because it’s a gang symbol. He may not think of it as a gang symbol, but other students at the school may.”

School Tells Jake Balthazor He Cant Wear Rosary Because its a Gang Symbol

Image Credit: Kare11.com

“Jake is just doing it for his grandmother,” the teen’s father said, urging the district to revisit its policy. “He’s not in a gang.”

On May 7, Coon Rapids High School Liaison officer Bradley Johnson sent an e-mail that highlighted the new-found issue that the community is having with rosary beads serving as violent gang symbols.

“A new issue came up recently that is interesting regarding rosary beads. Some gangs do use them as clothing symbols,” the e-mail read. “The gangs identified around here that have been using them are the Latin Kings and the Surenos. I’m not Catholic, but I have been educated by friends that are and the rosary is not appropriate to use as jewelry or dress.”

Both Jake and his grandmother, who has also stated her disdain for the school’s handling of the situation, are Lutherans.

(H/T: Daily Mail)

Comments (168)

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  • Dudley Do-Right
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:20pm

    I’m all for the Rosary, matter of fact I say four chaplets a day. But…I’m with the school on this one. As a retired corrections officer, I’ve seen it first hand. Deacons and priests would bring in the plastic Rosary Beads and gang members would use them as gang symbols. We had a large population of Latin Kings and Neta. Now this student might be sincere, but if you want your schools safe, there has to be a zero tolerance policy towards gangs IMO.

    Report Post »  
    • JevCC
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:36pm

      I’m with you and the school on this one. In a former life I worked law enforcement in an inner city high school. This was actually only a few years ago. The beads are used as a gang affiliation marker. Now this kid might not really be gang affiliated but he got himself caught up in the wrong fashion “trend”. I’ll also say this, the kids at the school I worked at would pull that all the time. “It’s for my boy, he got shot”, or “My ma died last year and dis for her”….etc.

      Report Post »  
    • liberalescheisskopf
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:39pm

      Then I believe that belts that hold up pants should be banned because it may be considered a gang emblem….when do you stop progressive thinking?

      Report Post » liberalescheisskopf  
    • snooop1e
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:41pm

      Agree, it’s not necessary to wear it in the open and some are abusing it. Tuck it in, God knows where your heart is…..

      Report Post » snooop1e  
    • charles dagwood
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:51pm

      I have to disagree, the Rosary has been around alot longer than these gangs. What if the local gangs start wearing white t-shirts as a gang marker. Do the schools then prohibit wearing white t-shirts? Where does it end?

      Report Post » charles dagwood  
    • SLOWBIDEN
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:53pm

      Their is another “gang” of people that use crosses. They are “christians”. If the kid said its because of gang affiliation than thats one thing but it’s his word against the schools.

      Report Post »  
    • iampraying4u
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 4:17pm

      Whats a rosary

      Report Post »  
    • DimmuBorgir
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 4:41pm

      I know, cause this kid totally looks like he’s in MS-13 or some other mexican gang/cartel

      good thing they grabbed this kid before he and his hermanos locos shot up the neighborhood.

      Was that sarcasm thick enough to get through the internet filter??

      Report Post » DimmuBorgir  
    • hidden_lion
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 5:47pm

      So you are for lettings gangs dictate what people can wear? Why don’t the law enforcement actually bust up the gangs and let normal people exercise their constitutional rights in peace.

      Report Post » hidden_lion  
    • KevINtampa
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 8:10pm

      Me in 1997:

      “I know gangs are trouble, but banning their symbols is a violation of their 1st amendment rights. What if one day those same stooges wanted to ban the cross?”

      Conservative Friend in 1997:
      “They’ll never do that.”

      Me in 2012:
      “I told you so.”

      Conservative friend in 2012:
      “Who cares anyways? Apple has their conference Monday.”

      Sigh.

      Report Post »  
    • ThatsJustCrazyTalk
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 8:23pm

      I don‘t agree with what you’re saying at all. This story had me going until I watched the video. I think the kid shown is a screw-up and probably just pushing this for publicity and the 15 minutes he’ll likely never get again in life. HOWEVER, the school, or any government entity does NOT have the right to ban items symbolic of Christianity simply because they tell us it MAY be gang related.

      Think about what could be next. Ban the Bible (which they already do in most schools) because a drug dealer hid drugs in one? No longer observe Easter because unscrupulous characters pick that specific date to plan crimes?

      It’s the parents responsibility here to assure the public we are safe from their children (until they’re 18 at least). If the school is really fearful that students wearing crucifix’s (which could just as easily be plain Christian crosses) than wouldn’t they have an easier time of identifying the “gangs?” Group the kids together in the school you have concerns about, and observe, then make a determination.

      I live in MN. KARE 11 is an affiliate of NBC. I found it quite odd how @ the end of the story Allen Constantini said, “Jake by the way is not Catholic and neither is his grandmother.” And, if they were the outcome would be different? Why even go there?

      Again, I was annoyed by the kid. But, if ur banning one Christian symbol you can ban any of them. How about ban the Bible because a drug dealer carried drugs in it? The slippery slope here become

      Report Post »  
    • ronljl
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 9:49pm

      I’m with you on this one. I was an instructor in a prison and this type of stuff was always being smuggled (or mailed) in and declared religous. These parents have their collective heads stuck someplace impolite. As a Lutheran family, rosery isn’t part of any of their rites, the parents are blind to what is going on in their own house.
      Also, in my humble opinion this kid IS either a ‘banger’ or a ‘want-a-be.’ Again just trying to use the 1st Amendment to pull a fast-one on a public institution.

      Report Post »  
    • lukerw
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 1:32am

      Zero Tolerance = Zero Strategy = Zero Thinking. Lip Service to Morality, without Deeds, is a Faith Unconfirmed!

      Report Post » lukerw  
    • LAWDOGG
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 4:10am

      How is it appropriate that this school and it’s “free” students are being compared to prisons and gangs. The fact that you were a corrections officer has shaped you into a jaded “think about the worst scenario” person. Our liberties are being stripped for the convenience of the school admins in the name of safety for supposed, I’m guessing here, violent gang attacks on students wearing rosaries that haven’t even happened! Commies.

      As former corrections officers, I can see how your incessant need to enforce rules upon people in a dictator/socialist environment can have an affect on your opinions here. Open your mind and allow others to enjoy their freedoms. This isn’t prison out here bub. let go of the leash.

      Report Post » LAWDOGG  
    • iowac
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 8:30am

      Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. – Ben Franklin

      Nuff Said -

      Report Post »  
    • Dudley Do-Right
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 9:05pm

      LAWDOGG

      “The fact that you were a corrections officer has shaped you into a jaded “think about the worst scenario” person.”

      What are you a shrink, maybe a mind reader, an ex con? You’ve deduced all that from one post? I’m Irish too, does that make me a drunk? Perhaps you missed the part of my post when I wrote, “Now this student might be sincere.”

      I didn’t claim this student was a gang member. I didn’t “think about the worst scenario” person, as you’ve attributed to me. Look, the school is in a no win situation here, if they allow Rosary Beads to be worn by students and a student is assaulted by a gang member, aren’t they liable? And how can the school allow this student to wear them and then tell a gang member he can’t? I‘m glad there’s no gang violence in this high school but if you think it’s not an epidemic in the inner city schools and headed to the rural ones, you’re mistaken. I ended my post with IMO…let me spell it out for you, IN MY OPINION.

      Report Post »  
    • DisgustedinCT
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 11:08pm

      yes but those prison gangs usally took beads off and put other colored beads on them to denote the gang colors. of course that was back in the ninetys. these days they try not to fly their colors or else the prison locks them up in special gang units. Been there and did that too.

      Report Post » DisgustedinCT  
    • RebelPatriot
      Posted on June 10, 2012 at 1:51am

      So they aren’t allowed to wear blue, red or black clothing?
      The school policy listed apparel also.

      This is just another ploy by the progressives to infringe on our children’s right to free speech.

      You police officers need to understand you are compromising your children’s freedom of speech over the possible threat of a symbol.

      This has to stop we can not continue to allow those in government to usurp our rights under the guise of safety. We are Americans and should never live in fear of a threat. We should handle threats appropriately. Not wearing a piece of clothing doesn’t lessen the danger you twits.

      What? You believe if they don‘t recognize each other they won’t act out.

      You know better than that.

      The school policy is unconstitutional, the NDAA is u-c and homeland security is u-c, because they still haven’t secured the borders.

      Report Post »  
    • CraigDiehm
      Posted on June 10, 2012 at 5:32am

      Dudley Do-Right and JEVCC both of you are idiots. no wonder why people have no respect for law enforcement. If gang members wore Nike’s are we going to ban those from school. What if gang members prefered veggies and meatloaf, will you agree to banning those from school meals also? This is why we have the problems we have, you turn stuff into what it is not. How many more freedoms in a supposedly free country will people support & take away? When will someone draw the line and say all this has gone too far? This is stupid and schools need to stop this crap it is not right, If a kid wants to wear Jesus’s cross on his neck to support something positive so let him.

      Report Post »  
    • mycomet123
      Posted on June 10, 2012 at 11:47am

      I have a suggestion for Jake. Take the rosary off from around your neck, get on your knees & PRAY THE ROSARY for your grandmothers recovery.

      Report Post »  
  • MRMANN
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:18pm

    OK, so now a (religious symbol) rosary bead necklace is taken to be a gang symbol.
    Does that mean that if a gang member wears a gang symbol that it’ll be taken to be a religious symbol and then, due to separation of church & state, the gang member will have to be chastised? I don’t get it.

    Report Post »  
    • lukerw
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 4:49pm

      WHOM creates all the Silly Dress Code Rules… WHERE do they get the Authority… and HOW did this historically Begin?

      Send the kids to school Naked… so we can Debate something Important!

      Report Post » lukerw  
    • jhaydeng
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 6:05pm

      I give them a pass if they are not Christian! Maybe they didn’t know who the guy on the cross was! WWHHEEEEE!

      Report Post »  
  • blackyb
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:12pm

    The Latin Kings? Well the kid does not look latino to me.

    Report Post » blackyb  
    • Dudley Do-Right
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:24pm

      You don’t have to be Spanish to be in a Spanish gang.

      Report Post »  
    • DimmuBorgir
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 4:43pm

      @DUDLEY

      Seriously?? Please tell me you were joking. Sure you don’t have to be spanish (read mexican) to be in one of their gangs. Unless you planned on living after they laugh at you and start shooting you’re white self.

      Report Post » DimmuBorgir  
    • chips1
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 8:04pm

      You don’t have to be Irish to be a Leprechaun. You mcould be a Munchkin or Smurf.

      Report Post »  
    • Dudley Do-Right
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 9:26pm

      No…I’m not kidding! I’ve seen many white Latin Kings in the prison I worked at. From wiki

      “The Latin Kings are mostly of Latino descent, with some Black, White, Asian and Middle Eastern members as well.”

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALKQN

      Report Post »  
  • Gamaliel
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:11pm

    I’m Catholic and devoted to saying the Rosary. Guess what? It is not considered reverent or appropriate to wear the rosary as jewelry. I also have worked in a gang infested/dominated school. Rosaries are used as gang garb.

    Schools should have the right to ban gang related behavior and clothing.

    The abuse of the rosary as gang gear is probably related to Mexican gangs. The typical Mexican gang-banger is not catechized properly in the Catholic faith but abuses its’ symbols in a superstitious manner.

    Report Post »  
    • IndyBarber
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:22pm

      I too am a Catholic. And I find wearing the Rosary and distasteful as well, but to the best of my knowledge there is no prohibition against it. If there is, I‘d certainly like to know where this comes from because I haven’t found it.

      I see a lot of them warn by people I suspect to be ‘bangers’ but none of them are Latino. Most are inner city African Americans. Frankly, I think that wearing the Rosary might be good, and I use it as an opportunity to evangelize, to teach about Christ and his love for us.

      Report Post »  
    • Gamaliel
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 4:20pm

      INDYBARBER – I worked at an alternative public school that was serving a large number of hispanic gang-bangers from Mexico and Latin America. I‘m not saying other American students haven’t adopted Rosary beads as gang gear. The abuse and lack of knowledge of other Catholic symbols such as the image of Guadalupe is prevalent as well. (Madonna, the American singer has done a lot to vulgarize the Rosary as well.

      Report Post »  
    • DimmuBorgir
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 4:45pm

      Can‘t we just ban the mexican’s instead???

      It seems like they’re the more common denominator in the gang equation. more than beads at least.

      Report Post » DimmuBorgir  
    • INTHEBROTHERHOOD
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 7:52pm

      Indy…..If you were catholic you would know that priests, nuns, and even the pope wear roserys as part of their dress

      Report Post » INTHEBROTHERHOOD  
    • lukerw
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 1:35am

      Better tell the Priests & Nuns whom do wear it! Start at the Vatican!

      Report Post » lukerw  
  • blackyb
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:09pm

    They know better. They just want Christ out of the picture. Sue their sorry azzes.

    Report Post » blackyb  
    • DesertRose1960
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 5:26pm

      As a Catholic who says the Rosary, I don’t want a Lutheran wearing a Rosary as a necklace, they are prayer beads, not jewelry, it’s disrepectful. And yes, they are a gang sign. In my area, we have MS13, and they aren’t Mexican, a lot of them are Salvadoran. We also have immigrants from many Latin countries.

      Report Post » DesertRose1960  
    • INTHEBROTHERHOOD
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 7:54pm

      ya….sue their sorry azzes

      Report Post » INTHEBROTHERHOOD  
  • lel2007
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:07pm

    Well ya it’s a gang symbol. It’s a symbol for the notoriously Mother Of Jesus Gang; members have been know to grab on to people and do good stuff unto them.
    So if I walk around with the fingers of my left hand crossed could that be mistaken for a gang symbol? I already belong to the Wristwatch On The Right gang (we tell time the other way).
    We’d all be better off if schools stuck to teaching; let the police do the policing.

    Report Post » lel2007  
  • The-Monk
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:05pm

    Yep, the old Rosary Gang…… they are pure evil. I thought they closed their doors a long time ago.

    Holder should come down hard on that school, make them change their school name and let the Rosary Gang run free. : )

    Report Post » The-Monk  
  • TROLLMONGER
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:05pm

    Not only that. Its also a symbol of manipulation, indoctrination, bigotry, and exclusion.

    Report Post » TROLLMONGER  
    • blackyb
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:19pm

      If you don’t want a rosary, then don’t wear one. No one is going to indoctrinate Christians, because they cannot, so those who are attempting to indoctrinate those who are not Christians do not want those who do not have Christ to follow those who do have Christ. Now if you don’t like this, don’t read it. We are out here and are Christ’s gang. All of us. I am not Catholic, but I am a Christian of the Baptist faith, but a True Christian is my brother or sister no matter what Religion if they are in Truth, no cults. No matter the race, or color or faith if they worship Christ and not the man. The Truth is where it is. We are bound in one Spirit and one accord.

      Report Post » blackyb  
    • Laus Deo
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:28pm

      TM, you ought to wear a sign that reads ‘leftist tool.’

      Report Post » Laus Deo  
    • JACKTHETOAD
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:33pm

      I know, I know, you’re scared. Don’t worry, we’ll make it quick.

      Report Post » JACKTHETOAD  
    • chips1
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 8:28pm

      “Boo got shot!!!! Boo got shot!!!!”

      Report Post »  
  • Coded-Dude
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:04pm

    Abhorent! We have lost touch with reality and are on a one way trip to chaos. Strap in…….

    Report Post » Coded-Dude  
  • frogg
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:04pm

    Another example of how we give Government officials too much power in our lives. This guy needs to be fired as just being too stupid to hold a job.

    Report Post » frogg  
  • Obamujahadeen
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:04pm

    This is how stupid the people in charge are? Imagine the ones in their charge and how freaking stupid they must be…. sad and really pathetic as far as I’m concerned. Jesus on the cross on a rosary is a gang symbol?

    Most Freaking Latino‘s are Catholics and in fact there’s an article today showing them abandoning Obama over his war on the Catholic Church!!!! What morons. I’m a Catholic. Obama and his Union thugs are all on the same page, that’s for sure all the way down the line.

    Report Post » Obamujahadeen  
  • Arcangel Michael
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:00pm

    Jesus, I trust in You

    http://thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/chaplethistory.php

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AySdEJx50Z0&feature=related

    Report Post » Arcangel Michael  
    • snooop1e
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:32pm

      Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and the Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

      – St Faustina

      Report Post » snooop1e  
    • JACKTHETOAD
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 4:41pm

      St. Faustina Kowalska.

      Report Post » JACKTHETOAD  
  • kaydeebeau
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 2:58pm

    So Catholics are now a “gang” like the bloods or the crips? Really? Unbelievable

    Report Post » kaydeebeau  
    • GumRock
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 4:22pm

      The sign of the cross,,, is a Gang Sign now ?
      unbelievable.
      so much for freedom of religion

      Report Post » GumRock  
  • Pontiac
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 2:57pm

    Mandate school uniforms, enforce the dress code, and put an end to this ridiculousness.

    Report Post » Pontiac  
  • Commander8080
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 2:55pm

    I am Catholic and say the Rosary everyday. I carry a Rosary on my person at all time along with a small vile of Holy Water. and I have great respect for it and treat it with proper care. The one thing that I do NOT do is wear it like costume jewelery or have it in my car as a decoration. The one I have in my car is for ready access, if I require some spiritual help.

    What this boy wants to do is disrespectful to the Rosary and I cannot support him. I would suggest that he slips the Rosary into his pocket and when he wants to think about his grandmother he pulls it out and then places it back when he is finished. I would hope that if he truly wants to do something for his grandmother he learns to pray the Rosary everyday. That will do more good than wearing it around his neck.

    Report Post » Commander8080  
    • Alessandre
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 5:41pm

      he’s not Catholic & doesn’t know how most Catholics feel about rosaries. if it helps him pray for his grandmother, great. if it reminds him that God is caring for his grandmother, great. if it brings him closer to God, great – that‘s what it’s for. many non-Catholics use rosaries & some of the best books about using the rosary were written by non-Catholic Christians.

      many consecrated religious wear huge rosaries as part of their habit. I’ve known people who wear rosaries around their necks. I wouldn’t wear it that way because it would feel weird. instead, I carry my rosary in my purse & a finger rosary in my pocket. but until I lost my silver chain, I wore a Crucifix or a medal. when I can afford to buy another chain, I’ll do so again. those are also religious symbols but were accustomed to wearing them around our necks. of course, I would wear a rosary around my throat as a symbol of resistance against abortion, against govt interference, or to acknowledge that Christ is the Way. what it comes to is, there is no Church teaching against wearing rosaries around the neck. there’s a big difference between preference & Church teaching. whether to wear a rosary around the neck is an issue of preference: as Paul says, in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty.

      Report Post »  
    • chips1
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 8:13pm

      COMMANDER:
      If your driving and need spiritual help, is that your way of texting God? Don’t get a ticket!!!!

      Report Post »  
  • Clean Patriot
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 2:54pm

    This is another example of the lack of intelligence in the public schools admin. and teacher staff in the US today.

    These are the people who have charge of our Youth and are supposed to teach them? Fire them all and send the kids to Good school.

    Report Post » Clean Patriot  
    • Bad Kitty
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:26pm

      sorry, but it will take years to fire just 1 of them in this goverment, by then your children will be fully brainwashed and ready to get arrested in the OWS camps. see, the problem in this battle is that the super smart liberal marxist got 70% of the children brainwashed into voting obama, and what do we conservatives have to train our kids to stop this? LITTLE. thats why we should put some of our attention to the kids, train them to be conservatives, and make them train there kids to be conservatives.

      Report Post » Bad Kitty  
  • Meyvn
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 2:50pm

    “He may not think of it as a gang symbol, but other students at the school may.”

    and a few clueless people may not think you’re a moron, but the rest of us may.

    Report Post » Meyvn  
  • delawarebill
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 2:48pm

    I carry a rosary, oh wait I’m in a gang too – The Knights of Columbus!

    http://www.kofc.org/un/en/index.html

    Report Post » delawarebill  
  • Locked
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 2:41pm

    Overreaction much? Shame on the school.

    Also, shame on this kid: he should pull up his darn pants.

    Report Post »  
  • progressiveslayer
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 2:40pm

    They‘ll ban a girl wearing a rosary but let idiots walk around tripping over their pants because they don’t have the common sense to wear a belt.The lunatics are running the asylum.

    Report Post » progressiveslayer  
    • M13
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 2:55pm

      Because you don’t like how the dope wears his jeans they should ban it? How leftist and progressive of you.

      Report Post »  
    • Fubared
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 2:57pm

      Yesterday’s congressional judiciary over sight hearing proved that at the highest levels. Fubared.

      Report Post »  
    • progressiveslayer
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 5:42pm

      M13 It has nothing to do with how I feel about some idiot walking around with his pants just above his nuts. It‘s indecent exposure and there’s a law with the same name.

      Report Post » progressiveslayer  
  • angelcat
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 2:39pm

    First, a rosary shouldn’t be worn at all. It is meant to be carried and not worn as jewelry. In fact, some would consider it a mark of disrespect to wear it. That being said, it is possible that having the rosary close to him wear he can see and feel it makes the young man feel better and handle his grief, so I won’t criticize his wearing of the rosary. If the rosary had been something used by Muslims, I would be surprised if he was not allowed to wear it – even if it had some gang-related significance. Muslims are a protected group. Christians, especially Catholics at the moment, are NOT.

    Report Post »  
    • angelcat
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 2:51pm

      where NOT wear – sorry!

      Report Post »  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:02pm

      He should be able to wear it Cat, I agree. However, I get the feeling he is thinking of it more a lucky rabbit’s foot.

      Report Post » Gonzo  
    • Commander8080
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:03pm

      Well said.

      Report Post » Commander8080  
    • Commander8080
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:13pm

      @Gonzo, sorry I cannot support him on this. He is wearing improperly and therefore needs to put it away.

      Report Post » Commander8080  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:30pm

      Sorry Commander, I’m not familiar with the proper use of the Rosary, I defer to your judgement on it. It‘s obvious to me that the kid thinks it’s some kind of lucky charm instead of what it is.

      Report Post » Gonzo  
    • JACKTHETOAD
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:31pm

      I‘d never wear one as ’jewelry’, but never criticize one who would either. BTW. I just re-registered at my old parish yesterday. (come get some…)

      Report Post » JACKTHETOAD  
    • snooop1e
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:40pm

      Well said, it’s not a lucky charm. If you want to wear a Rosary tuck it in and wear it in silence as a constant reminder of what Jesus endured for our salvation. I keep a Rosary in my car and it constantly reminds me of the Paschal Mystery and also helps me to be charitable when people get nutty in traffic.

      Report Post » snooop1e  
    • snooop1e
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 3:49pm

      ANGELCAT – Some Clergy/Religious wear the Rosary as part of their Habit. It is not forbidden to wear the Rosary but if one constantly strives to think, talk and act in a Christian way and constantly witnesses to the faith. So anyone who is wearing a Rosary simply as an accessory with no intent to constantly witness to the faith is abusing the Rosary and should tuck it in. God Bless

      Report Post » snooop1e  
    • angelcat
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 4:31pm

      Snoopie, I didn’t say it was forbidden to wear it, but that it is disrespectful UNLESS you are as member of the clergy. I do agree that if he is wearing it as a lucky charm, he shouldn’t be wearing it at all. If he simply wants to wear it as a tie to his grandmother, there is no reason why he can‘t wear it inside his clothing as some of you suggest since others don’t have to see it for it to be a reminder of his grandmother.

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    • INTHEBROTHERHOOD
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 8:26pm

      It actually was designed to help you keep place of where you were in praying it. the rosary is the catholics “weapon of mass destruction” Getting to Jesus thru mary .The term “rosary” denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary, as well as the sequence of prayers. The prayers consist of repeated sequences of the Lord’s Prayer followed by ten prayings of the Hail Mary and a single praying of “Glory Be to the Father” and is sometimes accompanied by the Fatima Prayer; each of these sequences is known as a decade. The praying of each decade is accompanied by meditation on one of the Mysteries of the Rosary, which recall the life of Jesus Christ.there are now 20 mysteries but the rosary only has 15.who cares how he wears it, as everyone will see it, and thats the issue. Not the bearer,but the observer……

      Report Post » INTHEBROTHERHOOD  
    • INTHEBROTHERHOOD
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 8:56pm

      snoopie what the hell is the Paschal mystery? theres joyfull, sorrowfull, glorious…and now luminious. Ive been well schooled in the catholic thing, and can say ive never heard of that one…not to say it doesnt exist though….enlighten me

      Report Post » INTHEBROTHERHOOD  
    • by faith
      Posted on June 12, 2012 at 9:33am

      Paschal Mystery – is the passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ – the work God the Father sent his Son to accomplish on earth

      Report Post » by faith  
  • 2smart
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 2:39pm

    Pure ignorance! I know what a rosary is and I’m not catholic. Hey Folks…..these are the people that are teaching your children. Get to know and pay attention to your school board.

    Report Post » 2smart  
  • JACKTHETOAD
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 2:38pm

    Oh, it is, it is!!! 0:)

    Report Post » JACKTHETOAD  
  • TerryDo
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 2:36pm

    Oh but it is a gang symbol, it is the symbol of the Christian Gang of which we are proud and don’t you forget it!

    Report Post »  
    • INTHEBROTHERHOOD
      Posted on June 8, 2012 at 8:42pm

      terry…..the rosary is not a symbol of christianity……….its a catholic thing

      Report Post » INTHEBROTHERHOOD  
    • angelcat
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 11:23am

      That is a very dangerous gang to Obama and his ilk – much more needing of watching and disciplining than the New Black Panthers, OWS, or any radical left wing group.

      Report Post »  
    • Common Sense Sally
      Posted on June 10, 2012 at 2:28pm

      @Inthebrotherhood, Catholics are Christians too.

      Report Post » Common Sense Sally  
  • HKS
    Posted on June 8, 2012 at 2:34pm

    WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, it’s a gang symbol and were afraid.

    Report Post » HKS  
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