"Bless me Father for I have Blogged"

With 16 years of Catholic school under my belt, I HAD to post on this news of the church crossing into state and infringing on the First Amendment. The AP tells us that a N.J.-based Roman Catholic high school, Pope John XXIII Regional, has instructed students "to remove to remove their online diaries from the Internet, citing a threat from cyberpredators," or risk suspension.

That should work. Push kids into a corner and tell them not to do something extremely popular during one of the more rebellious periods of their lives.

Kurt Opsahl of the Electronic Frontier Foundation nails it: "It would be better if they taught students what they should and shouldn't do online rather than take away the primary communication tool of their generation."

I sent Father Roderick Vonhögen an email for his opinion on this poor decision/over reaction. Father Vonhögen hosts the popular "Godcast" Catholic Insider. I'll update you on his response. Until then, just ask yourself: What would Jesus blog?

tags: podcast, Godcast, blog, Catholic, Catholic Insider

Comments

[Allan Jenkins]

My 12 year old has a blog, albeit a moribund one. She has her own email address (and her own domain, for that matter).

Will she abuse it? Fall prey to predators? Well, her mother and I have tried to instill every value we have, and it seems to have "taken"... so I don't think so.

Were I a parent of a student at John23, I would have objected right away. A school teacher who tries to dictate what technology my children use would be a daring one, indeed.

[Scott Baradell]

Phones can be used by predators too, so the school is looking into reverting to tin cans connected by string.

[Lisa Owens]

Thank you for making me laugh today - ah the utterly clueless!

(I've got a redhead, and though she's not teenage rebel yet - she's two - I can see the writing on the wall. And the I'm a-gonna-make-ya-do-this-or-else never worked with me so I don't expect it to work with her... )

[Marc]

Here is the text of the 1st amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Copied and pasted from the Wikipedia link you provided.

What does this incident have to do with the first amendment? Have the faculty of the school suddenly been promoted to congressmen and senators???