BLOGMay 01, 2017

Glenn Encounters Religious Bigotry Firsthand, Teaches the Left a Lesson in Principles

Glenn and his wife have been on the daunting journey of finding a new school for their children. Two local Christian schools in particular denied admission based on the family's religion. While one did it on the basis of principles, the other appeared to have done it out of sheer bigotry. You might say, metaphorically, the latter school refused to bake them a wedding cake. Glenn described Monday on radio that while angry and disappointed, he'll respect the decision made by a private institution, even if he doesn't agree with it.

"If you can't handle meeting a bigot and you can't handle knowing how to deal with a bigot and just dismiss them for the small-minded, narrow people that they are, then you're not going to make it very far. But just to show the left there is bigotry beyond your scope. You may not consider religious bigotry a big deal unless you're an atheist, but there is still religious bigotry," Glenn said.

Enjoy the complimentary clip or read the transcript for details.

GLENN: Hello, America.

I want to show the left how principles work.

I've been trying to get my kids into religious schools. And, quite honestly, I am -- I'm going to look at a Jewish day school because I know -- I know the Jews will take my Christian children.

I've been trying to get my kids into Christian schools here. And I've been looking into some schools, and we went to an IB school, which I would never put my kids in. Never would I put my kids in an International Baccalaureate program.

I mean, you want to talk about global warming, borderless society, kids coming out very smart, but not with any of the principles I believe in -- I want my kids to have a rock solid principle and religious-based education.

In Texas, if you're Mormon, that's really hard to do because the Christian schools just don't want any of them Mormons around.

Now, I want to tell one story, but in a positive way. And this is why I will give the name of the school. One of the schools -- and it's a really great school, is Covenant Christian School.

And it's an amazing school. And we went on the tour, and everything was great. And, I mean, it was a dream school for me. I mean, I talked to the science teachers. And, "How do you teach evolution?"

"Well, we teach evolution as what it is: a theory. But side by side, we also teach the theory of intelligent design. And we teach them both with the same amount of rigor."

"Fantastic. I love that. Great."

I went into their history department. "Can you tell me" -- I said to the teachers -- and they didn't know who I was. "Can you tell me, who was the worst president of the 20th century, without going into the last, let's say, four or five presidents? And who was the worst president in the 18th century?" Immediately, "Woodrow Wilson, Andrew Jackson." I'm like, "I am home. This is my home."

(chuckling)

GLENN: Loved it. I was called in, as we start to go through the paperwork -- I was called in by the headmaster, and he said, "We don't take Mormon kids because we are a covenant school." And I said, "Okay. Well, let's talk about that."

And after -- I mean, they went through our church's doctrine. They had board meetings. They really wrestled with it. And they explained -- they said, "Look, we make a covenant with the church that the kids go to. And so we have to have certain doctrinal things in line because it's not just bringing your kids in here. We covenant with the church because we believe the church is part of the community that the kids grow up in, and we all want to be hand in hand." I'm like, "I completely understand." I don't think they were bigoted at all. In fact, the opposite. They were well thought out. They were gracious. They were kind. It was -- and I couldn't recommend that school more highly. I wish my kids could go to that. But it's in their name.

PAT: Uh-huh.

GLENN: And they said, "We would break the very fundamental cornerstone of what we do, if we did that. So we wouldn't do that with any church -- it's not just yours. We wouldn't do that with any church that we didn't have all of the doctrine in place."

I walked away from there really disappointed because I wanted to my kids to go to school there and I wanted to be part of that community, but I completely understand. Then I went to another school, which is going to remain nameless, because there's no reason to run their name into the mud. But they know who they are.

I went and I met with their headmaster. And I met with the founder. And I said, "First off, do you take Mormon kids?"

"Yeah, of course, we take Mormon kids."

"Okay. You do? For sure? Because we just went through this."

"Yeah, no, no, no. We take them. Our philosophy is, they're going to be challenged. Are you asking for special exemptions? Because we do a religious class."

I said, "No, no, no. I want my kids to know everything there is to know about other religions. Their choice of a religion is their choice, not mine. It's theirs. And I do my best to teach theirs -- and I want them to come home and say, Dad, what about this? I want them exploring."

And I said, "So I'm not going to have a problem -- I'm not asking you to change anything." And they said, "Oh, great. No, we take Jewish kids. Because, you know, Judeo-Christian. Blah, blah, blah. They got the Old Testament. We would say to the family, you know, we are teaching about Jesus." They said, "You know, probably something from the, you know, Far East. You know, Buddhist I think is what they used or -- or, you know, Islam," they said. "That is not based on Judeo-Christian, so we think it would be too confusing for the kids. But if the parents wanted them to learn all about Christianity, okay."

We go through the whole thing. And Tania gets a call last week from somebody in the school, from the admissions. "I'm sorry. But we can't take your kids. There's no reason to go any further on this."

And she said, "Why?"

"Well, because, you know, you're Mormon. And we just can't take Mormons. And, you know, you'll be uncomfortable. Many of the parents will be uncomfortable. Your kids will be uncomfortable. They'll be confused."

"No, they won't. They won't be confused. We go to other churches. You know, dad has lots of preacher friends. We did an entire day one on one with our host, Billy Graham. My kids didn't leave confused from Billy Graham's dinner table."

Oh, it was just -- my wife was so upset, she was rude. She just said, "Thank you," and hung up. Now, when I found out, I was really angry, and I posted something on Facebook. I was really angry.

And I'm angry because that's just bigotry. What are you afraid of? I'm not afraid of exposing my kids to anybody's religion. I challenge them. I want them to know other religions. And I'm not putting my kids in school to preach to your kids.

I'm not the kind of person that's going to make everybody else conform to what I believe. What are you afraid of?

So I was really angry. And somebody wrote to me. And this has given me -- instead of going on a rant about this, this has given me the perfect opportunity to explain why bakers should be allowed to not make wedding cakes. There's a difference between -- there's a difference between bigotry and firm belief.

The first school I went to, they have a firm belief. They know what they believe. And it's -- it's different than what I believe. But who am I to force my view on them? Who am I to do anything, but sit down with them, get to know them, truly love them -- we prayed together. We talked for hours. We're friends. I'll help them in any way. They won't let my kids go to their school. That's okay. They don't hate me. They don't hate my church. They just have a standard in place that they can't violate.

I understand that. I appreciate that.

The other is, "Yeah, we'll take kids. We'll take any kid. Well, no. You're out in the open. You're out in the open. And we don't want to look like we're endorsing that." They have kids of other faiths. I wouldn't be surprised if they have Mormons in their school. Oh, my gosh. They should check them for horns today. Not that I have -- that night I know people who go to that school who are of different faiths. Oh, no.

It's just open bigotry. So now what do I do? Well, I remain consistent with my values, except I don't even want to tell you the name of the school because it's not worth it. What are you going to do about it? I want to organize boycotts of the school? I want to change that school? No. No, I don't. No, I don't.

I want them to know that I think what you're doing -- I mean, Jesus dined with whores. You can't have lunch with my kids? You're afraid of my children? I mean, honestly, how are Christians going to expand their lot? I'm giving you the opportunity to teach my kids about your brand of Christianity.

No, no, no. Because apparently people will be too afraid of my little children. What? Converting your children? Confusing your children? That's ridiculous.

And, again, I'd rather be with Jesus who was -- who was dining with whores.

I want them to know it. I want them to know how I feel. But I don't want to organize a protest. I don't want to sue them. I don't want to the make their life miserable. I think probably the vast majority of kids that go to that school, have kids in that school, run in that school, also don't feel -- don't feel like we should be afraid of somebody else's religion.

You can't couch it any way you want, but if you're taking other children, but not these children, that says something about you.

And the biggest thing that has happened around our dinner table, as we've talked about it, is -- because I've called them myself, because I want to talk to them myself. I haven't received a phone call back yet. But I'm sure I will.

I want to call them myself. And the conversation at the dinner table last night was, "Why, Dad?" And I said, "Because I want to say some things. And I'm not mad. I want to say some things. I want to ask them some questions." Well, you wouldn't put them in the school, would you?

I said, "I don't think so. I'm not sure, but I don't think so." And the reason I don't think so is because I don't want my kids to be surrounded by people who are bigots. But my feeling is, not everybody there is a bigot. Because I met a lot of great people who knew exactly who I was and knew exactly what church I belonged to. I'm not exactly quiet on that. And so I don't think they would be surrounded by bigots -- maybe just a few. But what's the difference between that and real life?

I mean, if you can't handle meeting a bigot and you can't handle knowing how to deal with a bigot and just dismiss them for the small-minded, narrow people that they are, then you're not going to make it very far.

But just to show the left that there is bigotry beyond your scope. You may not consider religious bigotry a big deal, unless you're an atheist.

But there is still religious bigotry. But you have to know the difference between having standards and being bigots.

STU: So do you want a new law then that would guarantee that your children be able to get into a religious school of their choice?

GLENN: No. No. I believe this is a private institution that can do whatever they want.

PAT: But you have asked a judge to award you $137,000.

GLENN: No, I have not. I have not.

PAT: Weird.

GLENN: I have not. Personally, I believe that's the way you deal with bigotry, when you find it.

And I will tell you, thousands of people have respond to my Facebook post. And most of them are from Christians who say, "I'm sorry. I'm not of your faith. I don't even agree with your faith, but that's just wrong." That's who people really are.

And I have faith that we are getting better and not worse. Some people are still stuck in the 1950s. Most aren't. Know the difference.

RADIO

Could passengers have SAVED Iryna Zarutska?

Surveillance footage of the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, NC, reveals that the other passengers on the train took a long time to help her. Glenn, Stu, and Jason debate whether they were right or wrong to do so.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: You know, I'm -- I'm torn on how I feel about the people on the train.

Because my first instinct is, they did nothing! They did nothing! Then my -- well, sit down and, you know -- you know, you're going to be judged. So be careful on judging others.

What would I have done? What would I want my wife to do in that situation?

STU: Yeah. Are those two different questions, by the way.

GLENN: Yeah, they are.

STU: I think they go far apart from each other. What would I want myself to do. I mean, it's tough to put yourself in a situation. It's very easy to watch a video on the internet and talk about your heroism. Everybody can do that very easily on Twitter. And everybody is.

You know, when you're in a vehicle that doesn't have an exit with a guy who just murdered somebody in front of you, and has a dripping blood off of a knife that's standing 10 feet away from you, 15 feet away from you.

There's probably a different standard there, that we should all kind of consider. And maybe give a little grace to what I saw at least was a woman, sitting across the -- the -- the aisle.

I think there is a difference there. But when you talk about that question. Those two questions are definitive.

You know, I know what I would want myself to do. I would hope I would act in a way that didn't completely embarrass myself afterward.

But I also think, when I'm thinking of my wife. My advice to my wife would not be to jump into the middle of that situation at all costs. She might do that anyway. She actually is a heck of a lot stronger than I am.

But she might do it anyway.

GLENN: How pathetic, but how true.

STU: Yes. But that would not be my advice to her.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

STU: Now, maybe once the guy has certainly -- is out of the area. And you don't think the moment you step into that situation. He will turn around and kill you too. Then, of course, obviously. Anything you can do to step in.

Not that there was much anyone on the train could do.

I mean, I don't think there was an outcome change, no matter what anyone on that train did.

Unfortunately.

But would I want her to step in?

Of course. If she felt she was safe, yes.

Think about, you said, your wife. Think about your daughter. Your daughter is on that train, just watching someone else getting murdered like that. Would you advise your daughter to jump into a situation like that?

That girl sitting across the aisle was somebody's daughter. I don't know, man.

JASON: I would. You know, as a dad, would I advise.

Hmm. No.

As a human being, would I hope that my daughter or my wife or that I would get up and at least comfort that woman while she's dying on the floor of a train?

Yeah.

I would hope that my daughter, my son, that I would -- and, you know, I have more confidence in my son or daughter or my wife doing something courageous more than I would.

But, you know, I think I have a more realistic picture of myself than anybody else.

And I'm not sure that -- I'm not sure what I would do in that situation. I know what I would hope I would do. But I also know what I fear I would do. But I would have hoped that I would have gotten up and at least tried to help her. You know, help her up off the floor. At least be there with her, as she's seeing her life, you know, spill out in under a minute.

And that's it other thing we have to keep in mind. This all happened so rapidly.

A minute is -- will seem like a very long period of time in that situation. But it's a very short period of time in real life.

STU: Yeah. You watch the video, Glenn. You know, I don't need the video to -- to change my -- my position on this.

But at his seem like there was a -- someone who did get there, eventually, to help, right? I saw someone seemingly trying to put pressure on her neck.

GLENN: Yeah. And tried to give her CPR.

STU: You know, no hope at that point. How long of a time period would you say that was?

Do you know off the top of your head?

GLENN: I don't know. I don't know. I know that we watched the video that I saw. I haven't seen past 30 seconds after she --

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: -- is down. And, you know, for 30 seconds nothing is happening. You know, that is -- that is not a very long period of time.

STU: Right.

GLENN: In reality.

STU: And especially, I saw the pace he was walking. He certainly can't be -- you know, he may have left the actual train car by 30 seconds to a minute. But he wasn't that far away. Like he was still in visual.

He could still turn around and look and see what's going on at that point. So certainly still a threat is my point. He has not, like, left the area. This is not that type of situation.

You know, I -- look, as you point out, I think if I could be super duper sexist for a moment here, sort of my dividing line might just be men and women.

You know, I don't know if it's that a -- you're not supposed to say that, I suppose these days. But, like, there is a difference there. If I'm a man, you know, I would be -- I would want my son to jump in on that, I suppose. I don't know if he could do anything about it. But you would expect at least a grown man to be able to go in there and do something about it. A woman, you know, I don't know.

Maybe I'm -- I hope --

GLENN: Here's the thing I -- here's the thing that I -- that causes me to say, no. You should have jumped in.

And that is, you know, you've already killed one person on the train. So you've proven that you're a killer. And anybody who would have screamed and got up and was with her, she's dying. She's dying. Get him. Get him.

Then the whole train is responsible for stopping that guy. You know. And if you don't stop him, after he's killed one person, if you're not all as members of that train, if you're not stopping him, you know, the person at the side of that girl would be the least likely to be killed. It would be the ones that are standing you up and trying to stop him from getting back to your daughter or your wife or you.

JASON: There was a -- speaking of men and women and their roles in this. There was a video circling social media yesterday. In Sweden. There was a group of officials up on a stage. And one of the main. I think it was health official woman collapses on stage. Completely passes out.

All the men kind of look away. Or I don't know if they're looking away. Or pretending that they didn't know what was going on. There was another woman standing directly behind the woman passed out.

Immediately springs into action. Jumps on top. Grabs her pant leg. Grabs her shoulder. Spins her over and starts providing care.

What did she have that the other guys did not? Or women?

She was a sheepdog. There is a -- this is my issue. And I completely agree with Stu. I completely agree with you. There's some people that do not respond this way. My issue is the proportion of sheepdogs versus people that don't really know how to act. That is diminishing in western society. And American society.

We see it all the time in these critical actions. I mean, circumstances.

There are men and women, and it's actually a meme. That fantasize about hoards of people coming to attack their home and family. And they sit there and say, I've got it. You guys go. I'm staying behind, while I smoke my cigarette and wait for the hoards to come, because I will sacrifice myself. There are men and women that fantasize of block my highway. Go ahead. Block my highway. I'm going to do something about it. They fantasize about someone holding up -- not a liquor store. A convenience store or something. Because they will step in and do something. My issue now is that proportion of sheepdogs in society is disappearing. Just on statistical fact, there should be one within that train car, and there were none.

STU: Yeah. I mean --

JASON: They did not respond.

STU: We see what happens when they do, with Daniel Penny. Our society tries to vilify them and crush their existence. Now, there weren't that many people on that train. Right?

At least on that car. At least it's limited. I only saw three or four people there, there may have been more. I agree with you, though. Like, you see what happens when we actually do have a really recent example of someone doing exactly what Jason wants and what I would want a guy to do. Especially a marine to step up and stop this from happening. And the man was dragged by our legal system to a position where he nearly had to spend the rest of his life in prison.

I mean, I -- it's insanity. Thankfully, they came to their senses on that one.

GLENN: Well, the difference between that one and this one though is that the guy was threatening. This one, he killed somebody.

STU: Yeah. Right. Well, but -- I think -- but it's the opposite way. The debate with Penny, was should he have recognize that had this person might have just been crazy and not done anything?

Maybe. He hadn't actually acted yet. He was just saying things.

GLENN: Yeah. Well --

STU: He didn't wind up stabbing someone. This is a situation where these people have already seen what this man will do to you, even when you don't do anything to try to stop him. So if this woman, who is, again, looks to be an average American woman.

Across the aisle. Steps in and tries to do something. This guy could easily turn around and just make another pile of dead bodies next to the one that already exists.

And, you know, whether that is an optimal solution for our society, I don't know that that's helpful.

In that situation.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Max Lucado on Overcoming Grief in Dark Times | The Glenn Beck Podcast | Ep 266

Disclaimer: This episode was filmed prior to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. But Glenn believes Max's message is needed now more than ever.
The political world is divided, constantly at war with itself. In many ways, our own lives are not much different. Why do we constantly focus on the negative? Why are we in pain? Where is God amid our anxiety and fear? Why can’t we ever seem to change? Pastor Max Lucado has found the solution: Stop thinking like that! It may seem easier said than done, but Max joins Glenn Beck to unpack the three tools he describes in his new book, “Tame Your Thoughts,” that make it easy for us to reset the way we think back to God’s factory settings. In this much-needed conversation, Max and Glenn tackle everything from feeling doubt as a parent to facing unfair hardships to ... UFOs?! Plus, Max shares what he recently got tattooed on his arm.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Are Demonic Forces to Blame for Charlie Kirk, Minnesota & Charlotte Killings?

This week has seen some of the most heinous actions in recent memory. Glenn has been discussing the growth of evil in our society, and with the assassination of civil rights leader Charlie Kirk, the recent transgender shooter who took the lives of two children at a Catholic school, and the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, how can we make sense of all this evil? On today's Friday Exclusive, Glenn speaks with BlazeTV host of "Strange Encounters" Rick Burgess to discuss the demon-possessed transgender shooter and the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk. Rick breaks down the reality of demon possession and how individuals wind up possessed. Rick and Glenn also discuss the dangers of the grotesque things we see online and in movies, TV shows, and video games on a daily basis. Rick warns that when we allow our minds to be altered by substances like drugs or alcohol, it opens a door for the enemy to take control. A supernatural war is waging in our society, and it’s a Christian’s job to fight this war. Glenn and Rick remind Christians of what their first citizenship is.

Glenn's Show Prep

Glenn Encounters Religious Bigotry Firsthand, Teaches the Left a Lesson in Principles

Could passengers have SAVED Iryna Zarutska?

Transcript

Max Lucado on Overcoming Grief in Dark Times | The Glenn Beck Podcast | Ep 266

Are Demonic Forces to Blame for Charlie Kirk, Minnesota & Charlotte Killings?

Here’s what we know about the suspected Charlie Kirk assassin