Pastor beats boy for cheating on Bible test

Religion In America

Pastor beats boy for cheating on Bible test

AUSTIN, Texas – An 11-year-old Texas boy remains hostpitalized a week after his church pastor and the pastor’s twin brother allegedly beat him with a stick for an hour.

Pastor Joshua Thompson, 22, disciplined Louie Guerrero for cheating in a Bible study by beating him while Thompson’s brother Caleb held the boy down, police say, according to the Associated Press. The brothers are being charged with felony injury to a child.

Guerrero, who attended services for Spanish-speaking members at the Capitol City Baptist Church in Austin, told investigators he had been physically punished at the church before, and that he had seen other children similarly disciplined.

The family’s attorney, Bobby Taylor, said Guerrero is in fair condition despite kidney failure and a blood transfusion. Taylor said other church members have called him to report abuse.

Students not allowed religious study time

PONOMA, Calif. – The Pomona Unified School District recently announced that it would no longer allow students or teachers to distribute permission slips for students to attend released time religious instruction. Under released time, students are released from school one hour per week for religious studies, usually Bible-based.

While the California Education Code specifically allows for released time programs, the new policy in the Pomona district not only forbids teachers from making the permission slips available to students, but also forbids students from passing out permission slips to peers so they can attend the studies. The Pacific Justice Institute is preparing a written legal response to the policy on behalf of a local released time ministry effected by the rule, according to Brad Dacus, president of the Institute.