So I went to high school in Ohio with this nice Polish-Italian gal, Michele, who married this guy Dave Daubenmire, who has, in the name of radically fundamental “christian family values”, dragged his family through one embarrassing abomination after another.
There was Coach Dave’s (he was once allowed to coach football at a small Ohio high school) forced, mandatory prayer in the locker room. There was the campaign for bringing churchiness forcefully back into, on top of, and generally obliterating the state. There were his rabid radio shows, and the preaching/protesting at gay pride marchers, and being “in overdrive for the lord”, well, since he lost his last teaching job. There’s his website (nah, no link), filled with connections to groups who want nothing less than a new holy war, a new crusade, a revolution that will replace government with their version of christianity.
He sells coaches’ caps with a cross on them. He is so anti-abortion he says it’s “hedonistic, pagan, and demonic”—and then he really gets started. A woman’s right to choose is incomprehensible to him, and his other written attitudes about women fall into line with the precept that he is the king of his marriage and his family. Terrorism in the womb leads to terrorism in the world. The Constitution never mentions the separation of church and state, he thinks. Income taxes are illegal. Gays make him sick. Judge Roy Moore of Alabama is one of his heroes. The ACLU is…well, you get the idea.
And finally, last year, there was their son, a teacher like his parents, caught with child pornography on his computer. And so I’ve seen Michele’s name, and that of the rest of their family, dragged down through the arrogance of this guy who is just the latest to have the direct line to the Lord’s plan for America.
And just when I thought maybe they would stay out of the headlines, an apparent buddy of his in Mount Vernon, Ohio is now all over the news for, well, teaching Christianity in science class, teaching creationism, and offering extra credit if students went to see the anti-evolution film “Expelled.”
Here’s the Columbus Dispatch article, and an AP report adds:
Freshwater’s friend Dave Daubenmire defended him.
“With the exception of the cross-burning episode. … I believe John Freshwater is teaching the values of the parents in the Mount Vernon school district,” he told The Columbus Dispatch for a story published Friday.
Freshwater used a science tool known as a high-frequency generator to burn images of a cross on students’ arms in December, the report said. Freshwater told investigators he simply was trying to demonstrate the device on several students and described the images as an “X,” not a cross. But pictures show a cross, the report said.
Other findings show that Freshwater taught that carbon dating was unreliable to argue against evolution.
Daubenmire is going to make the rounds of Fox News (his web site says) and defend his friend and talk about the values of his corner of small-town Ohio, which he claims to be uniquely in touch with. Well, sure. Gotta sell those ballcaps with crosses.
His wife and I went to school together, were co-editors of the school paper. We could not now be further politically and philosophically apart, it seems.
How does that happen, exactly?
June 21st, 2008 at 10:37 am
Hi…I am reading this story and am in complete shock. I grew up in Mount Vernon and Freshwater was a teacher of mine. I am appalled that he would actually brand someone, regardless of WHAT it was! To me, that’s child abuse no matter what spin you put on it. And anyone who abuses a child should not be allowed to be around children.
I’m having a hard time comprehending how he thought it was a good idea to burn someone else’s skin. Seriously? What has gotten into him? I know people will say religion, but there is nowhere in the Bible that states you are supposed to BRAND someone. What was he thinking?
I don’t remember whether or not he taught his Christian values in our class. It’s been so long ago, and really I have a horrible memory. He may have had the ten commandments on the wall, but I’m not sure.
While being a Christian, who believes in intelligent design, I also believe that those are my personal beliefs - not necessarily the belief of everyone else. And I believe in the value of life before birth, but I also believe in compassion on anyone who has had to go through such a difficult decision - no matter what they choose. After all, any woman having to make that decision is already having a difficult time. Until we walk in her shoes, we can’t really judge her. If Christians really want to see a woman keep her baby, then maybe we should be the ones offering to take her in, care for her baby, love on her instead of judging her for getting pregnant in the first place and picketing on the front lawn.
It appalls me when I see others making ANYONE feel less than human. Especially when it’s a Christian. That’s not what Christ taught. If anything, Christ sat with those who were “sinners” and loved on them. Sadly, it seems that many these days are more like the pharisees of old who think it’s better to stone someone than to care for them. Christians should know better. After all, they have been forgiven, and anyone who has freely been given should freely give.
You asked a question, how does that happen exactly? I don’t know that I really know the answer, but I can offer my opinion. I think, no matter what religion or cause or anything else they choose to believe in, many people sometimes lose the forest for the trees. I think they start to focus on one thing so hard that they start to become less effective for whatever it is they are trying to promote. And I think that as they start down that path, society naturally starts to reject their view. And the more rejected they become, the more they may feel the need to fight for that one thing. What human doesn’t want to feel validated in some way? Sadly, it becomes a vicious cycle, and in the end, we have someone with a radical belief in something that doesn’t represent the original intention of the religion, cause, or belief.
I don’t know if anything I said here made much sense, but I hope people understand that not all Christians are like this. And those of us who aren’t, don’t want to be condemned for having faith in Christ. And in the same token, not all of us Christians condemn those that believe differently, even if we disagree with their decisions or choices.
June 21st, 2008 at 12:43 pm
What a lovely teacher. I hope he receives his just reward.
June 26th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Well, hello! I also went to Grandview high school with Shelley. She certainly deserves better than what she has gotten. It’s been one humiliation after another for her. She’s still very sweet though. And she is standing by her man! Her daughter is getting married in Oct. so that’s one bright spot in her life.
Mary
June 26th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
One more thing…
Daubenmire was interviewed on Geraldo a few days ago. Go to Daubenmire’s ptsalt.com website to see the video. It’s another humiliation for the family.
Mary