Lawsuit: Teacher bashes Christians

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif., Dec. 13 (UPI) -- A California high school student and his parents have filed a federal lawsuit, claiming his teacher made offensive statements about Christianity.

The suit filed by Chad Farnan of San Juan Capistrano and his parents, Bill and Teresa, claims James Corbett consistently "demonstrates a sense of hostility toward religion," causing Christian students to "feel ostracized and treated as second-class citizens," the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

The suit claims the Advanced Placement European history teacher said during class that "when you put on your Jesus glasses, you can't see the truth." The teacher also allegedly said religion is not "connected with morality" and compared Christians with "Muslim fundamentalists" who want women to "stay pregnant, barefoot, and in the kitchen and have babies until your body collapses."

Capistrano Valley High School Principal Tom Ressler said Corbett, who has worked in the district for 15 years, is a "solid" and popular teacher.

"It's really premature to say anything about this," he said of the allegations. "People can make allegations all they want; we have to see the reality and context of what was said."

The suit, filed in federal district court in Santa Ana, Calif., seeks to have Corbett removed from the classroom.