- Jan 7, 2002
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NORTH HIGHLANDS, Calif. -- A teacher at a Catholic school said he was fired for offering extra credit to his seventh-graders for watching "The Passion of the Christ."
Stephen Hathorn, 50, said he had taught at the St. Lawrence School in North Highlands, a Sacramento suburb, for five years before being dismissed last week.
The hugely popular R-rated film depicting the story of Christ's crucifixion was produced by Mel Gibson. It has been criticized for its graphic scenes of torture and violence, and some contend it is anti-Semitic.
Officials with the school and Diocese of Sacramento would not comment directly on Hathorn's dismissal.
The school's principal, Marilyn Fleming, said it is against school policy to assign students to watch R-rated movies.
The school teaches children from kindergarten through eighth grade.
Hathorn called the movie "100 percent true to the Gospel" and said he watched it with his son, a seventh-grader.
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Stephen Hathorn, 50, said he had taught at the St. Lawrence School in North Highlands, a Sacramento suburb, for five years before being dismissed last week.
The hugely popular R-rated film depicting the story of Christ's crucifixion was produced by Mel Gibson. It has been criticized for its graphic scenes of torture and violence, and some contend it is anti-Semitic.
Officials with the school and Diocese of Sacramento would not comment directly on Hathorn's dismissal.
The school's principal, Marilyn Fleming, said it is against school policy to assign students to watch R-rated movies.
The school teaches children from kindergarten through eighth grade.
Hathorn called the movie "100 percent true to the Gospel" and said he watched it with his son, a seventh-grader.
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