Dr. Zach Ruff is proof of the virulent Christian persecution taking place in American public schools.
A high school Vice Principal angrily berated, bullied and mocked two Christian students who were standing on a public street corner holding up a sign protesting abortion. The incident, which went on for over 18 minutes and captured on video, is yet another example of the increasing hostility in the public school system against those who profess the faith in The Lord Jesus Christ.
“You Can Go To Hell, Where They Are!”
Dr. Ruff repeatedly tried to block anyone from viewing the signs of the Haines siblings.
The verbal assault took place on the corner of the Downington Stem Academy in Chester County, PA. Connor and Lauren Haines, two Christian siblings, stood on a public street with signs condemning abortion as murder and showed images of a fetus. Downington Stem Academy was holding a Holocaust awareness event and the two teens planned their protest to coincide and highlight the killing of babies in the womb. Shortly after they commenced Dr. Zach Ruff, Assistant Dean of Academics and Student Life, started to berate the teenagers and very intentionally stand in front of them to block any drivers or pedestrians from seeing their signs.
Connor Haines, who videotaped the altercation challenged Dr. Ruff saying: “Sir, these are image bearers of God and they are being murdered by students…You wish to hide what is happening.” At which point Ruff angrily retorted “No, I wish to protect my students from unsightly things that they don’t need to see..” and then proclaimed that no student at that the high school had been pregnant in “5 years” (B&E: clearly Dr. Ruff was speaking of announced pregnancies that students chose to disclose). He soon afterwards lashed out again at the students saying: “They’re not children, they’re cells!” in reference to unborn babies in the womb. Ruff purposely sang loudly to overpower the Haines siblings, confronted a man passing by who told him to leave the children alone and at one point screamed at them “you can go to hell! Where They are!” The video is below:
[B&E: WARNING – Dr. Ruff uses a profane word at the 2:29 mark]
The Bible And Abortion
Scripture is clear that life begins at conception.
Scripture is clear that life begins at conception. The Lord told the prophet Jeremiah:
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” – Jeremiah 1:5.
King David, writing of God’s awesome power as Creator wrote in Psalm 139:
“Thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” – Psalm 139:13-14.
When women in the Bible conceived they were “with child.” From the first moment Mary was pregnant with The Lord Jesus Christ Scriptures state: “she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 1:18).
God creates life in the womb and the Bible even details the creative process The Lord uses to design and form every single person before they are born. What the abortion movement seeks to do is to drown out the cry of the unborn who are killed by turning the issue of abortion solely into one focused on the mother – labeling any denial of her access to services to kill the baby in her womb a “woman’s right issue.”
More than ever, American society has sought to group the “right” to an abortion alongside issues such as sexism and racism. However, the pro-abortion movement employs the exact same tactic used by the most sexist and racist regimes – dehumanizing the enemy. Labeling the unborn child as “not human” allows the justification for their murder. This was the exact same strategy used against Native Americans in the 17th century, African-Americans in slavery and Jewish people in the holocaust. In each instance it took repeated arguments that the victims were “sub-human”, “three-fifths of a human”, a “savage” or some other derogatory classification cloaked in “science” which led to widespread slaughter. Today it is the unborn who suffer at the hands of this twisted philosophy.
This is why Biblical position taken by Connor Haines in his argument with Ruff is that much more powerful. Haines repeatedly called unborn babies “image bearers of God” quoting Genesis 2 when The Lord said at the creation of humanity:
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” – Genesis 1:26-27.
This is the basis for all people being equal, special and deserving of life – we all bear the image of The Creator of the universe. This is what separates humanity from the animals and gives every person inherent value. And this is also what set off so much anger in Dr. Ruff.
The World’s Increasing Hostility To Biblical Christianity
Pro abortion protestors in Texas resorted to worshiping the Devil to try show their hostility to Christians.
Dr. Ruff’s hateful bullying demonstrated the attitude of hostility one develops towards Christianity when they have rejected God:
“Because the carnal mind is enmity [at war] against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” – Romans 8:6-7.
The farther a person moves from God, the easier it will be in their sinful flesh to not just deny God’s existence but to act out in anger against Jesus Christ or those who profess faith in His Holy name. In the video it is clear that Ruff’s anger is truly centered on God. Jesus Christ said:
“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” – John 15:18-19.
A Christian is called to live by God’s Word not by what society happens to think is right this particular month and year. And as American society turns from The Lord it will increasingly hate those who believe. Beginning and End previously detailed a protest at the Texas State government offices where pro-abortion protestors chanted “Hail Satan” at Christians who were singing hymns and protesting the killing of the unborn. When the video of Ruff’s bullying and harassment went viral, many students and parents came to his defense. One student even started an online petition to help Ruff keep his job. At a school board meeting, many parents and students spoke out to defend Ruff despite his hateful, extremely unprofessional and potentially illegal behavior
Pray For Downingtown – And America
Since this event has become viral, the disgraced Dr. Ruff resigned from his post. The school board issued a statement hoping to put this event behind them and stated that Dr. Ruff acknowledged the Haines had a right to public protest and that he did not condone his own evil behavior. Nevertheless, Christians should pray for Ruff to repent and believe in the same God he mocked on video. Although Ruff – like an infant in the womb, is made up of “cells”, he has a soul that will be judged one day. And God’s will is for him to be forgiven and reconciled through the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross for his sins as well as all of humanity. Pray for the Haines siblings to continue to serve The Lord and boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ (and that more Christians would follow their example). And pray for American society to turn back to the Bible and embrace the love for all lives. Even the most precious and youngest of us all, children in the womb.
“As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.” – Ecclesiastes 11:5.
