Chicago student wins lawsuit after alleging meditation teacher forced her into idol worship

A former Christian student of a Chicago public school has won $150K after she filed a lawsuit, claiming that in the institution's campus she was forced to take part in idol worship.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Mariyah Green revealed that a female meditation teacher had asked her to bow to an image of a foreign deity during "Quiet Time" in the school's campus. The woman allegedly told her that it would help her get closer to "Zen."

"Like, I'm in school right now, why is we learning how to meditate in this way? I just knew it wasn't right. So that's what made me take the initiative and go home to tell my parent and my auntie, who was my pastor at the time, that I didn't feel comfortable with what they was enforcing on me at school," explained Green.

"The only time I kneel was when I was at the altar at church when I'm praying and I'm kneeling down for God because that was a way that we was taught, but not the kneeling to that idol. It was inappropriate," she added.

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The complaint was filed by law firm Mauck & Baker in February, alleging that the rituals that Green was forced to perform was in violation of her religious beliefs. According to the complaint, the mantras recited during the "Quiet Time" program implemented at Chicago Public Schools, were "fundamentally religious in nature". According to the lawsuit, Green researched about the mantras and found that it involved the names of Hindu Gods.

Green shared students were told not to tell anyone about the mantras as it would reduce its effectiveness. According to the complaint, Green alleged students were asked to bow before the picture of a guru during a puja ceremony.

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