A science teacher at a Sunset Park public school has been reprimanded for selling junior high school students copies of a controversial book about the devil, according to the Daily News. Steven Arizmendi is accused of hawking the evangelical Christian book "He Came to Set the Captives Free" to four of his students at JHS 220 for $5 apiece, and loaning the text to eight other students.
The book, by writer Rebecca Brown, tells the story of a doctor also named Rebecca Brown who fights demons and convinces a Satan-worshiping woman to become a good Christian. Some choice passages address "doorways" into the world of Satanism such as the "practice of any of the martial arts or yoga," "using the art of levitation," and listening to rock and roll music, which according to Brown "'didn't just happen,' it was a carefully masterminded plan by none other than Satan himself."
For peddling copies of the book — which bills itself as an "honest, in-depth account of Satan's activities today" intended to help readers "recognize those serving Satan and bring them to Jesus" — Arizmendi got a lecture from the school's principal. "He has been instructed that he cannot hand out material that hasn't been previously approved," said Department of Education spokeswoman Marge Feinberg.
