GSXMEN
12-09-2002, 03:17 AM
By Dr. Falwell
This Christmas, I am wishing for a special gift to the students of faith
in our nation's schools. I wish them freedom.
You may think that they have the same freedom that other students enjoy,
but you'd be very wrong. In fact, many Christian students across our
nation have faced persecution on a variety of levels this year.
This past week, Christian students at a Reno, Nevada high school saw their
religious views officially - and unconstitutionally - censured by school
officials. For several years, a Christian student club has passed out
candy canes with the message "Jesus Loves You" affixed. But this year,
after the principal consulted with district officials, the decision was
made to deny the students permission to distribute the candy. This
judgment was made because of the "specific content message" that was
attached to the candy, and the potential "offense" that could be taken
because of it.
This has become an almost typical reaction to the activity of Christian
students in many public schools nationwide. The "you might offend
somebody" excuse is becoming quite popular.
In the Reno case, Brad Dacus, president of the Citrus Heights,
Calif.-based Pacific Justice Institute, said, "We have pledged to
represent these high school students, and will not tolerate such blatant
suppression of student religious speech." Mr. Dacus is part of a growing
group of religious freedom warriors who defends students and others
against blatantly discriminatory rulings and policies.
Mr. Dacus' group has written to the school, explaining that under the
First Amendment, religious speech is as protected as any other speech.
(The ACLU would have you believe otherwise.) In fact, the U.S. Supreme
Court has ruled that the desire to mitigate uneasiness (in this case
protecting potentially offended individuals) does not constitute adequate
justification for a school or district to engage in viewpoint
discrimination or censorship.
Let's hope the Reno officials quickly learn this.
Earlier this year, students at Florida's Seminole High School faced
discrimination of their own. After school officials learned that a school
choir was scheduled to appear at September 11 memorial event, they were
denied permission to sing.
The sole reason? The event was to be held at a local church. In fact,
school officials announced that they were permanently banning the choir
from singing at any event conducted at a church.
Thankfully, there is a happy conclusion to this story. After Mathew Staver
of the Orlando-based Liberty Counsel interceded for the choir, the
principal announced this week that the school board has had a change of
mind. He issued new guidelines that will allow the award-winning Seminole
High School Gospel Choir to sing at religious events. Upon hearing the
news, members of the predominately black choir erupted in cheers.
There are dozens of similar cases. A few examples: Parents of slain
students at Columbine High School have been prevented from mounting tiles
bearing religious messages; in Albany, N.Y., students and family members
have been prevented from utilizing commemorative bricks bearing religious
messages; after a four-year court battle, Seattle-area Bible club students
have finally won their right to meet at school just like all the other
clubs; a Massachusetts student was halted in mid-report from reading a
passage on the birth of Jesus simply because the book she utilized was
"religious." There are many other instances.
Warning Flag
On Thursday's episode of "E.R.", a character breathed the words, "Thank
you, Jesus," when learning that her son had survived an automobile
accident. The words were meant as a warning flag as to this character's
menacing and intolerant demeanor.
I fear that many school officials in this nation take a similar approach
as the "E.R." producers. When they hear that students want to pray, meet
together, mention their Savior in a report, or share some literature, they
see it as a warning flag. Often times, the students face persecution.
And we are the ones portrayed as intolerant!
That is why I am praying this year for freedom for these Christian
students. Many are literally under attack because of their sincerely-held
beliefs. I pray that our schools will extend the "tolerance" they claim to
uphold for others.
Our Founding Fathers believed that national support of religion was
urgently needed. As President George Washington stated in his farewell
address, "reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national
morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." Pennsylvanian
Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, agreed, saying
in specific terms, "Where there is no religion, there will be no morals."
May the spirit of our Founders return to our public schools so that our
Christian students freely live out their faith.
This Christmas, I am wishing for a special gift to the students of faith
in our nation's schools. I wish them freedom.
You may think that they have the same freedom that other students enjoy,
but you'd be very wrong. In fact, many Christian students across our
nation have faced persecution on a variety of levels this year.
This past week, Christian students at a Reno, Nevada high school saw their
religious views officially - and unconstitutionally - censured by school
officials. For several years, a Christian student club has passed out
candy canes with the message "Jesus Loves You" affixed. But this year,
after the principal consulted with district officials, the decision was
made to deny the students permission to distribute the candy. This
judgment was made because of the "specific content message" that was
attached to the candy, and the potential "offense" that could be taken
because of it.
This has become an almost typical reaction to the activity of Christian
students in many public schools nationwide. The "you might offend
somebody" excuse is becoming quite popular.
In the Reno case, Brad Dacus, president of the Citrus Heights,
Calif.-based Pacific Justice Institute, said, "We have pledged to
represent these high school students, and will not tolerate such blatant
suppression of student religious speech." Mr. Dacus is part of a growing
group of religious freedom warriors who defends students and others
against blatantly discriminatory rulings and policies.
Mr. Dacus' group has written to the school, explaining that under the
First Amendment, religious speech is as protected as any other speech.
(The ACLU would have you believe otherwise.) In fact, the U.S. Supreme
Court has ruled that the desire to mitigate uneasiness (in this case
protecting potentially offended individuals) does not constitute adequate
justification for a school or district to engage in viewpoint
discrimination or censorship.
Let's hope the Reno officials quickly learn this.
Earlier this year, students at Florida's Seminole High School faced
discrimination of their own. After school officials learned that a school
choir was scheduled to appear at September 11 memorial event, they were
denied permission to sing.
The sole reason? The event was to be held at a local church. In fact,
school officials announced that they were permanently banning the choir
from singing at any event conducted at a church.
Thankfully, there is a happy conclusion to this story. After Mathew Staver
of the Orlando-based Liberty Counsel interceded for the choir, the
principal announced this week that the school board has had a change of
mind. He issued new guidelines that will allow the award-winning Seminole
High School Gospel Choir to sing at religious events. Upon hearing the
news, members of the predominately black choir erupted in cheers.
There are dozens of similar cases. A few examples: Parents of slain
students at Columbine High School have been prevented from mounting tiles
bearing religious messages; in Albany, N.Y., students and family members
have been prevented from utilizing commemorative bricks bearing religious
messages; after a four-year court battle, Seattle-area Bible club students
have finally won their right to meet at school just like all the other
clubs; a Massachusetts student was halted in mid-report from reading a
passage on the birth of Jesus simply because the book she utilized was
"religious." There are many other instances.
Warning Flag
On Thursday's episode of "E.R.", a character breathed the words, "Thank
you, Jesus," when learning that her son had survived an automobile
accident. The words were meant as a warning flag as to this character's
menacing and intolerant demeanor.
I fear that many school officials in this nation take a similar approach
as the "E.R." producers. When they hear that students want to pray, meet
together, mention their Savior in a report, or share some literature, they
see it as a warning flag. Often times, the students face persecution.
And we are the ones portrayed as intolerant!
That is why I am praying this year for freedom for these Christian
students. Many are literally under attack because of their sincerely-held
beliefs. I pray that our schools will extend the "tolerance" they claim to
uphold for others.
Our Founding Fathers believed that national support of religion was
urgently needed. As President George Washington stated in his farewell
address, "reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national
morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." Pennsylvanian
Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, agreed, saying
in specific terms, "Where there is no religion, there will be no morals."
May the spirit of our Founders return to our public schools so that our
Christian students freely live out their faith.