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Under Under Fire
Many of the freedoms
we value are currently under fire. Below
are just a few of the many that are currently being challenged and defended. For more information on these and others
like them, please refer to organizations such as The Alliance Defense Fund, The American Center for Law and Justice, Christian Law Association.
“Under God” or not under God
The Pledge of Allegiance is again under attack on the both the East and West
Coasts, according to the Christian Law Association. Lawsuits have been filed to
remove the words “under God” from the pledge. Last time this happened, the U.S
Supreme Court dismissed the case on technical and procedural grounds.
This information was summarized from The
Christian Law Association, a "ministry of legal helps." Its purpose is to
provide free legal assistance to Bible-believing churches and Christians who are
experiencing legal difficulty in practicing their religious faith because of
governmental regulation, intrusion, or prohibition of one form or another.
Will students be able to “See you at
the pole”? pole”?
In Nashville Tennessee a request was made to stop the following
items at Wilson County schools:
“See You at the Pole” student prayer event
The
playing of a song with a religious reference
National Day of Prayer observances
Meetings on campus by a group Praying Parents Chistmas and
Thanksgiving
observances with religious references.
For now, the school can continue to have
“See You at the Pole” as well as these other events. The court order refused to
stop these activities, according to the Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel
Nate Kellum, and “acknowledged that Christians cannot be discriminated against
for their beliefs and that personal prayer, mentions of God, and Christmas
references are constitutionally appropriate in school.”
This information is
summarized form The Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance defending the right
to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.
Religious expression banned in art
Students were allowed to draw demon-like
creatures in their art, but the student who drew a cross and referenced a Bible
verses was told to remove it or cover up the scripture reference in a piece of
artwork and was given a “zero” for the assignment. The case has now been settled
and the high school has graded the project and removed from school records
references to disciplinary actions taken against the student. As Alliance
Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman stated, “Christian students
shouldn’t be penalized for expressing their beliefs, so we’re pleased that this
settlement will make sure that no longer happens. It was clearly
unconstitutional for the school to enforce a policy in such a way as to bar
religious expression by a Christian student while allowing other types of
religious expression by other students. No school policy can require a student
to surrender his First Amendment Rights.”
This information is summarized form
The Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance defending the right to hear and
speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.
No “thanks”
at Thanksgiving?
A school had a Thanksgiving class assignment which ended with a
Thanksgiving meal included a generic blessing prayer similar to ones the
Pilgrims might have said before their Thanksgiving meal. Plaintiffs in this case
in Wilson County, Tennessee alleged that this prayer was unconstitutional.
However the court noted that Thanksgiving is a legal public holiday and stated,
“The use of this generic blessing prayer in the context of a class lesson
explaining the historical origins of Thanksgiving, which was done in an unbiased
and objective manner without sectarian indoctrination, did not offend school
district policy or the Constitution.” The court continued, “It is generally
understood that the custom of giving thanks for our provisions and welfare is
the basis for our Thanksgiving holiday. Learning about a typical generic prayer
which may have been said by early Pilgrims has both historic and religious
overtones.”
This information was summarized from The American Center for Law and
Justice (ACLJ) which is a non profit organization focusing on constitutional law
and is based in Washington, D.C. Through their work in the courts and the
legislative arena, the ACLJ is dedicated to protecting your religious and
constitutional freedoms.
No room for Christ at a Christmas progam?
The school
has a policy that allows the celebration of Christmas because the holiday has
both a religious and secular basis and the policy allows the use of “(m)music,
art, literature, and drama having religious themes..as part of the curriculum
for school sponsored activities and programs if presented in a prudent and
objective manner and as a traditional part of the cultural and religious
heritage of the particular holiday.”
Yet a 2 minute nativity scene at the end of
a 22 minute Christmas program held after school hours following a PTA meeting
was controversial. The court upheld the right to have the nativity scene. It
noted that “the nativity scene was presented in a prudent, unbiased, and
objective manner to present the traditional, historical, cultural, and religious
meaning of the holiday in America.”
This information was summarized from The
American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) which is a non profit organization
focusing on constitutional law and is based in Washington, D.C. Through their
work in the courts and the legislative arena, the ACLJ is dedicated to
protecting your religious and constitutional freedoms.
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