The Religious Right's New Tactics for Invading Public Schools

[BonnieJW]

The Religious Right's New Tactics for Invading Public Schools
By Rob Boston
Church and State Magazine

Thursday 04 October 2007

In mid-August, Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed something called the "Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act" into law. Although the new law has an innocuous-sounding title, it's really a ticking time-bomb, opponents say.

The law requires every public school in the state to adopt a policy guaranteeing students' right to religious expression. It mandates that schools create "limited public forums" for religious and other types of speech. A student could, for example, read the morning announcements over a loudspeaker and then lapse into a prayer or mini-sermon.

Many people think the law is yet another effort to get around the Supreme Court's rulings on separation of church and state in public schools - and they're expecting a torrent of litigation to result.

"This law is fundamentally at odds with the principle of religious freedom," said Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network, an Austin-based group that opposes the machinations of the Religious Right. "It will force public school students to participate in public events that promote religious views - through prayer or even proselytizing - that they and their families may not share or may even find deeply offensive. So rather than protecting religious freedom, this law represents a grave threat to it.

"Rather than providing schools with training and appropriate guidelines for protecting First Amendment freedoms," Miller said, "legislators decided to play politics with our children's faith. So now they have recklessly put local schools and their taxpayers at risk of expensive lawsuits."

More
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/printer_100407E.shtml





I just wish one of the students would make the announcements over the loudspeaker and then lapse into a reading from the Quran. Or say a prayer -- in Hebrew.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. That's how they get around the Supreme Court limitations of religious

expression in public schools: It's not unconstitutional if the KIDS do it, not the teachers, not an outside authority, etc.

Clever.

It will be challenged.

[Marrah_G]

2. That would not go over well in my state.

[AuntPatsy]

3. Does this law also include the students that may practice witchcraft which is to some a religion

be allowed as well?

[ourbluenation]

4. probably does, which is why i tell most fundies i know...be careful what you ask for.

if you open the door for one you have to open it for everyone so get ready for every non christian group to assert their rights too.

then they kinda go..."hmmm - i never thought about that".

I'm all about separation of religion and the state and have no more favorable views of any one religion over another, paganism included.

[Fredda Weinberg]

6. And they can't compete. Wait 'till Disney gets their toes in n/t

[China_cat]

7. In theory, yes

In practice? Not even when hell freezes over.

[bryant69]

5. THat is the question or defence of this practice

In theory any Muslim/Hindu/Buddhist/Jew who wanted to use this law to participate in their own religious practice could - in practice, it's a little hard to say.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Mountainman]

8. The right wing should propose a freedom from following the Constitution Act.

[me b zola]

17. They have

It's called the patriot act.

[zbdent]

9. I wonder ... if the Religious Right abandons the 2008 Republican

candidate ... how much backing would the Republicans give to the Religious Reich's attempts to overthrow freedom of Religion?

[Froward69]

10. clever

\

[Arkansas Granny]

11. How about a reciprocal ruling that allows citizens to go to various

church services and give civic lessons? That makes just about as much sense to me.

[Jamnt]

12. I've often thought

that the reason religious wingnuts go after kids is because they know that their minds are plyable and easily brainwashed. Making "good Christians" is code for making "lifelong donors". Makes me sick.

[dkofos]

13. Oh god, not Texass again. Why not Wyoming??

[gatorboy]

14. How many kids does Wyoming have? Three?

[dkofos]

15. I see your point. I should have said California!!

[sakabatou]

16. Marching backward proudly!

x(

[JHB]

18. Time to recruit some kids to chant to Cthulhu over the PA...

...and Crom, Vashanka, FSM...

All the fine deities.

[tanyev]

19. That law will last only as long as it takes for a Muslim student to lapse into prayer.

And it could easily happen where I live. Overall the area is still overwhelmingly GOP/Fundie, but there is a sizable Muslim population in the community.

[Solon]

20. My question is, why the hell is such a law needed...

Except to circumvent the First Amendment? Students already have the right to pray before tests, form prayer circles before and/or after school or classes, can wear religious jewelry/clothing, they can even start religious clubs in schools that have secular clubs. What they aren't allowed to do is disrupt classes nor can they use the public dime nor the public time to spread their religious messages.