Posted on 01/10/2008 4:38:55 AM PST by Stoat
ST. LOUIS — A rural school district's long-standing practice of allowing the distribution of Bibles to grade school students is unconstitutional, a federal judge has ruled.
An attorney for the southeastern Missouri school district said Wednesday he will appeal the judge's injunction against the practice.
For more than three decades, the South Iron School District in Annapolis, 120 miles southwest of St. Louis in the heart of the Bible Belt, allowed representatives of Gideons International to give away Bibles in fifth-grade classrooms.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit two years ago on behalf of four sets of parents. In August, a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a temporary injunction against the practice.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Watch the movie God’s Outlaw. William Tyndale printed and distributed Bibles in the English language in the 16th century and was burned at the stake.
Or worse! The Book of Mormon!
It looks like a great movie, thank you very much for the recommendation! And all seven Amazon reviewers loved it....five stars from them all.
Amazon.com God's Outlaw - DVD - ALL REGIONS DVD
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IMO, since this is a government run school, I have to agree with the court.
Either stop the giving away of Bibles in the courtroom or let ALL religons give their tracts and Holy books to the kids.
Welcome.
How do you know it isn't allowed?
IMO, if the Gideon’s are OK, then the Quran can’t be far behind. Religious training belongs at home, not at school. And that applies to ANY religion.
It’s OK for the school to include educational units on the various religions of the world throughout history. That has an educational purpose, to the degree that religion has shaped societies, etc.
But, blatant attempts to sway and indoctrinate? Nope...
Have your remote ready though because the tiny music sometimes gets annoying but the acting is remarkably good. It’s available in instant view mode on Netflix.
The Gideons have done this forever. As a Gideon, the practice of distributing Pocket New Testaments which include Psalms and Proverbs in 5th grade classroms has gone on for many decades. One thing that is not included in the red school distribution NT’s which is in some of the other Gideon Pocket NT’s is the plan of salvation. That was excluded to help fend off charges of prosletyzing.
In certain schools where classroom distributions are not allowed sidewalk distributions are arranged where not only 5th graders but others as well are offered NT’s as the kids leave or enter school. I’ve talked to many who still have those NT’s after 30 or 40 years. Many had never read a Bible before and this little NT generated an interest which ultimatley resulted in Salvation.
The Gideons also distribute these in overseas classrooms which are much more receptive than American classrooms. This includes throughout South America, Africa, parts of Asia, Eastern Europe including Russia. Over 80% of the distributions take place outside the US where the NT’s often become a textbook used in the classroom (imagine that in the US). THey often want English NT’s instead of their native tongue as it’s used as an English Primer.
The Gideons have distributed well over 1 billion bibles worldwide and have had a dramatic impact on the spread of the Gospel.
There is NO religiously neutral action possible for this compulsory government school! For this reason government schools need to be shut down, and K-12 education privatized.
What are the only 3 possible choices?
1) It can refuse to distribute the bible. In doing so the government is promoting and establishing a the Secular Humanist, agnostic, and atheistic religious worldview.
2) It can distribute the bible. If it does so, it implies that government employees have given this book an official government sanction. By doing this the government exposes some children ( against their parent’s will) to a religious worldview that undermines the values taught in the home.
3) It can make all religious, political, and cultural books available by any political or religious activist group in the community. Again, the government exposes the children to religious belief that undermines the values taught in the home. Do this and you will see the Koran, Book of Mormon, and Al Gore’s book! Also, the enemies of freedom will use this loophole to destroy us.
We see cases like these come before the courts frequently, and the underlying problem is NEVER addressed! IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE A RELIGIOUSLY NEUTRAL EDUCATION !!! (
(Yes, I am shouting! Why are judges and the American people so dumb about this??)
Government schools are a First Amendment nightmare! For this reason as well they should be shut down.
Government should NOT be in the business of herding citizens into its indoctrination centers under police threat and ordering them to shut up; suppressing their religious practice and expression; controlling what they print and distribute; choosing the people with whom they will associate; and subjecting them to a religiously non-neutral education!
There really is a better way: Get the government out of the education business!
There is no possible religiously neutral action possible! No matter what the government school employees decide about this matter the action and consequences are NOT religiously neutral!
Please read Post #33
Yup, I’m with you. I’d be proud to be in contempt of this tin horn jackass.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Omitted is the **Plan of Salvation***!!!!????????????
Sorry! But, that is a serious distortion of Christ’s message and purpose. What kind of non-neutral religious lesson is THAT teaching?
Hm?,,,I Know!
Christians removed the section on the Plan of Salvation so that they could slyly **sneak** past the the government censors.
Well!....They have just taught all the children that Christians are sneaky and sly, and too fearful to proclaim the faith! They may have also taught the children that Christians are lukewarm about the Plan of Salvation since they thought it was unimportant enough to throw it out.
So?...Will the job of real missionaries now be harder or easier? Answer: HARDER! If Christ would spit this lukewarm drivel out of HIS mouth, I would expect that students would too!
The solution: Get government out of the education business!
Please read message #33 and #39
The solution is to get government out of the education business! Privatize universal K-12 education.
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