Court bans religious gifts to classmates

The Washington Times ^ | September 21, 2003 | Julia Duin

[Kevin Curry]

How does a child handing out pencils bearing a religious message constitute an expression or endorsement of religion by the state?

[narses]

Satan HATES Christ.

[INVAR]

No one is trying to prohibit your religious rights.

And America isn't devolving into Secular Socialism either, right? Are you kidding me????

The ACLU, The Southern Poverty Law Center, People for the Separation of Church and State, and a host of local Activists, Atheists, and Federal Justices are about the entire business of prohibiting our religious rights and heritage.

You teach your kids, -- I teach mine.

And we can certainly see the wonderful job being done by the fruits of this no-religion policy over the last decade-plus in our public schools can't we?

NO ONE gets to play religious games at school under the guise of handing out "free" pencils with religious slogans on them.

We did all that and more for the better part of 200 years and the Republic prospered and was blessed. Christmas cards, bible games, holy day teachings and prayer-time along with phonics cards with biblical rhymes were a staple of our nation's schools. Moral behavior was expected and PROMOTED via religious instruction and discipline. It wasn't until the last 4 decades that we have decided to discard such practice as a nation....and the results are telling; school shootings, rapes, violence, illiteracy, drug use etc., etc.

Taking any mention of God from the classroom has certainly had incredible effects on our schools. Now that God is being banned from public exercise, I imagine we'll get to see those results expound on the nation at-large.

Simple rule? -- Apparently not, to the zealots among us.

Our Founders considered religion and it's promotion in our schools and culture ESSENTIAL to the preservation of our Republic.

"Wherever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican forms of government and all the blessings which flowed from them must fall with them" - Noah Webster

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

Mar 10:14 But when Jesus saw [it], he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

[3catsanadog]

The school, he said, has a "legitimate area of control" regarding speech within school confines.

Unless the kids are cussing at the teacher.

[goodseedhomeschool (returned)]

Thank God for homeschooling and using any pencil we like placemarker.

[tpaine]

Whatever. I see no real difference in the effects of stupid laws to control stupid peoples manners. -- They hurt all of us.
This crazy pencil lady, and her lawyers, should be liable for ALL court costs in their pitiful lo0ser of a case.

Legal games like this one would come to a screeching halt.

[3catsanadog]

Yikes I didn't know school teachers were Congressmen?!?

[singsong]

You got it kiddo. -- That parents have an exclusive right to see to their childrens religious upbringing is an accepted precept, imo..
I got it but you didn't... If you had better comprehension ability you would notice that atheism is just another religion. You have NO right to limit the school discourse to atheistic topics only (condoms, homo-sex, etc). And this in no way infringes on your "religious upbringing" or "accepted precepts". Your child must and will face other people's religious believes and you can't do anything about it. You are simply afraid (and rightfully so) that you cannot defend your stupid religious atheism. Make no mistake, one day your child will resent it - along with yourself.

[Consort]

[tpaine]

What more can I say? - You are devoted to your cause, and conviced it MUST be so:

"The continuous disasters of man's history are mainly due to his excessive capacity and urge to become identified with a tribe, nation, church or cause, and to espouse its credo uncritically and enthusiastically, even if its tenets are contrary to reason, devoid of self-interest and detrimental to the claims of self-preservation.

We are thus driven to the unfashionable conclusion that the trouble with our species is not an excess of aggression, but an excess capacity for fanatical devotion."
-Arthur Koestler-

[tpaine]

I'm not an atheist.

[goodseedhomeschool (returned)]

I don't know about you all, but if this is not a wake up call, nothing is. This is an outrage! If a child wants to bring a gift of some harmless pencils to school and give to his/her classmates, under the law, that child has the right to do so. If a child wanted to take a bible for each child to give as a gift, it's that child's right to do so. I assure you that no one would say a word if it were some stupid HArry Potter book or some witchcraft fantasy story. This has got to stop.
It is obvious why Christians are leaving the public schools and turning to homeschooling or private schools. It seems EVERYTHING is acceptable in public schools accept Christians. ENOUGH ALREADY!
If all of the Christians in this country just stood up and said "hey, this year we will get 30 bibles and let our child give them to their classmates at Christmas, the aclu would not have enough lawyers to fight us all. We gotta get some spunk folks.

[First Amendment]

"It is the duty of all men in society, publicly, and at stated
seasons, to worship the SUPREME BEING, the great Creator
and Preserver of the universe. And no subject shall be hurt,
molested, or restrained, in his person, liberty, or estate, for
worshipping GOD in the manner most agreeable to the dictates of
his own conscience; or for his religious profession or sentiments;
provided he doth not disturb the public peace, or obstruct others
in their religious worship." --John Adams

I agree with you. Because people of faith (not sectarian here, any and all theists) have been asleep at the wheel (too many channels to watch?) the atheist/leftist/secularists have been winning the culture war.

[sakic]

Let'em pass out "Islam means peace" pencils - it ought to open a discussion about the topic. It's called free speech.

I'd bet that most here would wig out if those pencils were handed out.

[sakic]

Haven't the atheists founded a country to your liking so you can move there ?

More evidence of why it's good that we are not a theocracy. Thanks for your help.

[gulfcoast6]

Think its bad now? Elect a democract as President and THEN see what happens.

[INVAR]

We are thus driven to the unfashionable conclusion that the trouble with our species is not an excess of aggression, but an excess capacity for fanatical devotion." -Arthur Koestler-

I'll take the devout wisdom of our Founders that established our republican liberty these 2 centuries-plus, over that of Koestler's Humanist Intellectualism that Communists such as Mao, Stalin and Pol Pot also agreed and espoused.

"The only foundation for a republic is to be laid in Religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments." - Benjamin Rush

[goodseedhomeschool (returned)]

If we do not get up off our pews and get busy, the libs are going to own this country lock, stock and barrel. I know for a fact that Christianity is still the primary religion in America. It may come in all shapes and sizes, but this is still a Christian nation. The longer we sit by and allow the libs and the socialist/communists to destroy everything our forefathers built, the more and more devastating it will be for future generations. The libs are on an all out assualt on this nation. We had better get to our posts and be prepared to speak up or in another 20 or 30 years, this nation will be divided as a whole. I am a Christian, I have to live in this country just like the atheist and I pay taxes, etc. If witchcraft, secular humanism and uniformitarianism can be taught to our kids in the public schools, not to mention pantheism, etc., then let the Christian put in his two cents worth as well.

[Aquinasfan]

Government education is child abuse because it does not recognize the purpose of human life: to know, love and serve God in this life and to be happy forever with Him in the next.