Another Victory for Religious Freedom in the Classroom!

Alliance Defense Fund ^ | 2003-12-08 | Alliance Defense Fund

[DannyTN]

Eight-year-old Harrison Kravat brought a thick book of Bible stories to read during “quiet reading time” at his school in Louisiana. Other students were allowed to bring a book of their choice from their home to read.

You can almost guess what’s next:

When the open time arrived, he pulled out his book…only to be told by the teacher to not bring it back because it was “too thick to fit in his desk.” But that was not the real reason…as Harrison and his parents would soon find out.

Harrison complied and brought a thin New Testament to read instead. The teacher reprimanded him and told him that he would just have to read the other books available in the class.

Harrison’s mother respectfully spoke to the teacher, who refused to back down. Mrs. Kravat then asked for the principal’s assistance. She heard nothing but silence as deep as the quiet time for reading. When Harrison brought his New Testament again to read, the teacher snapped at him and demanded that he keep it at home. The little boy was reduced to tears.

The Kravats contacted ADF, and attorney Mike Johnson immediately sent a demand letter to the superintendent of schools and school board president, giving them three days to cease and desist in denying Harrison’s right to read the New Testament.

The superintendent responded and immediately corrected the problem. When he expressed concern to Mike about potential of ACLU legal attacks on the school district because he allows campus Bible study groups to meet (as the law requires!), Mike reported: “I offered ADF’s full blown assistance if and when the ACLU strikes.”

This is one of those small daily victories that you will probably never read in any newspaper or see on any television news program – but it is one of many, many illustrations of how the servant ministry of the Alliance Defense Fund works – to defend our religious freedom so an eight-year-old boy can silently read his New Testament – and how God can use a potentially adversarial situation to make new friends and build an alliance. Thank you for making this possible!

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A higher standard. A higher purpose. © 2001 - 2003 Alliance Defense Fund

[ROSCOE SWACKHAMMER]

I wonder if there would have been a problem with the Koran, Depak Chopra or Harry Potter.

[LiteKeeper]

SPOTREP

[arasina]

If the child had brought "Living History" with him, the teacher likely would've asked him to share it with the class.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

The sad part is, all of our institutions are under attack, and a handful of successful defenses are considered a victory. A real victory would be going on the offenseive and stopping the need for constant defense to protect Constitutional liberties.

[DannyTN]

"I wonder if there would have been a problem with the Koran, Depak Chopra or Harry Potter.

Well Harry Potter is on the Accelerated Reading list.

Based on the WND article today where the Judge ruled three weeks of intensive training in Islam was ok in California Schools. They apparently wouldn't have a problem with the Koran.

They probably wouldn't consider Depak religious even though he is. I went to a Supervisor training course where they played a Depak tape on how to deal with stress. Depak said tell yourself that "the world is exactly as it's meant to be". I busted out laughing. After the tape finished, the instructor asked what we thought. I said, "Look around, read the papers, and tell me that the world is exactly as it's meant to be. Yeah right!"

[Veritas_est]

A real victory would be going on the offensive and stopping the need for constant defense to protect Constitutional liberties.

I couldn't agree more. It seems like the religious right and conservatives in general are always on the defensive. We need some good offense for a change.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

That is why we are losing. It's like being overrun by a barbarian horde, and celebrating the capture of one of them.

[The Brush]

I had a "trainer" instruct me to tell borrowers who were delinquent on government loans to Blame George Bush, he passed a law that you couldn't declare bankruptcy on the loan.
I told him "Why don't we tell then to blame Bill Clinton since he made them believe they're not responsible for their actions?"

I guess that wasn't as kind and gentle a response as his...

[humblegunner]

I wonder if there would have been a problem with the Koran, Depak Chopra or Harry Potter.

You got a problem with Harry Potter, Roscoe???

[Wilhelm Tell]

We have reached the point where private religious expression is pretty much held to be in violation of the First Amendment, and any remaining political speech allowed is due to a "loophole" that will be regulated out of existence to make our government more "efficient" (just as "efficient" as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union). Our institutions have largely been taken over by totalitarians. The Constitution is no longer the de-facto law of the land. I have nothing but contempt for the theiving liars who claim that cultailing my rights will somehow make them more honest.

[DannyTN]

Yikes that not just wrong, that's illegal. I don't think the banrkuptcy laws have changed any.

[Kuksool]

In 10 years, I would not be surprised if the courts will rule that gun ownership, religious expression, and free speech are not rights, but privileges granted at the government's discretion.

[Straight Vermonter]

Many Freepers already believe that these rights are granted by the constitution rather than protected by the constitution.

[vaudine]

Probably not. I wonder if the teacher was reprimanded, and if she/he will take it out on the boy. I wonder if the teacher, principal, supt. sent a written note of apology. I would hve sued the
b@#t*#ds and demanded apologies straight down the line. I further would have asked for my child's immediate transfer out of the class of such a teachers orbit. It is unfortunate but true that the school systems only understand fear of lawsuits, and possible loss of funds.

vaudine

[The Brush]

Yikes that not just wrong, that's illegal. I don't think the banrkuptcy laws have changed any.

Actually GH Bush was president in 1990 when a law passed excluding student loans from bankruptcy. The only way out of a student loan now is total disability.
Death is sometimes considered total disability... (depending upon your definition of the word "is")