Posted on 09/07/2006 10:51:37 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
ST. LOUIS - A federal judge ordered a small-town school to suspend a program that gives free Bibles to students, saying it improperly promotes Christianity.
U.S. District Court Judge Catherine Perry also scolded school officials for continuing the program after warnings that it violated the Constitution.
South Iron Elementary in Annapolis, a town of 300 in southeastern Missouri, has quietly allowed Gideons International to hand out Bibles to fifth-graders for years. After concerns were raised last year, the then-superintendent consulted with the district's attorneys and insurance company and recommended that the handouts stop, but the school board voted to continue them.
Acting on behalf of two sets of parents from the district, the American Civil Liberties Union sued in February in federal court in St. Louis.
"The defendants were repeatedly told that their actions violated the Constitution, but they chose not to heed those cautions," Perry wrote in the preliminary injunction issued Wednesday.
A final ruling is not expected for months.
Eastern Missouri ACLU legal director Anthony Rothert said the injunction was "a victory for parents who want to direct the religious upbringing of their children without interference from public schools."
Erik Stanley — an attorney for Liberty Counsel, part of Jerry Falwell's Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., which represented the school district — called the ruling unconstitutional and said it would continue to fight the case.
Gideons, based in Nashville, Tenn., distributes more than 63 million pocket-sized Bibles each year in hotels, prisons, hospitals and schools worldwide, according to the organization's Web site. A spokesman for the organization declined to comment.
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On the Net:
School district: http://schoolweb.missouri.edu/southiron.k12.mo.us
Eastern Missouri ACLU: http://www.aclu-em.org
Liberty Counsel: http://www.lc.org
Actually, the ACLU is a strong defender of having obscene material available to children. The ACLU opposes any restrictions on internet access for children. The American Library Association use to even provide a recomended link children to a sex advise columnist who discussed things like safe rimming and even beastiality. These people are sick.
There is no forcing argued here; anyway, just how could someone force you to accept it?
The school can't win this one but that hardly matters historically.
"Pls see # 21. I hold that the freedom not to listen trumps the freedom of speech ["Your freedom to wag your tongue ends where my ears begin"]. Therefore to speak [handing out printed materials included] to me in most situations one first ought to get my permission."
May I have the freedom to speak? Wait, this is America, I do have that freedom. You, on the other hand, can choose not to listen (or read, as the case is presently).
Was your contribution to this thread forced upon us, or maybe mine was forced upon you?
As I stated previously it is a freedom of speech issue; you just find offense in the content.
Condoms are OK, though.
Hedonism is a "special religion".
We need to keep the religion out of public schools. When I went to school, we had a choice, we (well our parents) could choose whether we would have study hall or be brought across the street to a church and have church school. But the school did not teach religion, did not encourage it. It was completely off the school grounds. Religion is a choice, but should not be directly related to public education. If one believes religion should be an active part of their child's education then they should enroll them in a catholic or other religious school system or take advantage of religious study groups. There are options, but for public schools there should be no teaching of religion, as this is not allowing students the option of choice. Public schools are for education, for learning. Not for religious teaching. Personally I think these (education and religion) should be kept separate. I completely agree with the Courts and do not believe bibles should be handed out in public schools.
This thread was not locked, and invitation [aka permission] to the participants is implied by its very structure.
Bullshit!
Enlightenment, at last.
Why is that?
My father has been a Gideon for 41 years. At no time has any child EVER been forced to take a testament. It's totally optional for each child.
In nearly 200 countries, school systems welcome the Gideons and the testaments because it's the only book that many children will ever own. Only in the USA is there a problem with handing it out.
My children could be offered Watchtower, the Koran, a Road Atlas, and I'd want them to bring them home so that we could talk about it!!!
"It's totally optional for each child." - It should be totally optional for the parents as well. It is the parents who are the plaintiffs in this case.
Figures. Probably keeps her kneepads in her underwear drawer.
Right. I never liked the way those mean and nasty Gideons held my wrists and crammed it down my shirt. Sheesh.Grow up.
It implies a State Religion.
I agree -- the problems starts to become when every religion wants to be represented -- wiccans, Zoroastrians, Hindus, Buddhists, LDS, even Athiests.
The poor kid will need an SUV to drag all that material home.
LOL! You blew that one, GS!
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