Religious Student Groups and their Rights in the Public School System

Bob Heath, from Kids for Christ USA sent me this link today. The Rutherford Institute has compiled a comprehensive report which includes information on:

• Religion in the Public Schools (and so-called “Separation of Church and State”)
• Students’ Free Speech Rights
• Religious Expression at Graduation Ceremonies and Assemblies
• Non-Student Expression on School Property
• Teachers’ Rights in Public Education
• “Zero Tolerance” Policies and School Searches

Read and download the .pdf’s HERE.

 

UPDATE: ACLU Tries to Intimidate Sally Kern over the Oklahoma Citizens’ Proclamation for Morality

UPDATE 07/11/09: Rep. Sally Kern reports that the ACLU of Oklahoma is now trying to intimidate her, regarding state resources being used for the Oklahoma Citizens’ Proclamation for Morality:

Rep. Sally Kern has been contacted by the Oklahoma Chapter of the A.C.L.U. requesting information about state resources being used for the Oklahoma Citizen’s Proclamation for Morality to the proclamation

As an elected official, Rep. Kern has the House resources at her disposal to use to inform her constituents as to her policy positions and issues that affect them. There are numerous legislators all across the country whose political beliefs are influence by their religious beliefs.

A poll by Cole Hargrave Snodgrass taken about four years ago showed that Oklahoma has the highest percentage of church attendees in the nation.  Oklahoma’s people by and large are a religious people.  They are concerned about the economy and our nation’s morals.  Rep. Kern’s Oklahoma Citizen’s Proclamation for Morality was a statement calling on those in Oklahoma who are concerned for their state and nation to take a stand.

And now the ACLU is attempting to silence Rep. Kern’s voice.

Also see: This Nation will Self Destruct In… by Kristin Estes of The Hard Truth

UPDATE 07/02/09: Following is video from the press conference. For more information, see Michael McNutt’s report on The Oklahoman.

 

UPDATE 06/30/09: There is now a petition for a National version of this, HERE. Also, Oklahomans who are not able to make it to the Courthouse on Thursday can sign the petition online HERE.

ORIGINAL POST, 06/30/09: The following proclamation, authored by OK State Rep. Sally Kern, will be signed by religious leaders, elected officials, and citizens of Oklahoma at noon on Thursday, July 2, 2009 on the steps of the Capitol in Oklahoma City:

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We the People of Oklahoma,Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessing of Liberty; to secure just and rightful Government; to promote our mutual Welfare and Happiness, do establish this proclamation and call upon the people of the great State of Oklahoma, and our fellow Patriots in these United States of America who look to the Lord for guidance, to acknowledge the need for a national awakening of righteousness in our land.

WHEREAS, “It is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand” (John Adams); and

WHEREAS, “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by Religion and Morality” (John Adams); and

WHEREAS, “Our Constitution was made only for a Moral and Religious people” (John Adams); and

WHEREAS, “We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government…but upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God” (James Madison); and

WHEREAS, “Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God (Benjamin Franklin); and

WHEREAS, “God who gave us life gave us liberty and can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God” (Thomas Jefferson); and

WHEREAS, “Whether any free government can be permanent, where the public worship of God, and the support of Religion, constitute no part of the policy or duty of the state” (Joseph Story); and

WHEREAS, “We hold sacred the rights of conscience, and promise to the people…the free and undisturbed exercise of their religion” (Roger Sherman); and

WHEREAS, “This great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians” (Patrick Henry); and

WHEREAS, “When you…exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed upon your mind that God commands you to choose just men who will rule in the fear of God” (Noah Webster); and

WHEREAS, “The principles of genuine Liberty and of wise laws and administrations are to be drawn from the Bible” (Noah Webster); and

WHEREAS, the people of Oklahoma have a strong tradition of reliance upon the Creator of the Universe; and

WHEREAS, we believe our economic woes are consequences of our greater national moral crisis; and

WHEREAS, this nation has become a world leader in promoting abortion, pornography, same sex marriage, sex trafficking, divorce, illegitimate births, child abuse, and many other forms of debauchery; and

WHEREAS, alarmed that the Government of the United States of America is forsaking the rich Christian heritage upon which this nation was built; and

WHEREAS, grieved that the Office of the president of these United States has refused to uphold the long held tradition of past presidents in giving recognition to our National Day of Prayer; and

WHEREAS, deeply disturbed that the Office of the president of these United States disregards the biblical admonitions to live clean and pure lives by proclaiming an entire month to an immoral behavior;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we the undersigned elected officials of the people of Oklahoma, religious leaders and citizens of the State of Oklahoma, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world, solemnly declare that the HOPE of the great State of Oklahoma and of these United States, rests upon the Principles of Religion and Morality as put forth in the HOLY BIBLE; and

BE IT RESOLVED that we, the undersigned, believers in the One True God and His only Son, call upon all to join with us in recognizing that “Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord,” and humbly implore all who love Truth and Virtue to live above reproach in the sight of God and man with a firm reliance on the leadership and protection of Almighty God; and

BE IT RESOLVED that we, the undersigned, humbly call upon Holy God, our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, to have mercy on this nation, to stay His hand of judgment, and grant a national awakening of righteousness and Christian renewal as we repent of our great sin.

Signed on the second day of July in the year of our Lord Christ Two Thousand and Nine.

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CEAI Versus ACLU: David Versus Goliath

The following is from Christian Educators Association International:

Christian Educators Association International has filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit filed earlier this year by the ACLU against the Santa Rosa County School District in Florida.

“We are David facing a Goliath. The ACLU is engaged in a well-financed, systematic campaign to intimidate Christian educators across the nation. We feel this case is so important that we must take a stand,” says Finn Laursen, Executive Director of CEAI.

The ACLU charged that some teachers and administrators in the Florida district were actively endorsing religion. The school district attempted to settle the suit by joining with the ACLU in a consent decree that essentially bans all employees from engaging in prayer or religious activities, whether before, during, or after school hours.

The ACLU-authored consent decree defines prayer, school events, and school officials in such a way that employees who bow their head or fold their hands, pray over meals during lunch, or voice agreement with another in religious discussion at any time on school property or at any school event, can be found in contempt of court. It specifies that when individuals or community groups use school facilities for after- school religious events, no district employee, even on his or her own private time, may participate or communicate agreement in any prayer or religious discourse.

“The consent decree is so broad that it unconstitutionally infringes on the rights of teachers, administrators, and students,” says Laursen. “Our particular interest is that it violates the free speech and free exercise rights of CEAI members, both in their capacities as employees of the school board and as private citizens. The order also forces CEAI members to infringe upon the rights of students and others. CEAI will support its members employed by the Santa Rosa County School Board who are opposed to the unconstitutional consent order.”

“As a professional association for Christian educators founded in 1953, we have historically encouraged our members by informing them that they do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse door. We have consistently clarified in print, through technology, and in workshops and seminars across the country what courts have always held, that schools are not religion free zones. We have corrected the misconception that prayer has been banned from public schools and that teachers are limited in their religious expression on their own time.”

“If we just sit by and allow constitutional religious freedoms to be bullied out of public schools, we will end up surrendering them all together. We are not willing to sit by and see this happen in Santa Rosa County.”

CEAI is represented in the case by Liberty Counsel.

 

Pentagon Denies Flyover of Patriotic ‘God and Country Rally’ in Nampa Idaho Because of its Christian Content

The following is from Patti Syme, Director of The God and Country Rally

This marks the first time in the 42 year history of the event that a flyover request was denied by the Pentagon.

The event is held ever year to honor the spiritual foundations of our country with a special emphasis on the men and women who serve in the armed forces.

In past years, the “God and Country Rally” has focused on honoring and paying tribute to those veterans who have served our nation in the past and those who are currently on active duty.

At the rally this year, all five branches of the armed services were featured with over 60 new recruits sworn into the military at the event.

After a phone conversation and an e-mail response from the Pentagon, Rally Director Patti Syme says they were denied the request for a flyover this year because of the “Christian” nature of the event.

The e-mail from the Pentagon can be seen here.

The Christian Defense Coalition says this is a “slap in the face” to all those who have proudly served or are currently on active duty in the armed services.

The group is concerned that this new policy may indicate an open hostility toward public expressions of faith by the Obama Administration.

Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, states,

“For years, flyovers have been allowed by the Pentagon at the ‘God and Country Rally’ in Nampa Idaho. These flyovers were not to endorse or promote any one religious faith tradition. Rather, they were held to honor and pay tribute to our heroic men and women who have served or are currently serving in our armed forces.

“For the Obama Administration to deny a flyover for the first time, is a slap in the face to all those who proudly serve our country especially when we are at war. These flyovers have been a special part of the ‘God and Country Rally’ for many years.

“Will the new policy of President Obama be that a person has to surrender their faith tradition to honor and pay tribute to our courageous men and women who serve in the military?

“With respect to the economic concerns that the Pentagon mentioned, I would answer this way. If we can pay hundreds thousands of dollars for President Obama to go on a date with his wife to see a Broadway show and have an expensive dinner in New York City, we can certainly find a way to honor our brave men and women who serve in the armed services with a simple flyover.

“The Christian Defense Coalition will diligently work to reverse this unjust policy and determine why this flyover was denied in the first place.”

Brandi Swindell, national Christian activist and Director of Generation Life, based in Idaho, adds,

“For the Pentagon to deny this flyover for the first time in the history of our state is deeply troubling and disturbing.

“During a time of war and especially around the 4th of July we should be doing all within our power as a nation to honor and respect our military.

“It must be stressed that the flyover was not to honor Christianity but to honor our fallen heroes who have proudly given their lives to protect our country and advance the cause of liberty around the world.

“Does this mean in the future that all public rallies must be stripped of any expressions of faith to respect our military? This Administration should be protecting religious expression in the public square not crushing it.

“I hope that President Obama will reverse this unjust policy and next year we will be allowed to give the military the honor they deserve.”

Maggie has some great info and commentary over on Radarsite: Pentagon Refuses Military FlyOver: Christianity the Problem

 

So, where’s Obama on our National Day of Prayer?

According to the National Day of Prayer Task Force:

The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. Our Task Force is a privately funded organization whose purpose is to encourage participation on the National Day of Prayer. It exists to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, to create appropriate materials, and to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America’s leaders and its families. The Task Force represents a Judeo Christian expression of the national observance, based on our understanding that this country was birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible.

[...]

History Summary

1775 – The first Continental Congress called for a National Day of Prayer
1863 – Abraham Lincoln called for such a day.
1952 – Congress established NDP as an annual event by a joint resolution, signed into law by President Truman (82-324)
1988 – The law was amended and signed by President Reagan, designating the NDP as the first Thursday in May (100-307).

Fun Facts

1. The President of the United States has called for a National Day of Prayer every year since 1975.
2. There have been 134 national calls to prayer, humiliation, fasting and thanksgiving by the President of the United States (1789-2008).
3. There have been 56 Presidential Proclamations for a “National Day of Prayer” (1952-2008).
4. Gerald Ford (1976) and George H. Bush (1989-91) are the only U.S. Presidents to sign two National Day of Prayer Proclamations in the same year.

(More History)

So, what about our current President?

According to Gary Cass, of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission, Obama is choosing to keep his faith “in the closet.” While Dr. Cass commends the President for asking a federal court in Wisconsin to dismiss an attempt by the Freedom from Religion Foundation to abolish the day under the guise of “separation of church and state,” he reports that that:

[Obama will] spend time alone in prayer, rather than publically gathering together with other leaders as many Presidents have done in the past. Private prayer is commendable, but as President his public example, or lack thereof, is very significant.

Obama’s self-proclaimed “devout Christian faith” has been relatively unseen since his campaign. He has not begun attending a church regularly. He forbids Christian symbols to be present at any Presidential event, even if it is in a Christian facility like Georgetown University. In an unprecedented move, Obama censors any reference to Jesus Christ in prayers offered at a Presidential event.

President Obama shocked the world when he said on his recent trip to Muslim Turkey that America is not a Christian country. Even as he shuns all Christian symbols and practices from his Presidency, in April the White House hosted a Passover Seder. This was the first time a President has hosted this Jewish religious meal. Obama was raised by his grandparents as a Universalist in which all religions are merged into a confused collection of conflicting ideas.

So it seems that while Obama is comfortable inviting and celebrating the religions of others, his “own” Christian faith he continues to shun, deny and displace within his Presidency. Makes you wonder why he would try to make his “Christian” faith such an important campaign issue when in fact his example shows that he is just a good Universalist.

(Hat-Tip GoodNewsDaily.net)

Y.U. Prez: ‘Are we a Christian Nation?’

From Dr. Richard Bishirjian, of Yorktown University, and Don’t Quit U:

Yesterday our BASP President told the Turkish People that America is not a Christian nation. What is a BASP and is America a Christian nation?

In the early days of William F. Buckley’s editorship of National Review that journal featured essays by a delightful group of intellectuals that Buckley collected from the cream of the conservative crop. One of them was an Austrian Catholic, Erik Ritter von Kuehnnelt Leddihn. In addition to writing books and regular columns in National Review, Erik von Kuehnnelt Leddihn would tour America giving lectures on college campuses. I attended one of his lectures during a time of racial turbulence in the United States in which he observed that America doesn’t have a race problem, America has a Black Anglo Saxon Problem. (BASP)

He perceived that the clamor for equal rights of Black Americans had a uniquely Christian and Anglo Saxon cast reflecting the religious and legal traditions of Anglo Saxon England. Yes, when the Constitution was framed the Founders decided against having an Established Church like the Church of England, but virtually all were shaped by the Protestant Reformation, the religious impulse that motivated the early English settlers, and the Founders understood that the American people reflected Protestant Christianity in all its many forms. America was—and is—a Christian nation, and when Americans of any race express their grievances, we do so in terms of that tradition and the English political and philosophic tradition…Continue reading on Don’t Quit U. >>

Also see Obama: We’re not a Christian Nation (Video) on RightBias.com:

 

Religious Hostility on Display at U.S. Capitol

Today, the U.S. Capitol unveiled what one congressman has called a “$600 million godless pit,” a palatial underground visitors’ center which is at the heart of an ongoing debate over the place of America’s religious heritage in the nation’s capital. Not only does the basement of the House and Senate’s home have new galleries, theaters, and gift shops, but, as 108 congressmen rightly argue, it should also include an honest and complete portrayal of America’s religious roots.

Initially, planners had scrubbed references to “In God We Trust,” the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Founders’ faith. The Architect of the Capitol, who is responsible for the renovations, came under fire from the building’s own residents, the U.S. Congress, for omitting such basic references to the Almighty. Although some of the concerns were addressed before the center opened this afternoon, dozens of leaders and organizations like FRC are still troubled by the politically correct nature of the exhibits, which are historically incorrect.

Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) have been the most vocal opponents of this spiritual “whitewashing” of America’s most recognizable symbol. A last-minute plaster job tries, poorly, to hide the inaccurate reference to “E Pluribus Unum” as our national motto (”In God We Trust” was established by Congress as the national motto in 1956). Even the U.S. Constitution is said to be grossly misrepresented in the exhibit. As the Heritage Foundation’s Matt Spalding writes, the excerpts on display are a “temple to liberals’ ‘living Constitution.’”

We join the chorus of citizens, who, as patrons of this Visitors Center, demand fidelity to the Founders and a more accurate portrayal of the important role of faith in American life. To help sound the alarm, contact your congressmen and ask them to restore Christianity to its place of prominence in the U.S. Capitol.

Additional Resources
Contact Your Elected Officials

Thanksgiving Tribute (Updates All Week)

Following is a collection of great thanksgiving posts, which will be updated all week. (Newer additions at the bottom):

• David Barton: Celebrating Thanksgiving in America
• Don’t Quit U. (Yorktown University): Podcast November 24th – The Meaning of Thanksgiving
• Newt Gingrich: What Every Child Should Know About Thanksgiving
• Rush Limbaugh: The Real Story of Thanksgiving (Transcript and Podcast)
• Michelle Malkin: Giving thanks for self-reliant Americans
• Robert Spencer: Be Thankful that You are Free
• Maggie Thornton: Slaughtering the Eagle: Change we Wanted???
• The New Conservative: The War on Thanksgiving!?!
• Tom McLaoughlin: Thanks to Whom?

 

(If you have a link you think should be included in this list, please post it in the comments section, and we’ll do our best to get them all linked in the post.)

 

The Heavens declare the glory of God

This is an amazing video that shows just how insignificant we all are in the big scheme of things.

Rosary Is ‘Gang Symbol’

Apparently wearing or having the Rosary at school is considered a gang related issue. This is going to make some Catholics pretty unhappy. This from Fox News:

Tabitha Ruiz was stopped by security guards at Seagoville High School in Dallas last week and told to take off the silver and ruby beaded rosary, a gift from her mother. On Monday, the same thing happened when she again came to the school wearing the beads.

“I went to school, walked through the metal detectors and they told me to take it off,” the teen said. “I asked them why and they said because it’s gang-related.”

 

How Much Time Does the U.S. Have?

The following is an excerpt of an article by Charles LiMandri, who, according to his bio, has been very active in the effort to pass a constitutional amendment to protect marriage in California which will be on the ballot in November 2008.

A friend recently asked: “How long do we have left as a society?” In answer to that question I informed her about an interesting and comprehensive study that a renowned British anthropologist, Joseph Unwin, PhD., presented to the British Psychological Society in 1935. Unwin sought to prove that the traditional monogamous model for marriage was not essential to the maintenance of a healthy society. After studying 86 different cultures, across time and continents –and much to his surprise — he came to the inescapable conclusion that the traditional male-female monogamous model for marriage was indeed the best foundation for a healthy and productive society.

Unwin found that societies that adopted this model typically took about three generations to reach their peak of productivity and progress. After that, frequently, a gradual development of complacency and licentiousness would take place and what he described as an ”outburst of homosexuality” would sometimes occur. When that happened, and the society started to move away from the traditional model of male-female monogamous marriage as its foundation, it would begin to unravel. It would then take another three generations of deterioration from that point for the society to collapse.

It is my opinion that between the end of the American Civil War and the Reconstruction of the South, proceeding through the Industrial Revolution, and continuing up until about the end of World War II in 1945, the U.S. reached its zenith. Then came the U.S. Supreme Court’s Everson decision in 1947 which imposed an unconstitutional “Wall of Separation” between Church and State. This directly contradicted the vision of the founding fathers. Upon his farewell address to the nation, George Washington tried to impress upon his fellow countrymen that it was “Religion and Morality” that served as the foundation for our young nation…Continue reading on the Catholic Exchange >>

(Hat-Tip, Fried Green Onions)

Merry Christmas to All!

…of Nikitas3.com

In the founding of this great nation, our forefathers faced trials that would have undermined a people less determined, less strong, less creative and less resilient. And in pursuing the cause of freedom, which repeatedly appeared far out of reach, our wise Founders kept in their hearts the promise of a Divine Providence watching over our worthy experiment.

Today in 2007, in the 226th year since we officially defeated the juggernaut called Britain, we can reflect on a victory that only can be seen as the work of a Great Creator determined to establish a good and just nation for all mankind, a place where the huddled masses indeed can breathe the air of freedom. Read more