Posted on 09/24/2002 11:22:47 PM PDT by Kwilliams
A church has filed suit against a North Carolina school board and principal after a middle school refused to approve a church-sponsored sign for its athletic field that included a Bible verse.
Oxford Baptist Church of Oxford, N.C., had hoped to participate in a school fund-raiser. The school district had encouraged local supporters of the school – businesses, nonprofits and other organizations – to purchase signs for display at the school's athletic field for a cost of $300. According to the Alliance Defense Fund, which has filed the suit on the church's behalf, the church chose a sign with a Scripture verse it thought would be appropriate for a sports venue: "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God," I Corinthians 10:31.
River Bend Middle School, however, rejected the church's offer to participate in the fund-raiser.
"The school's action is another example of how people of faith suffer from the notion that religious speech should be censored," said Benjamin W. Bull, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund and lead attorney for the church, in a statement. "The school district doesn't want mere separation of church and state. It wants the segregation of church and state."
Continued Bull: "The school board has no right to censor the church's sign. There are absolutely no constitutional grounds for the principal or the school board to segregate the church and its speech from the forum of the athletic field. We are challenging this prohibition of religious speech as an unconstitutional violation of rights guaranteed by the First Amendment."
Scottie Houston is principal of River Bend Middle School and named in the suit. He refused to discuss the matter with WorldNetDaily.
'I'm not going to be able to talk to you about this," he said, referring WND to the superintendent's office of the Catawba County School District.
Said Sonya Gordon, public information officer for the district, "We don't really have a comment. It's a legal issue." Gordon promised that the district's attorney would have a public statement available sometime in the future.
The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina last week.
Religions should not be treated differently under the law, and taxpayer-funded institutions, such as public schools, should not allow the promotion of one religion over another in any aspect of its operation.
I have my own faith, and I'm quite happy with it. But I certainly don't wish to push it on others -- let alone have a government institution do so.
*pinging* you to some NC news...
I agree with you that most of us would not "like" to attend a stadium where we would have to read "Islamic stuff". But I tend to think that what freedom means is to allow the freedom to do so and then the natural consequences of such acts will prove whether or not they will be accepted in the society. If and when a religious statement is posted that offends too much and people refuse to attend the stadium, then those posting it will KNOW that it is not acceptable.
As a nation we have apparently chosen to be acceptable of all religions. We are telling our children to be "tolerant" of all religions on one hand... and then we say "but don't remind me that I am advocating tolerance by making me read a sign reminding me that these other religions are tolerated here." It's hypocritical and I think very confusing to kids. I have never been afraid to allow my children to see that other religions exist and in some places seem to thrive. I am confident enough that since they have known Christianity, they will choose it over the others and be a stonger Christian for having chosen it freely rather than having it crammed down their throats.
It seems that schools are not afraid of requiring students to read the Koran, etc, but are very afraid of allowing them to read verses from the Bible. Why is that?
I did. Your solution would be what? Would it be to list a similar passage from every known religion? In what order? Who decides? How would it be done in Israel at a middle school fund-raiser? Bottom line is that I don't know and think it is better not go down that road.
I ask these questions and make a comment against my better judgement. Discussing religious issues on a public forum is almost always a lose-lose proposition.
Also, I appreciate the ping.
I will notify the NC crowd right away...
What you propose IS treating religion differently under the law. The Church, having bought its space, has free speech rights, just like everyone else. The school's policy is blatantly unconstitutional.
You miss the point. The Church has freedom of expression, just like everyone else.
Never mind, don't answer that...
Well said, Apple Pan Dowdy. Are we all so confused religiously that we can't stand to look at a sign relating to what someone else believes? The church has freedom of expression, just like anyone else.
You are so right! and its about time that our nation recognise this. I am not advocationg "teaching" religion in public schools, but hiding it is another thing altogether.
If that's so, then prohibiting beer ads, tobacco ads, political ads, ads for NAMBLA, ads for the local head shop, ad nauseatum, is also unconstitutional. What's being challenged here is the authority of school officials to decide what is or isn't appropriate to post on public school property.
Frankly, I think this is something of a straw man argument, because a more fundamental issue is whether or not the school should be selling ad space at all. If it's okay to do what the school is doing, then selling wall space for cigarette ads to raise money for lab equipment is no different.
Should public buildings be used as billboards? I think not. For one thing, issues like this one would be moot. For another, the idea of the word "PEPSI" painted down the length of the Washington Monument is somewhat distasteful to me, for some reason.
The answer is simple:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
or abridging the freedom of speech,
or of the [inserted by me - abridging the freedom of the] press;
or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
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