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Thursday, December 1, 2016

Religious Freedom in Elementary School


John R. Houk
© December 1, 2016

Just the other day I had a conversation with my 3rd grade grandson about his reading regimen. He was trying to squirm out of his daily reading by telling me he forgot to bring his book from school.

I told him to get a book from home. He tried to tell me we didn’t have any. I knew better. So I told him we many versions of the Bible to read.

He told me his teacher said he couldn’t read religious books.

I said, “Tough! Get a Bible. I’m going to have to talk to your Public School teacher about Religious Freedom in the First Amendment.”

My wife saved our grandson’s bacon by assigning something I can’t recall right now. BUT it really chapped my hide that a Public School teacher said reading the Bible was unacceptable.

It’s a good thing I didn’t fly-off the handle. I checked my email later in the day and had received an email from the 3rd grade teacher. Lo and behold – she was asking why I hadn’t been turning in my grandson’s reading record.

Oops, my bad I had not kept up with that. Reading the email further reading suggestions were included. Guess what. Religious literature was a part of the approved reading. Now the word “Bible” was not used specifically, but as far as I am concerned “religious” included the Bible.

I wish my grandson was as bright in doing homework as he is in slipping out of homework.

I was thinking about all this Religious Freedom vs. the mythical Separation of Church and State (See Also HERE and HERE)and I ran into the article I am cross posting below from United Families International about preserving Religious Freedom for our children or in our case grandchildren that we are raising.

JRH 12/1/16
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PRESERVING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM FOR OUR CHILDREN

By Diane Robertson
November 30, 2016

This week I received an email from Alliance Defending Freedom, a group of lawyers who defend religious freedom, that began thus:

“Dear Diane,

Do you ever wonder what the future will look like for your children and grandchildren?

We live in a world where religious freedom for future generations cannot be assumed. It must be fought for—every day.”

As I have studied the issues, written for UFI, discussed the issues with friends, family, and strangers, and written and spoken with lawmakers, I have often thought, “Have we so little compassion for the destinies of our own children that we can feel just about ignoring the destruction of the freedoms we have enjoyed?”

There are so many reasons people give to ignore the current erosion of religious freedom– we are too busy; losing our freedom is inevitable; religious freedom marginalizes people with other beliefs; religion itself is bigoted and old fashioned, and so on. The fight for religious freedom is not a friendly fight.

It’s true that those on the side of religious freedom are continually disparaged. They are told that their views are based on bigotry and hate for certain groups of people. It’s hard to stand up against such demeaning accusations. And it is certainly not true for most. Most people fighting for religious freedom do so because they believe that everyone should be allowed to live and work according to the dictates of their conscience. They believe in property rights, freedom of belief, and freedom of conscience. They oppose laws that limit the ability of people to live, work, and worship as they believe.

In the same email mentioned above, ADF reported that their:

“Clients are regular people who were going about their daily business—work, school, church—until they were confronted by a culture intolerant of their faith. A Christian printer faced a boycott and lawsuit because he politely declined to print t-shirts promoting the local ‘pride’ festival. A decorated firefighter was suspended because of a Christian book he wrote in his spare time. A college student was threatened with expulsion because of her Christian beliefs. A church was told that their house of worship is no longer sacred, but just another public accommodation.”

These are a few of the ways religious freedom is eroding in North America. It has hit some individuals hard. There are forces working to establish laws that would limit what churches can do in their buildings and even what religious leaders are allowed to preach. There are forces working to regulate private property as if it were public or government property.

To help our children and grandchildren enjoy the same freedoms we have enjoyed, we must study the issues, understand current events, and speak up. Losing our religious freedom is only as inevitable as we allow it to be. If enough people act, freedom can still be preserved for the generations to come.

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Religious Freedom in Elementary School
John R. Houk
© December 1, 2016
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PRESERVING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM FOR OUR CHILDREN

Strengthening and defending:

Family
Family is the foundational unit of society

Marriage
Marriage between a man and woman, is founded on chastity before marriage and fidelity in marriage

Life
Life is sacred and should be protected including the life of unborn children.

Parents
Parents have the right and obligation to love, protect, provide for and teach their children.

Religious Liberty

Religious Liberty emphasizes the right to live our lives according to our religious convictions, and the importance of religion to individuals and society.

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