April 21, 2004
The American Civil Liberties Union is suing public school officials in Louisiana for sponsoring religious activities. But one Christian attorney warns of the ACLU's motives, saying they are just another attempt to erase Christianity from all areas of the public square.
One of the suits was filed in Shreveport on behalf of two elementary school students who said they were teased for refusing to participate in activities like Christmas caroling in nursing homes. The ACLU's Joe Cook says the kids felt "left out" when they were sent to a computer lab while their classmates practiced Christian carols. He says the school also displayed a Nativity scene in the library during the Christmas holidays.
Mat Staver, president and general counsel for Liberty Counsel, says the lawsuit has no basis. "Clearly, the singing of Christmas carols that include Christian songs is permissible," Staver says. "In fact, if you look at any serious choral music, 70 percent of that music is religious. You can't really appreciate music without appreciating religious music -- and Christmas carols that include songs such as 'Silent Night, Holy Night' are certainly permissible."
The attorney also says students and schools are allowed to display Nativity scenes in the proper context. The mere display of one, he says, in not unconstitutional.
Another ACLU suit challenges a Louisiana school's approval of a teacher-led Christian prayer group. Like the choral singing, Staver says there is nothing unconstitutional about permitting such a group to meet during recess.
"Certainly teachers can be a part of this prayer group because it is during non-teaching time and, in this case, it's not during class -- it's during a non-instructional time," he says. "So it looks like the ACLU is just again trying to intimidate a school to essentially take a very radical and hostile view toward Christianity."
According to Staver, the nation's founders believed there were twin pillars of the government -- religion and morality. The Liberty Counsel head says the ACLU is trying to remove both from America's educational system and the very foundations of the government.
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Liberty Counsel (http://www.lc.org)
© 2004 Agape Press.
