Pennsylvania High School’s ‘Bible Ban’ A group of Christian students at a Pennsylvania high school said they are fighting for their right to free speech after being told they cannot hand out Bibles to their friends during lunchtime. In November, the Bible club at Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School was denied a request to pass out Bibles at school. The club said the school has until Monday to rescind the ban. "We're hoping not to sue," said Jeremy Samek, senior counsel for the Independence Law Center, which is representing the students. Samek said the school's ban is unconstitutional. This isn't the first time the Bible club has clashed with Davis Harris, the school's principal. FOX 43 reports this is the third time in the last two years the club has asked the law center for help to resolve problems at the school. Samek called it a "concerning" pattern. The Bible club said it followed school policy and submitted a written request to hand out Bibles. The school responded that it could not do so during school hours. read more THINK.
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says clearly, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” But we see the lie of “separation of church and state” (a phrase not found in the U.S. Constitution) widely misunderstood. It’s a phrase taken out of context from Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptist Association. Jefferson was responding to the Danbury Baptists concern that some might interpret religious expression to be a government given right instead of a God-given inalienable right. And they feared that the government would attempt to regulate their religious freedom. Jefferson responded by assuring them the government would not mandate a state-wide religion and would in no way interfere with religious expression saying the First Amendment builds a “wall of separation between the church and state.” Americans have sadly twisted the original intention of Jefferson’s words. The founders greatly supported religion in the public square. In fact, the first textbook ever printed in America, The New England Primer, used Bible lessons to help teach children how to read. This was a textbook many founding fathers used in public school classrooms to teach their children. It’s evident that Americans’ view on religious expression in schools has changed drastically since our nation’s founding. PRAY.
Pray for the students, parents, and attorneys who are standing up for their right to have Bibles at school and share it with others. And pray for the principle of Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School to have a change of heart in his decision. ACT.
We encourage you to check out a great organization called Gateways to Better Education. They equip public school educators, leaders, parents and students to protect and promote religious and academic freedom regarding the Bible and Christianity in the classroom.
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