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Giving away Bibles to school children is unconstitutional.
That’s the law of the land in Wilson County, Tennessee – a suburb of Nashville. The school board was facing a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union over a long-time tradition.
Every year, fifth grade students were presented free Bibles from The Gideons International.
The Gideons are based in Nashville and have been giving away pocket-sized copies of The New Testament, the Proverbs and Psalms for decades. Last year, they distributed more than 11 million Bibles.
Boys and girls in Wilson County were not required to take the Bibles but the parents of one child complained. They admit their daughter was not forced to accept the Bible but the girl was afraid of being singled out for ridicule had she refused.
That’s when the ACLU got involved.
“Decisions about religion should be left in the hands of families and faith communities, not public school officials,” said ACLU attorney Edmund J. Schmidt, III, in an interview with The Tennessean.
The ACLU demanded the school district stop giving away Bibles on school grounds. To avoid a lawsuit, school officials were forced to not only ban God’s Word, but also acknowledge that giving kids Bibles on school property is unconstitutional.
The ACLU of Tennessee hailed the ruling and said their goal is to protect the religious liberty of everyone.
Thus sayeth the ACLU.
Todd Starnes is a reporter for FOX News Radio and a best-selling author. For more about his book, click here.
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Tags: bibles, culture war, fox news radio, gideons, tennessee, Todd Starnes
What a disgustingly titled piece of garbage this is. "Bible Banned"… really? No not really. Gideons can't hand out bibles on school grounds. Oh the tragedy. Surly this is a sign that the end times are near. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Why are atheists afraid of the Bible? Are they afraid of the truth? Surely they are not afraid of
fairy tales. God has all the power and the glory and cannot be defeated by evil.
Love and blessings to all. God loves us all anyway. Mary Louise
I dunno….maybe it has something to do with Christians prancing around with a cross up their rectum claiming every other major religion is wrong and immoral. Atheists are starting to play the same games you played for decades…..it's annoying, huh?
Also, I'm sick of non-profit evangelical mail cluttering up my mailbox
Atheists aren't afraid of "the truth", they just want the government not to promote religion. I am sure that you would not want the schools handing out copies of the Humanist Manifesto on school grounds.
The ACLU has no interest in religious freedom (or should that be Christian freedom?). If they did, the school would be free to distribute the Bible.
What the atheist ACLU does is intentionally misinterpret the first amendment. "No establishment of religion" means that America won't have an established church, like the Church of England in Britain.
The Founders would be shocked at what the ACLU is doing. As am I, and I speak as a Brit who knows what an "establishment of religion" actually means.
THE LAW IS THE LAW
So " if " the US government determines that it is against the law for the words "under God" to be on our money, then, so be it.
And " if " that same government decides that the "Ten Commandments" are not to be used in or on a government installation, then, so be it.
I would like to think that those people have the American public's best interests at heart.
BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I'D LIKE?
Since we can't pray to God, can't Trust in God and cannot post His Commandments in Government buildings , I don't believe the Government and its employees should participate in the Easter and Christmas celebrations which honor the God that our government is eliminating from many facets of American life.
I'd like my mail delivered on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter. It's just another day.
I'd like the " US Supreme Court to be in session on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter as well as Sundays." After all, it's just another day.
I'd like the Senate and the House of Representatives to not have to worry about getting home for the "Christmas Break." After all it's just another day.
A lot of our taxpayer dollars could be saved, if all government offices & services would work on Christmas, Good Friday & Easter. It shouldn't cost any overtime since it would be just like any other day of the week to a government that is trying to be "politically correct."
In fact…I think that our government should work on Sundays (initially set aside for worshiping God.
well, as a friend of mine put it, "religious freedom, for everyone except christians". Christianity, which was the motivating reason for the religious freedom idea as separate from the catholic church, now is required to take a back seat to every tom, dick and harry religion that comes along taking advantage of what was created.
Simply put, if you wish to come to the US and enjoy religious freedom, great. However, quit insisting that others give up thier religious beliefs to tiptoe around you because you might be insulted. The fact is that every time you insist on special exemtions and that christianity must abide by your religious beliefs, you insilt every christian that fought and died for several hundred years so that you can gripe.
get over it, or better yet, try that argument in someplace with a govt religion. a christian will probably be the only one who will come along to bury the remains. its time to think about whom You are insulting.
This is about ONE GIRL. O.K. How about the religious freedom of all of the other classmates. Sorry, you live in America where THE MAJORITY wins AND IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THAT, YOU ARE FREE TO LEAVE AT ANYTIME AND WE WILL HELP YOU PACK UP!!!!!!!!!!! THE ACLU IS ~*NOT AT ALL*~ CONCERNED ABOUT RELIGOUS FREEDOM. DIE, YOU SATANIST SCUMBAGS!
if I can enlist your help in my moving to France, are you going to be shouting all the time? I have fairly sensitive ears, and my apartment has thin walls. Don't relish disturbing the neighbors.
I didn't know Native Americans were "SATANIST SCUMBAGS!". After all, we were here looooong before you and had never heard of your god or your satan. i think all of our ancestors are just fine, thank you.
yep, the separation of church and state are so messed up now that it's not recognizable. It is simple. It's not that the religion can't be in state buildings or schools, it that the govt has no business interfering with religion or religious freedoms or liberty. If people can refuse bibles then there is no infringement of their freedom either. So, the separation of church and state is to keep the state from interfering with the freedom of religion and for the state not to name or proclaim any denomination as the state religion or church. Even Jefferson made that clear. There is no mention of the phrase "separation of church and state" in the constitution. People are blind. They need to read the letters from the founding fathers concerning G-d and religion. By not permitting this bible handout at the school the govt is interfering with our religious rights. The Govt is "We the People". So, what are "We the people" going to do about it.?
Let me get this straight; in some parts of the country schools have voted to read a book for small children IN SCHOOL about two penquins of the same sex that fall in love, but you can't give children a Bible when there is definitely a "grandfather clause" here since this is something that has been done for a long time. Let me see ok to talk about sex in school (even different kinds) but not okay to mention God at all or give away a Bible or allow to read one during school (one school that forced child to put away during "free reading period"). Yeah, and there's no "war" on conservatives and God and raising your children the way you feel is correct.
Not about one girl.. My son goes to the same school and I feel the same way. I am sure you Christians wouldn't want the Quran handed out freely to your impressionable sons and daughters. Does this mean I am afraid of the bible, no, I just don't want it forced on my kid. Nobody is insisting anyone give up their religious beliefs, just that the school adhere to constitutional law (yes it is a violation of the establishment clause, See January 2008: LONNIE ROARK, et al vs. SOUTH IRON R-1 SCHOOL DISTRICT, et al., be sure to check the previous cases it cites too) I was born here in the US and am not expecting anyone to tiptoe around my religious beliefs, the state is required to be neutral on religious beliefs, but as an individual you can do as you please. As far as losing all the holidays, no problem, and while we are at it lets remove the tax exempt status of all religious organizations so I don't have to keep funding something I don't support by them not paying their fair share.
Churches are funded by donations…not taxes. So your being intellectually dishonest when you claim "so I don't have to keep funding something I don't support."
But I do understand your innacurate point…because I feel abortion is murder and if I don't feel I should have my tax dollars subsidize it via the proposed health care bill. I am sure you agree..right?
Greater then 85% in this country believes in a Creator. Property taxes fund public schools. Why should 85% of Americans have to fund a public school system that teaches our origins are not from a Creator? Typical atheist hypocrisy.
I would like to take my "school tax" money and send my child to a school that reflects my beliefs. Unfortunately I can't because that would leave atheists sending their children to one room shacks as that would be all they could afford.
So then I assume that no one would have a problem if the Koran or Tora were also passed out to 5th graders? How about the Communist Manifesto? Books on Anarchy? Satan's Bible? It's all or nothing here folks.
You can't pick and choose what you want out of the Constitution folks. This is what makes freedom a very difficult thing to live with. You have the right to live your life as you see fit… but so does everyone else here. It's what makes our country so great. The gov't is elected by the majority but it's job is to ensure that the minorities rights are protected or we'd have nothing but mob rule.
No one is stopping anyone from practicing their religion. And the ACLU has done more to protect religious freedoms in this country than anyone other than the founding fathers who put it in the constitution.
There are other people in this country who have the same rights as Christians.
First thing, relgious freedom is certainly not the foundation for our principles. The first democracy which encouraged free thought was Helenistic. It was Greek, it was the city of Athens. So how about learning some history before spouting nonesense.
Second thing, it doesn't matter if it was 1 or no children. The churches actions were innapropriate. If the parents of the other children want thier kids to be instructed in whatever religion they choose, they can do so at home.
You people crack me up. If you want to "spread the word" of Christ, how about you do it like he did, in his actions. Rather than blasting people for wanting a free society, how about you put some effort into leading a life that Christ would be proud of. You should be ashamed of yourselves, and so should the author of this story.
You obviously never read the Declaration of Independance…
"all men are created equal and they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights"
First of all rather than dance around the issue if whether or not the US was historically a Christian country is where this issue begins. That wasn't ever a question. The "establishment of religion' was the issue. Theocracy was the issue. There was never a question about the framework of ideas from which our great country was emerging. You could not even hold a public office in the 13 colonies unless you were a Christian. We were opposing the idea of a theocracy because of the experiences of persecution in the various denominations in England by the Church Of England. We have achieved the highest levels of freedom, creativity and achievement within this Judeo/christian framework. The strategy for destruction is divide and conquer. By separating everyone and confining everyone to their private space where they can practice their faith effectively removes them from the marketplace of ideas and places us on the road to the same old totalitarian and secular ideas that have always led to enslavement and destruction of life.
PS I also find it interesting how many individuals lack the skills to engage in respectful dialogue and resort to vulgarity to get their point across. I believe being created in Gods image we are inherently dignified and it is beneath that dignity to respond to each other any other way but in earnest and the utmost respect for the right to speak freely about the ideas and maintain a high regard for civilized debate.
First of all rather than dance around the issue if whether or not the US was historically a Christian country is where this issue begins. That wasn't ever a question. The "establishment of religion' was the issue. Theocracy was the issue. There was never a question about the framework of ideas from which our great country was emerging. You could not even hold a public office in the 13 colonies unless you were a Christian. We were opposing the idea of a theocracy because of the experiences of persecution in the various denominations in England by the Church Of England. We have achieved the highest levels of freedom
The currently trendy idea for the moment is to not offend anyone. Don't use speech that is offensive to someone. Don't offend anyone by your beliefs or in any other way.
I have a question… Where does it say in the Constitution that Americans have a right to "not be offended"? I've read through the whole thing and can't find a shred of evidence of it. I believe that the U.S. Constitution actual grants us the right "to be offended" and "to express that offense publicly".
Athiest viewpoints offend me but I acknowledge their right to express it. Satanists offend me but they have a right to practice as they believe. Why shouldn't Christians? Atheists, Muslims, and New Age "Johnny-come-lately" cultists seem to be the only ones that anyone gives a flip about offending. Notice…I don't mind offending and I have the internal fortitude to withstand people who don't share my beliefs and their opinions.
It has NOTHING to do with offending people. It has EVERYTHING to do with it being illegal and unconstitutional.
No one is coming into your church or your home and saying that you can't pray or believe how you wish, or that you can't teach your children your beliefs. No one is doing that to me either.
And I sure as hell don't want that to change. I will teach my daughter what I believe and what my husband believes, and as all people do, she will decide what she wants to believe. I do NOT want her to be indoctrinated to a religion at school. I expect her to learn critical thinking skills, reading, writing, math, science, cultural studies, etc. I expect her to learn about physical concepts, about things that are based in study and in work.
I do not want her to be taught about faith in school, she will or will not develop that understanding based on her own mind and on what I and her father have taught her.
Our problems will keep getting worse if we as America's do not change. We as a nation are getting farther and father from what the founding fathers of the nation started. Do we want things to get better or keep getting worse. Our nation has to turn around back to what our founding father started, or things will not get better. The rest is for Christians only, sometimes we are doing something with good intentions but it is not helping the cause of Christ. We need to fast and pray seeking God to know if we are doing or not doing something that hurts the cause of Christ. Remember that Christ came to seek and save the lost form their sins so they don't have to pay for their sins themselves. We need to have the heart of Christ. We don't know everything, we do not know if we are hurting the cause of Christ with our good intentions, but the Holy Spirit inside of us does. There is more we need to seek God in fasting and prayer that God will change the hearts of the people back to Him. Let the Holy Spirit show you, and fasting will help you hear what the Holy Spirit says.
People who compare these things to hitler disgust me. You have no idea how horrible a person that man was or you would not do so. Whenever people like you compare religious freedom to hitler I vomit a little. It is disgusting. Period.
That said and aside, the problem is it was during school hours. If these kids want a bible, that's fine, they can get them when they aren't in school. They can even carry it around with them all day long and read it on their breaks. No one is going to stop them. However, passing them out during school hours is wrong and it is an infringement.
And who cares if it is only one person? That is such a pissant argument. To me it's like saying, oh, he only raped and violated one person, its only that one person complaining…..
Who cares if it was one person or twenty, etc? The point here, folks, is that it is illegal. It is unconstitutional.
This is as much for the protection of Christians as it is for every other faith. Would you rather be like countries in which faith is taught in school? You really want to go there?
Considering the vagaries between the sects of Christianity, how would you even choose which one to go with? Should it be the original Christian? The Catholics? Or how about Judaism, since that was the religion and people of Christ?
The government cannot directly or indirectly favor religion. One of the purposes of distribution of these bibles was to furthe Christian belief. Does anyone think that a non-Christian religious group would be allowed to distribute their literature? The Quaran? Of course not. Would humanists be able to distribute humanist literature? Of course not. If a child wants a bible then distribute them on the public sidewalk.
My fellow Christians –
We can complain or we can take action – but not political action. This is not a political problem, it is a spirtitual problem. People need Christ and once they open their heart to him and repent, the problems take care of themself. The moral decay of our nation and godless government philosophy is the result of a lukewarm church world. WE must repent. Let us do what the Word of God tells us to do in II Chronicles 7:14. "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land". Take heed, it's really up to us.
http://www.bibleinschools.net /CHUCK AND GINA NORRIS HAVE WORKED HARD TO GET THE BIBLE TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS IF THHE SCHOOL BOARD WONT STAND UP TO THE ACLU THEY CAN GET HELP HERE THE ACLU DOES NOT RUN THIS COUNTRY WE DO WE NEED TO TAKE A STAND CHUCK HAS DEFEATED THEM TIME AND TIME IN 39 STATES THIS HAS BEEN APPROVED!INCLUDING TN.ROE VS WADE THE YOUNG LADY IN THE CASE WAS THREATED BY THS GANG THE FIRST AMENDMENT DOES NOT STATE ANY THING ABOUT SEPERATION OF CHURCH AND STATE INSTEAD IT SAYS THE STATE CANNOT PROHIBIT OR FORM A STATE RUN CHURCH WE AS BELIEVERS NEED TO JOIN TOGETHER NOW! FORGET DENOMINATIONS AND AS BORN AGAIN BELIEVERS STAND UP FOR THE TRUTH!VEGANCE IS MINE SAYETH GOD THEY WILL DEAL WITH HIS WRATH ALSO SEE WALLBUILDERS WEBB SITE
MAY GOD GIVE YOU COURAGE FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME
so far the ACLU knows how to persecute every desent cause in America. Now they worry for the Bible, the same people whom defended Cuban Books to be freely distributed in Miami Dade County to indoctrinate Children with the communist government of Cuba, but I believe they lost that case also. Whether they like it or not; we are a nation under God. Their days are counted according to prophecies in view in our day. God Bless America
ACLU is a communist organizatiion. Look it up. After we take our country back in November (or before) we can work on getting rid of the ACLU and organizations like it that have destroyed our great country.
ACLU needs to be banned. they are anti God & anti American. Until the ACLU got involved in our lives there was a more civilized America to live in. These people need to get a life. They could be much more productive just standing around picking their nose or scratching their butt. Of course they probably don't have enough common sense to know how to do that..