Nashville, TN – Parents can continue to gather to pray at a public elementary school as long as they are held to the same standards as any other group meeting at the school, a federal judge ruled.
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U.S. District Judge Robert L. Echols made the ruling after parents claimed the Wilson County school system east of Nashville was promoting Christianity by allowing a group of parents to pray and pass out fliers to students on campus.
The ACLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of an anonymous Jewish Lakeview Elementary student and his parents, asking the court to stop the Praying Parents’ activities and prevent the school from supporting them in the future.
Echols said the Praying Parents, a small, informal group without any religious affiliation, can meet on school property “in the same manner as other groups.” Similarly, the judge said the group can distribute materials about its activities to the same extent as other groups.
The ACLU claimed victory with the ruling. “This important decision clearly states that private groups like the Praying Parents cannot serve as surrogates for the public school and promote religious activities during the school day,” said Hedy Weinberg, of the ACLU Tennessee.
How is this a victory for the ACLU? It sounds like it’s a victory for freedom of religion.
The only victory for the ACLU is toward furthering anti-semitism. It is a dinosaur that should have become extinct a long time ago.
The ACLU has been the main supporter of religious freedom in the United States for decades.
Check out this list of cases and list which ones you disagree with:
http://www.aclu.org/religion/govtfunding/26526res20060824.html
Note these in particular:
“The ACLU of Oregon (2007) defended the right of students at a private religious school not to be pressured to violate their Sabbath day by playing in a state basketball tournament. The Oregon School Activities Association scheduled state tournament games on Saturdays, the recognized Sabbath of students and faculty of the Portland Adventist Academy. The ACLU argued that the school’s team, having successfully made it to the tournament, should not be required to violate their religious beliefs in order to participate. ”
“The ACLU of West Virginia (2007) brought suit challenging a company’s refusal to permit one of its employees to wear a skirt to work. The employee’s religious beliefs prohibited her from wearing trousers. The employer refused to accommodate these beliefs despite the employee’s offer to pay for a uniform skirt with her own funds. ”
“The New York Civil Liberties Union (2006) filed a federal lawsuit in Manhattan defending the right of people wearing religious head coverings not to have them removed for identity photos. The case was brought with the New York University Law School Civil Rights Clinic against a Coast Guard regulation denying merchant marine licenses to those who would not remove the coverings for photographs. ”
“The ACLU of Southern California (2005) supported Jewish residents of Orange County after a special election was scheduled on the first day of the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, called on the county to make accommodations for Jewish residents who wished to vote early in the election. ”
If this is anti-Semitism, may we have more such! I hope that this “dinosaur” can be around a lot longer!
Charlie Hall,
The previous poster was probably referring to the ACLU’s successful lawsuit to allow neo Nazis to march through the largely survivor populated neighborhood of Skokie, Illinois in the 70s. Or their succesful lawsuit to prevent the display of Channukah Menorahs at toll plazas covered in X-mas decorations in Broward County Florida in the 90s, etc. The reason that X-mas was trees were OK but menorahs were forbidden, was based on the psak halacha issued by non religious ADL director Art Tennebaum shr”y: “Because you make a blessing on a menorah but do make a blessing on a X-mas tree, the menorah is a religious symbol and the X-mas tree is not. (I was in the Broward Courtroom, I heard it straight from his mouth) You need to do some more research Charlie.