Are The ACLU Sending Christians To The Back Of The Bus?

Posted on March 6, 2006

Cheers of joy echoed through Sussex Central High School on Monday night when the Indian River School Board announced they would not pay a “six-figure” settlement to end prayer litigation.

The motion, made by Nina Lou Bunting and seconded by Donald Hattier, was unanimously carried.

“Put that in your pipe and smoke it, ACLU,” said David Bennett, a preacher at the Dagsboro Church of Christ, when the announcement was made.

Just two hours prior, while executive session was held, Bennett led nearly 100 spectators in song as they waited patiently for the news.

Clutching homemade signs urging board members to “stand strong for God country” and “put prayer back in school,” the crowd belted out “God Bless America” and various religious hymns.

Bennett said his faith in God, which he discovered through prayer and bible readings in school, helped him distinguish right from wrong. On Monday night he questioned how a lack of prayer would affect today’s generation.

“If these kids are taught evolution — that they came from apes — and they’re not given the basis of faith, what’s to stop them from acting like animals?” he said.

The settlement could have ended litigation brought against the board in 2004 by Mona Dobrich, who complained about the inclusion of prayer at her daughter’s graduation, and a second unnamed family, but board member Reggie Helms said he is willing to take a chance in court.

“My freedom of speech as a citizen is too important to compromise or risk its loss,” he said. “Our court case, where we have been standing up to the ACLU, provides the opportunity for the federal government to permanently uphold my right not to be treated as a second class citizen, or to have to move to the back of the bus.”source

On the surface this looks like one of many cases taking place across the Nation where something as innocent as a voluntary prayer at a graduation is being portrayed as an endoresment of religion by the ACLU. However, many of these situations never make it to court. The School Boards too often fold under the pressure of a legal threat by the ACLU.

I thought that Mr. Helms made a great point for discussion. Are Christians being treated as second class citizens when it comes to their public expression of religion? The First Amendment states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. If the ACLU are arguing that the restrictions to Congress on respecting an establishment of religion should extend to Public School officials, and then implying that this is what they are doing by allowing an individual to express a voluntary prayer at a graduation ceremony, it seems to me that it should also extend the restriction of them not prohibiting the expression of religion. If a school were to prohibit the free exercize of a voluntary prayer at an official school function, would they not be violating the First Amendment rights of that student? Are Christians being forced to the back of the bus, or being thrown under it?