Court Considers ACLU Ban on Bibles
Via WND:
The Bible distribution was targeted by an ACLU lawsuit in 2006, and the school responded with a written policy that treats all literature the same.
But at the trial court level, Judge Catherine Perry issued an order specifically prohibiting distribution of the Bible, and the Bible alone, after calling it an “instrument of religion.”
She said the district’s neutral treatment of literature is unacceptable, because it actually would allow the distribution of the Bible.
“The ruling presented a novel (and unconstitutional) theory that a private third party (like the ACLU) must have the opportunity to veto the distribution request of the private applicant,” Liberty Counsel said. “The veto power, the judge wrote, must be provided to veto religious, but not secular, literature.”
Staver said the Constitution simply doesn’t allow the Bible to be singled out, like contraband, for special penalties.
“How ironic that in America, until recent times, the Bible formed the basis of education, and now its mere presence is radioactive in the opinion of some judges,” he said. “The Founders never envisioned such open hostility toward the Christian religion as we see today in some venues. To single out the Bible alone for discriminatory treatment harkens back to the Dark Ages. America deserves better. Our Constitution should be respected, not disregarded.”
Staver told WND that a decision is not expected to be announced for about two months.
He said the lower court’s ban targets only the Bible.
“The Quran is OK, and other kinds of religious texts; just not the Bible. The Bible alone is impermissible in the public school,” he said.
WND reported earlier when a brief was filed with the federal appeals court.
Among the groups that have distributed material at the school are the Army Corps of Engineers, Red Cross, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Iron County Health Department, Missouri Water Patrol, Missouri Highland Healthcare and Union Pacific Railroad, officials said.
“The ACLU might not like the fact that equal access also means equal treatment for religious speech, but the Constitution requires equal treatment. The First Amendment protects private religious viewpoints. Hecklers may heckle but they may not veto private religious speech. … Religious viewpoints have Constitutional protection,” Staver said.
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Posted by Jay on December 13, 2008 11:03 am
» Filed Under 1st Amendment, ACLU, Church And State, Constitution, News
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2 Responses to “Court Considers ACLU Ban on Bibles”
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Syndicate Me
I would like to request you do an entry on the following ACLU action:
http://www.thebulletin.us/articles/2008/12/09/local%20news:%20%20jenny%20dehuff/20216633.txt
You should know that there’s an unofficial Internet law out there that states that anyone linking to a WorldNut Daily “article” immediately loses all credibility, or is assumed to be playing a joke.
“in America, until recent times, the Bible formed the basis of education..”
Absolute nonsense.