The ACLU Fights to Keep Kids Out of Church
By Onan Coca / 6 December 2013 / 26 Comments
Normally when the ACLU and other secular humanist groups are attacking our churches and schools they are focusing on keeping religious groups out of the public square. This time it seems they want to keep the public out of church.
An ensemble from a public school in Montana will perform at an event in a local Mormon church. The ACLU and Freedom From Religion Foundation are not happy.
A letter the ACLU of Montana sent to the district said the show “poses serious constitutional concerns and demonstrates a lack of respect." Letters from other groups, including the Freedom From Religion Foundation, also called for the district to cancel the show.
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About a dozen members of the school’s choir will take part in a concert at the church. There will be religious themed holiday songs as well as some secular favorites. The community has recently gone through a similar situation with a local landmark, and the school Superintendent feels like that recent conflict could be part of the reason the ACLU has been so aggressive about this concert.ACLU "We would certainly not prohibit our kids from performing. We think the performance itself is a great experience for all of our kids and it's volunteer," said Orozco. "That happens to be the same group that went through the recent controversy with the statue up on Big Mountain... So I think our sensitivity is a little heightened.”
What happens with logic when considering events like these as dangers to religious liberty? None of the students are required to take part. The parents of the children involved should be the arbiters of what their kids can and cannot be involved in. The parents of the students can decide if this Christmas concert is an attempt by the Mormon Church or the school district to convert their children to Mormonism. There is no need for the ACLU or the FFRF to step in and threaten legal action.
The only reason these groups continue to use such heavy handed tactics is because they know it drives fear into small, poor communities all over the country. They know that they can make a quick buck by threatening these small community schools and governments, while at the same time pushing religion out of the public arena in other communities that worry about being sued.
These groups are nothing but bullies. We should all stand up to them, just like this school district in Whitefish, Montana has done.
Read more at
http://eaglerising.com/3391/aclu-fights-keep-kids-church/#0ish8qVUk0Ims4yz.99
