Ron Brown vs. the ACLU

[carlfense]

My understanding is that this is totally voluntary.

My understanding was otherwise, but I could be entirely wrong.

[Husker_x]

As far as education and Christianity goes, there can be no serious examination of the West or America without understanding the bible, Christianity and its history. That is not nearly the same thing as giving a sermon in class. Similarly there can be no serious examination of Greece without Greek culture and religion, or India without Hinduism.

 

Trouble is Brown's aims aren't intellectual. He wants to persuade. He's very up front about this. As someone else said, none of this is on Brown. He's not trying to bring Christianity in through the back door. He's coming right through the main gate. For me, there can be no freedom of religion without freedom from religion. There is a place for anti-drug talks and there's a place for religious anti-drug talks. The first can take place in schools, the second should be moved elsewhere, otherwise our tax dollars are going to the support of a specific kind of religion, and a violation of church/state separation.

[huskertim]

As far as education and Christianity goes, there can be no serious examination of the West or America without understanding the bible, Christianity and its history. That is not nearly the same thing as giving a sermon in class. Similarly there can be no serious examination of Greece without Greek culture and religion, or India without Hinduism.

 

Trouble is Brown's aims aren't intellectual. He wants to persuade. He's very up front about this. As someone else said, none of this is on Brown. He's not trying to bring Christianity in through the back door. He's coming right through the main gate. For me, there can be no freedom of religion without freedom from religion. There is a place for anti-drug talks and there's a place for religious anti-drug talks. The first can take place in schools, the second should be moved elsewhere, otherwise our tax dollars are going to the support of a specific kind of religion, and a violation of church/state separation.

 

 

Well stated, as usual.

 

I must take some exception with the idea though that freedom of religion is freedom from religion. In the way you surely mean it ( the right to practice any religion or non at all), I agree, but what I think dizzturbed is pointing out is the propensity of so many to overreact to the mere mention of christianity or the reasonalbe examination of this particular religion. If for instance my daughters social studies class where to explain the five pillars of Islam during a lesson, most would see it as purley educational. Conversely, to discrbe the triune nature of God as expressed is Christianity would almost surely raise the hackles of many students who have been conditioned to fear any mention of Christ in the classroom.

Brown is proletizeing and freely admits it. This has no place in the classroom except as a voluntary activity, but the notion that all measure must be employed to prevent a child from hearing his pitch is simply not a part of free speech. If the first amendment is only to protect speech that doesn't offend, then what need have we of it?