Freedom to Express Religion

I seem to remember having an FCA club in high school. It wasn't mandatory and was after school hours so I'm not sure what the issue would be. Can people just complain about any organization they don't like just to get it off school grounds.
What about schools that rent out their auditorium to a start up type church on Sundays?

 

Can we cut the the chase and just make Shariah Laws illegal in all school in the U.S.A.?

 

Sounds like a "we dont want a Satanist club" response to me

 

You can have FCA, but you cant exclude other clubs with religious ties. Some schools would rather not allow them at all than have a "Satanist Club" or whatever. Same goes for renting out your space, you couldnt allow a church while denying space for a service from another religion.

 

The argument seems fair that elementary school students are unlikely to be capable of running a school club without assistance from school employees or adults.

And it also seems fair that if the 5th grade students were in fact operating their FCA club absent assistance from employees or teachers, the school should have made that counter argument with evidence and allowed the club to remain.

 

From the article:

 

The nuance here seems to be this an elementary school, and thus the club is defacto lead by grownups not kids. Interesting distinction.

 

The issue was that this was an FCA club at an elementary school, and the FFRF argued that teachers or other employees (i.e. government employees) would have had to assist with running or operating the club, violating the Establishment clause.

The fact that the school did not argue against that assertion leads me to believe it was an accurate claim, and school employees of some kind were helping orchestrate the event.

That said, I don't know that it needed to be disbanded if conducted after school hours (with teachers, etc. "off the clock"), provided that it was truly kept voluntary in nature and practice.

 

As long as kids aren't being forced into the club, and as long as other religious clubs are allowed (if sufficient interest exists) then I don't have an issue.

 

There's of course a world of nuance behind the word "forced" (i.e. encouraged or coerced by teachers, pressured via peers or by feeling excluded, etc.), but I generally agree. It should have been allowed to continue operating, assuming good intent until proven otherwise.

 

I figured conservatives would cheer a public school refusing to do indoctrination of children

 

So... parents need to be involved in their children's education too.

Do you Leftists think that these college "protests" are grass-roots with only students that don't have outside influences/guidance too?

Clubs, gathering or protests in school, or on school property, it makes no difference, there is always outside influence and help.

 

I suppose if you could get enough 3rd graders together to have a satan club, have at it. As long as it's after school and isn't made mandatory by the teachers or anything. Same rules would apply.

 

I thought Florida just passed a law to allow adult led religious groups at public schools. Seems dangerous given their history of molestation, but my kids wouldn't be there, anyway .... Also said they'd ban satanists, which should be overturned by courts, but probably won't be given the make up of the Florida supreme court and Scotus.

DeSantis signs bill allowing chaplains in Florida schools | Miami Herald

 

The Constitution, especially the separation of church and state, requires constant vigilance. If the Christian right had its way, that clause would be abolished, and we'd be well on our way to a theocracy. The devil is in the details.

 

That and conflating the free exercise of religion with ramming it down the throats of others. Worship as you see fit, not everyone has to do it exactly as you do.

 

I've mentioned before that when I was in high school, we had student council chaplain (a student) who would give some kind of daily message over the intercom. Could be anything (though I suppose the administration had veto power) ... the Bible, Koran, Torah, Lao Tzu, Ralph Waldo Emerson ...
These days, I imagine it'd upset someone, no matter what he read.