Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1869

Maryland City Council Member Won’t Take Oath on Bible Because That’s Not What She Was Elected to Uphold

Jessica Fitzwater (below) just won a seat on the Frederick County Council in Maryland, and I already have reason to like her. On December 1, when she takes the oath of office, she won’t be swearing in on a Bible:

Fitzwater, who is Jewish, said she’s not interested in replacing the Bible with a Torah. Instead, she is thinking of taking the oath on the Frederick County charter or some other government document that will represent her commitment to public service.

“I think it’s more appropriate to swear my oath on something I will be upholding. I’m not upholding the teachings of the Bible. I’m upholding the charter or the Constitution,” said Fitzwater, who will represent Council District 4.

Note to politicians: That’s how you do it! Even if you’re religious, there’s no reason you can’t say the same thing.

(Can we please elect more politicians who think like that?)

It brings to mind the statement that’s been said a number of times before: We put our hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution; we did not place our hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible.

(Thanks to Michael for the link)

Louisiana School District Apologizes for Veterans Day Assembly That Included Christian Prayer

A couple of days ago, I posted about a Veterans Day assembly that took place at Morgan City High School in Louisiana. It began with a Christian prayer — and students were told to stand up and bow their heads. The American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center wanted assurances it would never happen again:

It didn’t take long for the district to admit the prayer never should have happened. In a statement released by the superintendent and a district attorney, they said the blatant Christianity was “not consistent with district policy”:

St. Mary Parish Schools Superintendent Dr. Donald Aguillard, in collaboration with board attorney, Eric Duplantis, carefully reviewed the recent student complaint concerning a moment of reflection at Morgan City High School’s Veterans Day Ceremony. The program has endured as a quintessential element of the school’s legacy for over 20 years. The Historical Society at MCHS plans and carries out the community celebration of honor for local veterans to recognize and show appreciation for the sacrifices made by both veterans and their families. Dr. Aguillard wants to ensure that nothing detracts from this poignant ceremony while continuing adherence to laws governing school prayer. Accordingly, Mr. Duplantis has determined that the introductory prayer by an invited veteran during the opening of the program was not consistent with district policy. The district will provide guidance to school principals to preserve compliance to the law while protecting the Constitutional rights of all of our students.

Great! Problem solved.

By the way, if that superintendent’s name sounds familiar, it’s because Donald Aguillard was the former Biology teacher who challenged Louisiana law requiring that Creationism be taught in the classroom. In 1987, the Supreme Court struck down that law in Edwards v. Aguillard.

(Image via Shutterstock. Thanks to Randall for the link)

Good to Know: Religious Freedom Means Only the Right to Choose Between Flavors of Christianity

Freedom of religion in the United States doesn’t mean you may believe in anything or nothing. It only means that you’re free to choose between Christian denominations.

Bryan Fischer tells us so.

[T]he purpose of the First Amendment, as Justice Joseph Story declares in his monumental history of the Constitution, was only to protect the free exercise of the Christian faith and to prevent the selection and designation of one Christian denomination as the official church of the United States.

In other words, you can be any religion you want, as long as it’s Christianity. More importantly, the government may promote one faith over all others (three guesses which one they supposedly picked).

I looked up that Joseph Story quote, by the way, and found that it ends like this:

[T]he Catholic and the Protestant, the Calvinist and the Arminian, the Jew and the Infidel, may sit down at the common table of the national councils, without any inquisition into their faith, or mode of worship.

Huh. That somehow doesn’t sound like the ravings of a rectitudinous Christianist. That sounds like the opinion of a halfway tolerant man and inclusive thinker. You’d never know it from Fischer’s words.

Fischer continues:

But because low-information educators have so mangled our history, and activist judges have so mangled our Constitution, most Americans, even educated ones, do not understand this basic fact about the First Amendment: that by the word “religion” in the First Amendment, the Founders meant only the various expressions of Christianity.

Translation: Fuck you, Jews! You too, Muslims! And you most of all, atheists!

No federal Supreme Court in the last 200-odd years has interpreted the First Amendment the way Fischer does (I guess they were all filled with “activist judges”). His take is just a slightly more verbose way of stating the same inanity this commenter at Charisma News did the other week, when I remarked that the vast body of Supreme Court justices’ opinions don’t agree with her view of America as a country where Christians have the legal upper hand:

Their opinions don’t make it the law.

Other than facepalming yourself until you’re black and blue, how can you even respond?

(Image via Shutterstock)

Student Disrupts Classmates’ Education by Preaching and School Officials Asked Him to Stop… So He’s Suing Them

Church/state separation advocates have been saying for a long time that prayer is perfectly legal is public schools. Even though teachers and administrators can’t lead them, students are welcome to pray on their own time. They can form Christian clubs after school, too, just like everyone else.

What they can’t do is pretend their religion gives them special rights. Yet, that’s exactly what Michael Leal, a senior at Cascade High School in Washington, is claiming. Leal has been obnoxiously preaching his faith during school events, creating a disturbance everywhere he goes. School officials told him to knock it off — so, of course, he’s suing them claiming his free speech rights are under attack:

The classroom isn’t a place for this

Brad Dacus, president of [legal defense group] Pacific Justice Institute, commented, “It is deeply troubling to see a school district dig in its heels on a policy that is so clearly unconstitutional. We are eager to vindicate Mr. Leal’s rights and prevent him from being expelled for simply sharing his deeply-held beliefs. We need more high school seniors, not less, who have strong moral convictions and are concerned about their fellow students.”

Seattle attorney Conrad Reynoldson is serving as PJI’s local counsel in this case. Mr. Reynoldson noted, “The policies and procedures we are challenging in this case would prevent students from handing out not only Gospel tracts, but copies of the Constitution itself. This is an egregious violation of student rights that should concern people of all faiths and philosophical persuasions. We simply cannot allow the government to impose these types of sweeping speech restrictions.”

That’s complete bullshit, though, since a student who loudly disrupted events to hand out the Constitution would be told to stop, too. That wouldn’t mean school officials aren’t patriots.

Here’s what Leal was doing that forced the school to take action:

The district’s lawyers say his activities — including an amplified 20-minute extemporaneous sermon at a school “car bash and bonfire” — have created a “substantial disruption” at the school, according to a letter written to Leal’s attorneys.

…

On Oct. 1, Leal attended the bonfire event on the high-school campus, where the lawsuit said school officials twice interrupted his preaching — first at the bonfire and again at a nearby dance. Leal said he also was handing out religious tracts.

…

Two days later, the lawsuit alleges Leal went to a school volleyball game, where he “walked around the school among the other attendees, and gave tracts to parents and students who wanted one.”

Despite further warnings by school administrators, Leal continued what his attorneys call his “expressive activities” at the school, during lunch breaks and in classes, which led to a second suspension, this time for three days.

It’s not just that he wants to talk about Jesus, which would be fine. It’s that he’s doing it during his classes and at school events, creating an atmosphere that makes everyone around him feel uncomfortable. The school asking him to stop has nothing to do with his Christianity and everything to do with making sure school remains a relatively safe space where all students feel comfortable. The same rule would apply if a student was preaching anything in that manner — not just a personal faith. Hell, I would expect school officials to step in if a student didn’t shower, too. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with it, per se, but if other students can’t concentrate in class because you’re creating a distraction, the adults need to do something.

Since neither Leal nor his attorneys can put themselves in everyone else’s shoes, though, they’re playing the Christian Persecution card.

If he ends up winning the lawsuit, may I suggest that a brave student at Cascade put Lucien’s Law into effect and begin preaching Satanism in the same manner as Leal?

Let’s see PJI defend that.

(Image via Shutterstock. Thanks to Jaynee for the link)

Military Suicide Prevention Training Includes This Solution: “Invite Jesus Into Whatever You’re Feeling”

Just a day after Congress held a hearing on “Religious Accommodations” in the military, during which four Christians talked about how rough they had it, there was a perfect example of how Christians take things too far.

During a suicide prevention training for the 5th Ranger Training Battalion, the battalion chaplain offered everyone explicitly biblical solutions with this handout which states that those who are suicidal should just “Invite Jesus into whatever you’re feeling.”

Jason Torpy, President of the Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers, explained the problem:

Suicide is an epidemic in our military. When the military condones evangelism in mental health training, the epidemic will get worse not better. The document… was used during the training presentation and focused exclusively on Christian solutions to suicide. Make no mistake that this would at best separate humanists and non-Christians from scientific and like-minded solutions and very likely do psychological harm by making them feel even more alienated and depressed.

…

Nearly the entire audience of 150 military personnel were junior in rank [than] the chaplain and compelled to attend this day-long session of various topics including suicide prevention. The Battalion Commander and senior officers were in attendance and apparently condoned the mandatory sermonizing in this event. Discussion with evening staff duty personnel did not produce an immediate response.

“If evangelicals in Congress want military chaplains to enforce Christianity in their official duties, then they are getting their wish.” said [Torpy]. “But if we all seek religious liberty and the mental health of our military men and women, then there should be swift action against that chaplain, his endorsing agency, and the Battalion Commander who participated in this wanton abuse of their military authority.”

It’s not the first time something like this has happened. But, you know, it’s Christians who are really oppressed here.

New Survey Shows That Partisanship, More Than Religion, Affects Your Views on Climate Change

The results of a new survey released by the Public Religion Research Institute and the American Academy of Religion show that partisanship matters more than religion when it comes to the acceptance of climate change.

Case in point: It’s not the Unaffiliated (atheists, Agnostics, and those who believe in God but don’t use a religious label) who are most concerned about it. That distinction belongs to Hispanic Catholics (who also tend to vote Democrat), with Black Protestants not too far behind.

White Catholics, however, rank lowest on the list:

“There is a stronger correlation between partisanship here than among many religious variables,” [PRRI President Robert] Jones said. “If I didn’t tell you what the question is, and you just saw the data, you’d think I was talking about the midterm elections.”

Does everyone understand that climate change is a major reason for many of the natural disasters we’ve seen in recent years? In general, yes, but many people think they’re also a sign of the biblical “End Times.” These people also think Left Behind is a documentary.

Whatever you want to say about those green bars, let’s agree the orange ones should be non-existent. But when even 29% of the Unaffiliated believe natural disasters are evidence of some impending literal apocalypse, you know we have a problem. I’m also curious who these people are who think the disasters are signs of both climate change and End Times theology… (Pick a side, people! Stop trying to conflate the two.)

Speaking of which, the same survey also asked respondents whether there was a conflict between science and religious beliefs (in general and their own). No shocker there: The majority of almost every group (save white mainline Protestants) believe the magisteria are at odds with each other — the blue bars are hovering over 50% in nearly every case.

It’s interesting to note that all those green bars are lower than the blue counterparts. While is like saying science and religion may be in conflict… but I found a way to reconcile the two, at least a little bit.

It’s refreshing to see those blue bars, though, since it suggests the more we hammer home scientific values and principles — at least wherever the gap is — the easier it’ll be to get people to shed their faith.

Still, we should all be concerned that many religious people don’t see climate change as a problem — and the survey says they’re not talking about the issue in church very much:

Laurie Zoloth, president of the Academy, said she was concerned that so many Americans were skeptical about scientific research on climate change.

“While there is a growing consensus among scientists about the urgency of addressing climate change, this landmark survey shows that many in faith communities have not yet heard or understood that message,” she said.

How Dare You Honor Traditions Other Than Mine?!

This multicultural holiday sweater, including symbols from Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism (not to mention some non-theistic philosophies), will appease everyone!

Unless you’re the Daily Mail, in which case this jumper is just a sign of political correctness run amok:

Over the years, political correctness has slowly eroded the the outlandish displays of festive cheer that occur around Christmas time.

Numerous offices have banned decorations over concerns that it would make certain parts of the population feel left out and others have stopped Christmas booze raffles in case it offends people of religious faiths where alcohol and gambling are forbidden.

So, with the huge growth sales of festive sweaters over the last few years, it was only a matter of time before someone invented the ‘Multicultural Christmas Jumper.’

Calm down, Daily Mail. It’s just a sweater.

The only way it would cause offense is if anyone actually wore it.

(Thanks to everyone for the link)

Former Ex-Gay Leader Ties the Knot With Same-Sex Partner

The former leader of a Christian group dedicated to “curing” homosexuality got married this week – to his same-sex partner.

Former Love In Action Director John Smid used to be a loud advocate for “ex-gay therapy,” the discredited, faulty, and harmful practice of trying to rid a person of “homosexual feelings” through prayer and other Christian teachings. Smid’s ministry committed itself to the the same mission.

But Smid resigned from his position as the group’s executive director in 2008 and later spoke out against ex-gay therapy. He divorced his wife the same year. And on Nov. 16, he married Larry McQueen in Oklahoma.

Here’s what he said while renouncing his role at the ministry:

In a 2011 appearance on Chris Matthews’ “Hardball” program, Smid expressed sentiments about sexual orientation that, by all accounts, were a far cry from his earlier beliefs.

“I do experience homosexuality… it’s a part of my history, it’s a part of the life that I live,” Smid, who resigned as Love In Action’s executive director in 2008, said at the time.

He divorced his wife later that same year, telling The Lone Star Q, “I’ve believed in faith that something was going to happen, and it never did, and so at my age, right now in my life, I don’t have that many good years left in me, and I can’t live like this for the rest of my life, so I said no, I’m not willing to keep pushing after something that’s not going to happen.”

And more recently and cheerfully, about his new husband and new life:

Smid praised his new husband as “a mirror I see in every day” in a Facebook posting cited by Gay Star News.

“For most of my life, the mirror I saw reflected my mistakes, shortcomings and failures,” he reportedly wrote. “The reflection I see today with Larry shows me the positive things in my life, my strengths, gifts and talents. I see how I can succeed at a mutual intimate and loving relationship.”

He’s one of the first, but he won’t be the last. Mazel tov!

(Image via Shutterstock)

School Named After Promoter of Separation of Church and State Accused of Violating Separation of Church and State

It’s not just that an elementary school student was taught to say a prayer before eating lunch.

It’s that the school she went to was named after the guy who coined the idea of “separation of church and state” in the first place:

[Parent Stephanie] Morris said she was shocked and upset when her second-grade daughter came home from Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy’s grammar school in Forest City repeating a prayer she learned to say before lunchtime in class.

Thank you God for our food, the rain and sunny weather,

thank you God for our friends and that we are together.

Previously, the teacher in her daughter’s class had included pamphlets and brochures from a local church in hand-outs that were brought home, but Morris said she discarded those without bringing up her objections.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter to the charter school on Morris’ behalf and they finally took some action earlier this week, adopting a new policy (#7170) that explicitly forbids teacher-led, school-sponsored prayer.

[Morris] said she was surprised the prayer issue was not immediately addressed, given Thomas Jefferson’s prominent role in establishing barriers between religious and government functions.

“Are they not aware of the man whose name is on their building?,” she said.

Maybe they just need another reminder every now and then.

(Image via Shutterstock. Thanks to Brian for the link)

Louisiana School Bus Driver Tells Teen to “Repent” for “Sin” of Homosexuality

A Louisiana bus driver far overstepped her call of duty when she pulled a 16-year-old boy aside and advised him to repent for his sins.

The ACLU of Louisiana this week sent a letter to the East Baton Rouge Parish School System superintendent, the school district’s director of transportation, and the Broadmoor High Schools principal explaining how the anonymous driver singled out and harassed the student (referred to as John Doe).

Last month, when Doe tried to get off the school bus, the driver pulled him aside for a lecture:

“The driver then asked John Doe if he went to church or participated in any church-like activity,” the letter explained. “When John Doe told the driver no, she told him that ‘going to church is how he can avoid sin.’ She proceeded to tell John Doe that homosexuality is a ‘sin’ and that he can go to hell for it.”

John Doe said that the driver warned him that he must “repent” for his “sinful ways” by praying to God, and by going to church. She also reportedly gave him advice on which Bible to get, and which church to attend.

When the driver finally let him leave, Doe told his sister, who reported the incident to Principal Shalonda Simoneaux, who told the students to “call transportation because I’m not her boss.” Eventually the driver was told she couldn’t talk to students about religion or sexuality anymore. (As if there was any question?)

Obviously, as the ACLU made clear in its letter, that’s not enough of a resolution. The bus driver violated Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 by harassing a student on the basis of sexual orientation, as well as the First Amendment Establishment Clause, by proselytizing to a student.

The ACLU, however, said that the district needed to do more by educating all school staff about The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, and Title IX’s rules against discrimination. The civil rights advocates also advised schools to have a procedure allowing staff to respond to harassment complaints, and to provide counseling to students if necessary.

“Moreover, the School Board must ensure that John and Jane Doe are not retaliated against for reporting the school bus driver’s inappropriate and harmful behavior,” the ACLU added.

I’m certain that this happens more often than once in a blue moon, and we don’t hear about it for the exact reason the ACLU addressed: students are afraid of administrative retaliation, especially in notoriously homophobic areas. This is true of all harassment, whether it comes from school staff or peers. For example, GLSEN’s latest National School Climate Survey, released last month, found that a majority of LGBT students who face bullying don’t report it:

56.7% of LGBT students who were harassed or assaulted in school did not report the incident to school staff, most commonly because they doubted that effective intervention would occur or the situation could become worse if reported.

61.6% of the students who did report an incident said that school staff did nothing in response.

Any adult who interacts with a student must be trained and educated properly to ensure that targeted, personal attacks like this never happen. Believe what you want on your own time; proselytize to your friends or your family or your cats after work, if that’s your thing. But don’t make a student feel unsafe on his way to and from school because there’s something you don’t like about him.

(Image via Shutterstock)