Complaints issued against GA school district for promoting religious ceremonies

[cbayer]

http://www.examiner.com/article/complaints-issued-against-ga-school-district-for-promoting-religious-ceremonies

ELECTION12JULY 16, 2012
BY: ROBERT SOBEL





It seems that 2012 has been the year that the separation of church and state has been tested more than any other year in recent memory. Each week a new story breaks, where somewhere across the country secular Americans and religious Americans are fighting to support their interpretation of the First Amendment. This week, the battle over religious freedom is occurring in the state of Georgia.

Following backlash from multiple families, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a secular rights organization, has sent two letters of complaints to the school district in Houston County, Georgia. According to Georgia Public Broadcasting, the two major complaints were the results of what occurred during the graduation ceremonies of Veteran's High School and Perry High School.

According to the letter sent by the FFRF, the ceremonies included prayer, religious music and other biblical messages. Evidence was found that the Houston County school district was paying for student lunch at Vacation Bible Schools and school websites were linking to the King James version of the Bible. Raw Story points out that teachers have also encouraged students to read the "Left Behind" series, a collection of controversial evangelical Christian novels that have been often criticized.

Officials from the school district released a statement in response to the complaint from the families and the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

“Our school district’s intent is to comply with the prevailing law in these matters.”

more at link

[skepticscott]

1. Oh, impossible

We already know (because you told us) that there is NO chance that religionists would proselytize if there were rules against it. And if they wouldn't do it shamelessly and blatantly out in the open, where anyone can see, they would certainly never do it in the middle of a third world jungle with only gawd watching, now would they?

Cognitive dissonance, thy name is..well, you know.

[longship]

2. I presume that the school district actually did comply.

The article doesn't say so. It only quotes that the district says the intend is to comply. Maybe I am a bit jaded, but the statement seems like an equivocation to me. I would feel more comfortable if they just said they will stop the religious crap in their schools.

Plus, in the first place, what about the First Amendment and SCOTUS case law don't these people understand? That's always what goes through my mind when I read about these incidents.

[cbayer]

3. They just got the letter from FFRF. Hopefully they will take it seriously

before a lawsuit is filed.

I think they understand the law just fine, but they have gotten away with it for far too long.

[longship]

5. Thanks, the article wasn't too clear.

Maybe because the matter isn't yet resolved.

Dumb Longship.

Still the article could have been more clear. Poor reportage.

[skepticscott]

4. What they delusionally perceive

as god's law always trumps man's law for these people, so is it any surprise they try to flaunt it more and more often all the time? Or that people know that promises by religious charities not to proselytize as part of their programs are just empty crap?