Religious Right Should Move On After Supreme Court Refuses To Hear School-Use Case
Even though the Supreme Court has declined to hear a case about churches using public schools for worship services, the Religious Right just can’t seem to move on. Last year, the 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals said a congregation, Bronx Household of Faith, could no longer use a New York City public school to hold worship services. The congregation of about 50 had been using a public school, rent free, for almost 10 years. In its ruling, the appeals court said New York officials had raised reasonable objections to church use of the schools for worship, noting, “The place has, at least for a time, become the church.”
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New York’s Department of Education, which announced recently that churches could no longer use public schools for worship services, is being fair. The department said that any groups (including churches!) can hold events in those schools as long as the events are open to everyone. Churches can even hold certain types of religious events, provided they are not during school hours. This is a completely reasonable policy, which is of course why the Religious Right doesn’t like it.
The bottom line is that the Religious Right needs to get over this. Bronx Household of Faith used the school for 10 years rent free. It had a good run and now it’s time to move on.
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There is no “viewpoint discrimination” here because the policy doesn’t hinder one religious group more than others; it just happens that the majority of groups affected by the court decision are churches. Would the Family Research Council be petitioning Mayor Bloomberg if numerous Muslim congregations were told they could no longer have services in a public school?
Not likely.
http://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/nothing-to-see-here-religious-right-should-move-on-after-supreme-court
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