Facing the Giants: does showing this movie in class violate the First Amendment?

[Fridays Child]

As a substitute teacher, I'm directed to show a lot of movies to students. I worked at a junior high school, today, and the teacher instructed me to show Facing the Giants to three class periods. At first, I thought it was just another high school football-themed movie but I quickly realized that it was nothing so benign as that. This movie is pure, unadulterated, Christian evangelical indoctrination. There's just no other way to describe it.

The trailer is deceptive, in that it doesn't expose how overtly religious the movie is. But here and here are segments of the film that are more exemplary of its real intent.

[Kerrytravelers]

1. I haven't seen the clips, but it may be worth letting the school board know.

ETA: I did a quick Google search. Not good.

It is clearly Christian, put out by the same people who put out Kirk Cameron movies. http://www.facingthegiants.com/
http://www.facingthegiants.com/home.php

It's being described as a Christian film.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facing_the_Giants
Facing the Giants is a 2006 American Christian drama film directed by and starring Alex Kendrick. The supporting cast was composed of volunteers from Sherwood Baptist Church. Shot in Albany, Georgia, the film relates an underdog story about American football from an evangelical Christian worldview.

The film was released to DVD in early 2007 and made its television debut on September 21, 2008, on Trinity Broadcasting Network.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805526/
Tagline: ...With God, all things are possible..





If I had a child in that class, I would be furious. What a waste of class time. Learning can still take place when a substitute is present. I am an Educator. In my classrooms, I always left a learning plan for the substitute, not some nonsense time filler. Technically, this is using tax payers dollars to evangelize. How offensive.

[ejpoeta]

2. is this a religious school or a publc school? what is the purpse of these movies?

is it for a specific purpose like when we watched the color purple and then had to write a paper about it? but that was in college.

[Fridays Child]

3. Public school...

...and the movie was, essentially, an end-of-the-school-year, nothing-left-to-do time killer.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

15. Nail their asses to the wall. Call the ACLU, the FFRF, anybody else you can think of. -nt

[Ian David]

4. Talk to Americans United.

http://www.au.org/take-action/report-a-violation/

[Ian David]

5. This has come up before with this film...

#
Tuscaloosa | Americans United

AU received a complaint that teachers at a Tuscaloosa high school showed the film Facing the Giants to their classes. Facing the Giants is an evangelical ...
http://www.au.org/what-we-do/out-of-court-successes/archives/tuscaloosa-1.html
#
Evangelical Christian Film Is Inappropriate For Public School ...

Jan 15, 2008 ... After receiving complaints, Americans United has urged officials at Tuscaloosa City Schools to stop showing the film “Facing the Giants.” ...
www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2008/01/evangelical-chri.html
#
Airing Of Evangelistic Film At Alabama Public School Sparks AU ...

Parents complained that the film “Facing the Giants” was shown in ... “'Facing the Giants' was produced by a Baptist church to bring about a single result: ...
http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2008/03/airing-of-evange.html
#
Press Releases | Americans United

... January 15, 2008 Evangelical Christian Film Is Inappropriate For Public School, Americans United Tells Alabama Educators 'Facing The Giants' Movie Is ...
http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/index.jsp?archiveendDate=12%2F31%2F2008&archivedateType=date&archivestartDate=1%2F1%2F2008&archivepage=8



Airing Of Evangelistic Film At Alabama Public School Sparks AU Complaint
March 2008 People & Events

Officials with the Tuscaloosa, Ala., public school system have agreed to temporarily stop showing a church-produced evangelistic movie to students after receiving a legal complaint from Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

AU attorneys acted after Tuscaloosa residents raised concerns. Parents complained that the film “Facing the Giants” was shown in classrooms last semester at Paul W. Bryant High School.

The movie is a work of fiction depicting the story of a losing high school football coach who turns his struggling team around by embracing Christianity. The film was produced by Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga., and features members of the congregation in starring roles.

The church is upfront about the film’s evangelistic purpose. Senior Pastor Michael Catt told a gathering at the 2007 Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C., that 3,000 people have been converted to evangelical Christianity by the movie.

“We never got into it to make money,” Catt told the Summit pastors’ breakfast. “We got into it to spread the gospel.”

TV preacher Pat Robertson has praised the movie as a perfect tool of evangelism. Robertson’s “700 Club” reported last summer that Catt spoke at a Southern Baptist Pastors Conference in San Antonio and declared that all aspects of the movie were “bathed in prayer.” (Robertson called the movie “magnificent.”)

Given the clear evangelistic focus, AU attorneys urged school officials to stop showing the film. In a Jan. 15 letter, Americans United said public schools must be neutral when it comes to religion and may not provide religious instruction to children.

“‘Facing the Giants’ was produced by a Baptist church to bring about a single result: Christian conversion.... {F}ederal courts have consistently held that public-school teachers cannot present religious messages to students or use teaching materials that do so,” wrote the AU attorneys.

Religious Right legal groups were furious over the AU missive. Roy Moore, Alabama’s infamous “Ten Commandments Judge,” sent a letter to school officials insisting that airing the film is permissible.

AU pointed out that Moore, who was removed from the Alabama Supreme Court after he defied a federal court ruling to remove a Commandments monument from a state judicial building, is hardly a credible source on church-state law.

Attorneys for the Liberty Counsel, a legal group affiliated with the late Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University, also insisted that the film could be shown.

Officials with the school system, however, told local media they would stop showing the film while they investigate the matter.

Americans United’s letter to education officials was written by Americans United Legal Director Ayesha N. Khan, Senior Litigation Counsel Alex Luchenitser and Litigation Counsel Heather Weaver.

[Fridays Child]

7. Interesting.

I wonder what the final decision was. The case seems to have evaporated, after the school district agreed to stop showing it while they investigated the situation.

[lunasun]

6. Well better to show this than that speech Obama tried to make schools

show where he asked kids to study and stay in school . Now that was pure fascism!

[immoderate]

8. This is a tough call.

I usually extend an exemption for works of art. Could you show a movie version of The Iliad? That's religion too. Can you sing "God Bless America"? Written by an atheist Jew? Or "Battle Hymn of the Republic?"

As a movie, like most, it's a fantasy. It shows imaginary characters doing make believe things. I guess it comes down to context. "Hey kids! You want to see a stupid movie? Yay!

--imm

[Fridays Child]

9. According to the people who produced it...

...the purpose of the film was strictly evangelical. It's like a bible tract in movie form.

“We never got into it to make money. We got into it to spread the gospel.”

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=8356325&mesg_id=8356465

[immoderate]

11. Yeah, I know...

But it could still wind up on Mystery Science Theater.

--imm

[starroute]

14. Would you show "Triumph of the Will" to eighth graders?

The Leni Riefenstahl film is both historically and artistically significant. I saw it in a college history class, for example. But would you want to drop it on an junior high school class without any explanation except, "Hey, kids, here's something to keep you entertained while you're sitting around waiting for the end of the semester"?

As described, this film is a work of propaganda every bit as much as "Triumph of the Will." It isn't just a movie with Christian characters or elements of the history of Christianity. It's a work of evangelization, and that makes it entire different from the other things you mention.

[verges]

16. The Iliad is an esablished piece of

classical literature. God Bless America and Battle Hymn of the Republic both have historical signigicance and are part of American History. This movie is a contemporary piece of propaganda.

I would justify Birth of a Nation or Triumph of the Will before I would justify this!

[unblock]

10. you could easily spend 3 class periods discussing the first amendment

along with religious freedom, the perils of religious indoctrination, and the reason our forebears fled christian nations to come to america.

[Brickbat]

12. I freaking hate that free time at school is filled up with movies.

I second the reporting to Americans United. It's a great organization.

[AwakeAtLast]

17. I get substitutes who complain that I DON'T leave movies

They had to actually TEACH something - well, rather, follow my directions so that the kids actually DO somehting. :banghead:

[Brickbat]

13. And having read the description of the plot, it sounds hideous.