Another threat to Christian free speech?

In the US, each child has the right to discuss their faith as long as it does not disrupt the normal teaching time or other organized activity in the school. If it was during class time, ANY speaking could be disciplined. But if it was during a time that students were free to speak about anything, then it is illegal to stop her from speaking of her faith.

I'm not sure how different it is in the UK.

 

No one should have to put their beliefs on the key rack when they go to work or to school. However, we do need to realize what is approrpriate and legal and what is not.

At 7, I led another little girl to the Lord. Why shouldn't someone tell someone else the truth?

She did not deal with any of this in a negative way towards the school. She posted an e-mail to 10 close church friends to ask them to pray for the situation. How that got in the hands of the principle, I'd love to know - but she had every right outside of school to ask others to pray for the situation. Whether she was an employee or not.

It's the school overstepping their legal boundaries. They cannot stop a child from speaking of their faith when it's an appropriate time (when children are allowed to speak freely like in lunch, at recess, or during any other time they can have the freedom to say "Did you see that great cartoon yesterday?" The mother had every right to ask her own friends to pray for the situation that was, from my understanding, an illegal activity against her daughter. There was not one thing illegal in what she or the daughter did.

 

But it was not an adult but a classmate. There's a big difference IMO.

 

Religion absolutely has a place in public school. As long as there are those who are religious in public school, religion will have a place. Constitutionally, we are assured the right to practice our religion without the government stopping us from doing so..."nor prohibit the free exercise thereof" If we are to not speak of religion, then we are prohibited from practicing our religion. It is not for the public school to establish a religion but it is absolutely right for them to teach about the religions that are represented in their pupils and religions around the world. Students do not leave their faith at the door and have every right to write papers about their faith, draw pictures of Jesus, speak to their fellow classmates about their faith during appropriate times (lunch, recess, before and after school and any other time free speech is allowed).

It's sad to think that we would not be able to speak about the hope that is within us when we enter the school doors.

 

You wouldn't want your child to be able to talk about their faith to another child? We're not talking about teachers pushing a religion but about students talking about their faith.

 

If another child speaks of athiesm, that is OK. When I was in school, I was able to defend Christianity against a Jehovah's Witness. If the athiest being allowed to speak of her faith means that my child is allowed to speak of her faith, then that is fine with me.

That is the greatness of the freedom of speech that we have in the US.

 

Marcia - I agree with you. I don't think that schools should be teaching religion but teaching ABOUT religion - there's a difference in my mind. It's OK to teach about the different beliefs but to force students to practice those beliefs are wrong.

But to have a student talk about their faith - that's a basic right that all students should be able to have. It's a constitutional right - and I appreciate that.