Mercer County Board of Education faces a lawsuit because one mother — identified as Jane Doe, whose child goes to kindergarten — is fighting to stop overtly religious Christian Bible classes. Next year Jane’s child will go to the first grade and she believes the girl will be ostracized by fellow students if they decide to not to take the weekly classes. Though she has the right to opt her child out, it will probably set her apart. Schools can and should educate children about the world’s religions or the role the Bible plays in literature and history but these classes are different.
For nearly 80 years, Bible stories have been taught in Mercer County as part of the regular school week and they’re extremely popular in the community. According to lawyers for the Mercer BOE, the plaintiffs don’t have standing to file the lawsuit because bible classes don’t begin until the first grade, the program is not offered at all Mercer County schools, and it claims harm caused by a hypothetical future.
At least 250,000 students still participate in Bible classes during the school day in various states, according to Released Time Education, a Christian organization that runs such programs. Most organizations run the classes in a nearby church or non-school building, but Mercer County is unusual because it is running its Bible course inside classrooms.
Almost 70 years after the McCollum case, the first test of the separation of church and state with respect to education, some schools continued with their religious classes. McCollum was an atheist and objected to the religious classes, stating that her son James was ostracized for not attending them and the Court ruled 8-1 in favor of McCollum, ruling that the classes were unconstitutional.
Some parents —Christians, of course — are delighted that their children can learn about the Bible even in their school. For instance, Cherilyn Thomas claims she has built a deep relationship with God. And as a parent, she appreciates that her daughter, Teagan, can continue that relationship at school.
On the other side, one parent (Deal) moved her daughter, Sophie, out of the school system after she was bullied for opting out. “They taunted her about it. They told her that she was going to hell, that I was going to hell, that her father was going to hell,” Deal said. Such comments that come from children are the strongest reason for reaction in cases like this. Instead of learning about tolerance and diversity at school, children are becoming exclusive to the schoolmates who are different according to their faith —and that’s how the problem is created.
Photo Credits: The Irish Times
