Equal Access Except For Atheists?: Schools Must Not Discriminate Against Non-Religious Students

[Adsos Letter]

SOURCE: The Wall of Separation
February 9th, 2011
By Sandhya Bathija.

Back in 1984, Religious Right groups lobbied Congress in full force to pass a bill ensuring that Christian student clubs and organizations would be free to meet on public school campuses.

They succeeded in making the Equal Access Act the law of the land. The act states that under most circumstances, public schools must allow a wide range of student-run clubs to meet during “non-instructional” time. This opened the door for public schools to allow student religious clubs, including Bible study groups, to meet freely.

But the act also made it clear that nonreligious clubs receive the same protections. In the early 1980s, AU’s Executive Director Barry W. Lynn, then working for the American Civil Liberties Union, knew there was little he could do to stop the Equal Access Act from passing. He worked to ensure that the measure at least included provisions to give nonreligious clubs full protections, too.

Today, therefore, all kinds of student clubs, religious and not, should be enjoying the freedom to assemble on public school campuses fairly and equally. But according to an article in USA Today, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

LINK: http://blog.au.org/2011/02/09/equal-access-except-for-atheists-schools-must-not-discriminate-against-non-religious-students/
___________________________________________

We are not, nor were we intended to be, a Christian Nation...

[jp11]

1. It is because to many Atheism is an attack on their religion and therefore can't exist.

Atheists might be the 'last', or close to it, groups of people discriminated against in our world at least until we develop something else to discriminate against, like clone 'people'.

[defendandprotect]

3. Actually, I think it's because liberals and liberal concepts so demolish right wing thinking ....

that they can't respond. Liberal concepts just expose right wing idiocities so

completely that they can't stand the challenge!!

[Adsos Letter]

5. I think that there are many Christians (not all) who honestly believe

that "condoning" atheism will cause God to punish the United Sates; this is part and parcel of the "Christian Nation" concept.

What they fail to understand/accept is that theirs is a doctrinal belief, and we aren't supposed to base our laws upon sectarian religious doctrine (or any religious doctrine).

A secular system of governance under a secular constitution, and equal protection under the law for all citizens: I believe it to be one of the strongest guarantors of a nation's strength and viability.

[RKP5637]

2. Recommend!!! n/t

[niyad]

4. k and r--always fascinates me how the descendents of the inquisition still don't get it

[Adsos Letter]

6. They aren't persecuted in this country (despite their protestations to the contrary)

and their actions are often part of the whole Christian Nation set of imperatives.

For many of the Christian nation adherents, non-governmental persuasive discussion/prosetylization is not enough.

[originalpckelly]

7. Can't wait until next year.

I will be joining one of those, because there is one of them at the school I want to go to! :P Well, if I can find the money, and everything works out.

[Adsos Letter]

8. I wish you the best of luck in finding the money and working out any issues involved.

I thoroughly enjoyed college. :)