CA School District Bars Choirs from Performing in Church Buildings

Religious Freedom,

A California school district has barred school choirs from performing inside church buildings.

Up until recently, the district’s choir program had performed in some churches because the acoustics of the buildings were deemed superior to other venues. The school district superintendent, however, barred the choirs from performing in such venues because of complaints she received along with concerns that it is unconstitutional for a school group to perform in a religious building.

As attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom have noted, this is an unnecessary policy change. The previous policy was religiously-neutral, concerned only with a venue’s acoustics; it had nothing to do with preferring a religious venue over a secular venue.

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What Churches Who Charter Boy Scout Troops Need to Know

Homosexuality, Religious Freedom, ,

There are some potential legal problems churches need to know they could now face if chartering a Boy Scout troop.

Earlier this year the Boy Scouts of America changed their membership policy, choosing to allow openly gay Boy Scouts to participate in scouting. According to a memo circulated by the Alliance Defending Freedom, churches who charter Boy Scout troops could now be at serious risk due to the BSA’s decision.

According to ADF, a church chartering a Boy Scout troop could:

  • See its teaching on sexual morality curtailed. According to ADF, “Under threat of litigation, a church that chooses to maintain ties with BSA could face forfeiting the ability to teach biblical principles of sexual morality to its Scouts and to require them to adhere to those principles.”
  • Find itself unable to speak out against homosexuality in other contexts. According to ADF, “Affirming the ‘good conduct’ and ‘moral straightness’ of youth of any sexual orientation or preference—which is the effect of a church chartering a BSA troop—could limit a church’s ability to make a convincing showing [in court] that its beliefs opposing homosexuality should be constitutionally protected because of the internal inconsistency created by the charter.” This has the potential affect everything from hiring staff to church policies on facility-use.

What Does ADF Recommend?

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