Atheist Group Tries to Stop Students from Helping Starving Families
A public school in Minnesota has taken flak for letting schoolchildren participate in a service project at a local church.
Students in Minnesota took prepackaged meals to Calvary Lutheran Church; the meals were prepared to be sent to starving families in Haiti. The American Humanist Association sent a complaint to the school district, alleging participation in the charitable work of the church violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution, despite the fact students did not participate in religious activities as part of the field trip.
AHA writes toward the end of its complaint,
“Very importantly, we fully understand that at least one purpose of this fieldtrip was to have the children participate in charity work intended to assist poverty-stricken people. Such good intentions, however, can be pursued in innumerable other ways that do not involve immersing the unsuspecting children into a theologically-charged environment. We are not opposed to educating children about poverty around the world, nor do we object to their participating in a nonreligious program to provide assistance. Here, however, both the church and the Christian charity involved have an interest in propagating a specific religious message that is contrary to the views of many of the students and their families.”
This statement is significant, because it treats religion like a danger from which “unsuspecting children” must be protected.
Winter Wingman Day at Little Rock Air Force Day provided classes to develop service members mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually. While attendance at the event was mandatory, members could choose which three of the offered classes they would attend. The spiritual component of the event, in the chapel, was scheduled to include sessions from “The Art of Marriage,” a video conference developed by FamilyLife, a Christian family ministry headquartered in Little Rock.