Atheist Group Opposes Religiously Themed Songs at Halftime Show in Lake Hamilton School District

Religious Freedom,
Above: The Lake Hamilton High School Power Band won the 6A State Marching Championship at War Memorial Stadium on November 1. The band’s performance of “Revival” reportedly earned both high music and high visual scores. Photo Credit: Facebook Post.

The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation recently sent a letter to the Lake Hamilton School District in Arkansas urging the district to end “religious themes and messaging” in a school halftime show.

The halftime marching show in question reportedly was titled “Revival” and used the a cross, flags, and signs saying “sinners beware” and “repent now.”

The Lake Hamilton School District provided a statement to KARK News, explaining:

Their [the marching band’s] captivating show, “Revival,” drew acclaim from judges and fans alike, drawing inspiration from the great depression era highlighted in the motion picture “O Brother Where Art Thou” and other prolific concert band works. Undoubtedly, the Lake Hamilton High School Power Band’s dedication and talent were shown through each performance.

This isn’t the first time the Freedom From Religion Foundation has been active in Arkansas.

In 2022 the atheist group issued a statement celebrating the defeat of religious freedom amendment Issue 3, which narrowly failed at the ballot box in Arkansas.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has opposed public prayer at meetings and gatherings in Arkansas, and has filed a lawsuit to have a monument of the Ten Commandments removed from the Arkansas Capitol grounds.

In 2017 the group demanded that Governor Hutchinson stop sharing Bible verses on his Facebook page.

In 2016 the foundation went after Washington County election officials for using churches as polling places.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has even complained about the fact that that Arkansas’ public school students can study the Bible academically — even though it is one of the oldest texts in existence and has had a profound influence on human history.

As we have said time and again, it is worth noting that across the board, groups like the Freedom From Religion Foundation tend to threaten lawsuits. If people stand their ground, these organizations rarely follow through by filing a lawsuit.

Religious freedom is a fundamental right in America, and groups like the Freedom From Religion Foundation infringe that liberty when they work to purge the free exercise of religion from public life.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Arkansas A.G. Joins Letter Addressing De-Banking

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Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin recently joined 22 other state attorneys general in a public letter addressing the rising trend of politicized de-banking.

The letter urges proxy voting advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Service and Glass Lewis to give equal treatment and provide transparency in their advice regarding shareholder resolutions that address de-banking.

Family Council has written repeatedly about how de-banking hurts charities and conservative causes.

In 2021, our credit card processor — a company owned by Chase Bank — canceled our account with virtually no notice and no explanation.

In 2022, Chase abruptly closed the account of Ambassador Sam Brownback’s National Committee for Religious Freedom with little warning or explanation, and PayPal similarly disabled the account of a group called the Free Speech Union.

All of this prompted Arkansas and several other states to send a letter to the CEO of JPMorgan Chase expressing deep concern over the company’s pattern of de-banking conservative groups last May.

The A.G.’s letter to Institutional Shareholder Service and Glass Lewis voices similar concerns over these issues, saying,

Your companies, International Shareholder Services, Inc., and Glass Lewis & Co., provide proxy voting advice to many businesses and investors who are citizens of our States as well as to our States’ investment vehicles.

That voting advice directly impacts how our Nation’s largest companies operate. . . .

Your lack of transparency is troubling. And your voting recommendations on debanking proposals may breach your legal obligations. We seek more transparency and written assurance that you will cease any practice that violates the law, including your duty to act in the best interest of the citizens of our States, or your stated policies on recommendations.

Alliance Defending Freedom notes,

While billing themselves as viewpoint-neutral, both ISS and Glass Lewis regularly endorse shareholder resolutions for left-of-center causes such as ESG (environmental, social, and governance) and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). At the same time, the firms have consistently opposed resolutions calling for transparency and internal reporting on potential instances of politically motivated de-banking—resolutions dismissed by ISS as “anti-ESG” along with nearly every other conservative proposal.

You can read the A.G.’s letter to Institutional Shareholder Service and Glass Lewis here.

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Governor Sanders Proclaims Day of Prayer for Arkansas Students

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Governor Sanders has proclaims a Day of Prayer for Arkansas Students this week.

Act 902 of 2021 establishes a Day of Prayer for Arkansas Students on the last Wednesday of September each year.

The governor’s prayer proclamation reads,

WHEREAS: Students, teachers, and parents in Arkansas enjoy the right to pray. Arkansas and its government acknowledge that we are all endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them freedom of religion;

WHEREAS: As the Gospel of John tells us, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him;”

WHEREAS: Knowing the power of prayer, we ask God to provide Arkansas students with wisdom and guidance in this new schoolyear;

WHEREAS: We pray that our students see the benefits of the most sweeping education reforms — Arkansas LEARNS — to be implemented in our schools in decades so that no child is trapped in a lifetime of poverty;

WHEREAS: We unite with our fellow Arkansans to thank God for our great schools and the opportunities they provide; and

WHEREAS: We make a commitment to always protect the right to pray in our schools, knowing the power God holds over our state and her people.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, Governor of the State of Arkansas, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the laws of the State of Arkansas, do hereby proclaim September 27th,2023 as

“A DAY OF PRAYER FOR ARKANSAS STUDENTS”

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Arkansas to be affixed this 6th day of September, in the year of our Lord 2023.

We want to thank Governor Sanders for recognizing September 27 as the state’s third annual Day of Prayer for Arkansas Students — and we want to encourage Arkansans everywhere to pause this week to pray for our students, our teachers, and our school administrators. There truly is tremendous value in taking time to pray.

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