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Politics : One nation under God

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To: Gersh Avery who wrote (43)	12/8/2004 8:36:46 AM
From: redfish	Read Replies (2) of 60

Cupertino history lesson Wednesday, December 8, 2004 WHEN IN the course of human events, talk radio gives breath to an urban myth, it becomes time to set the record straight. The Declaration of Independence is not banned from Stevens Creek Elementary School, or any classroom in Cupertino. Copies of the Declaration -- including the passages about the inalienable rights of all men "endowed by their Creator" and the founders' "reliance on the protection of divine providence" -- hang in classrooms. It appears in textbooks distributed throughout the district. A lawsuit filed on behalf of fifth-grade teacher Steven J. Williams, a self-described evangelical Christian, accuses the school district of suppressing references to God and religion. "The district is simply attempting to cleanse all references to the Christian religion from our nation's history, and they are singling out Mr. Williams for discriminatory treatment," Alliance Defense Fund senior counsel Gary McCaleb said in the announcement of a lawsuit that instantly became a hot topic on conservative talk radio. In fact, the dispute involves the distinction between presenting the role of religion in its historical context -- which is absolutely proper -- and using such material to proselytize for a particular faith. A federal court will hear the arguments over whether Williams was a victim of discrimination or attempting a little classroom preaching. The Arizona-based ADF's screaming press release (headlined "Declaration of Independence Banned from Classroom") does a disservice to what should be a serious discussion of how public schools address religious topics. A review of the allegedly banned documents in the 73-page federal complaint (from George Washington's prayer journal to President Bush's resolution for a national day of prayer) helps explain why a principal might question why fifth-graders were being supplied with a voluminous selection of material with heavily Christian themes. sfgate.com

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