Religion & American Law

Getting the Bible out of the Bible Belt!

On January 5, 2010, just outside of Nashville in Wilson County Tennessee, the Wilson County School Board agreed to desist with their annual distribution of Bibles to elementary schools students. Earlier in the school year, all of the 5^th graders of Carroll-Oakland Elementary School, including Joann Doe, were taken to an assembly and introduced by the school’s principal to a contingent of representatives of The Gideons. After being told by their principal about her first time being given a Bible, The Gideons proceeded to tell the students about their world-wide Bible distributions. After this speech, each student was called up to the front of the assembly to receive their own copy of the bible; however, the taking of a Bible was not mandatory.

Like the other students of her class, Joann Doe felt pressured to go up and retrieve a Bible of her own due to fear of being ostracized and mocked by her peers. At this point, all the students returned to their respective classrooms and were instructed by their teachers to write their names in their Bibles for “personal use.”

Shortly thereafter, John and Jane Doe, Joann’s parents, went to the ACLU to complain about the Bible circulation. After receiving a letter threatening a lawsuit if the Bible dispersion did not desist, the Wilson County Board of Education agreed to stop the annual distribution of Bibles at Carroll-Oakland Elementary and all other Wilson County Schools.

During an interview on the TV show Fox & Friends Huckabee is quoted as stating, “You don’t want the school imposing a religious doctrine on kids. They’re absolutely right. And it’s very difficult for me to ever come to the place where I say I agree with the ACLU.”

This instance of Bible distribution is incredibly similar to other cases surrounding the religion and public school debates. It is clear in this case that the ACLU, along with the Doe family, is concerned with the implicit coercion effect that this has on the students. This is very similar to the situation presented in the Lee v. Weisman graduation ceremony conflict. While the school did not require each student to come up and receive a Bible, the assembly was in fact mandatory. We see a similar situation in Lee v. Weisman as students were not required to join in or stand for the prayer at the graduation ceremony, and in fact not technically “required” to attend graduation; however, one faces the same sort of ostracism and mockery by abstaining from or not attending the event.

Although this case was not taken to the courts, I believe the same outcome would have occurred. While the principal of the school did not mandate that each child take home a Bible, the teacher later had them each write their names in their individual Bibles for “personal use.” If this isn’t an act of coercion, I’m not entirely sure what is! I’m even more shocked to find myself agreeing with Huckabee in his statement that “you don’t want the school imposing a religious doctrine on kids.”

What I’d like to think about with this situation is a hypothetical situation. What if they school board had refused to sign the agreement? If this case had gone to the courts, do we think the courts would strike down the school’s practice of Bible distribution? On what grounds would they have done so? Coercion? Or, do we think the courts might have upheld the practice since “technically” the taking of a Bible was not mandated by the school officials? Just some food for thought…

About : Raja CRN

Author description goes here. Author description goes here. Follow him on Twitter