A New Era for Religious Liberty in Public Schools

 

A New Era for Religious Liberty in Public Schools

6/13/2025

 

Matt 18:6 NIV: If anyone   causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Fact: America’s Public-School Systems’ policies have become virtually void of any mention of Religion or Religious Liberty…a policy never intended by our Founding Fathers.  After approximately seventy years of deliberate misinformation regarding the Church/State issues, the Supreme Court finally rectified this deliberate error of religious discrimination in both the recent Kennedy v. Bremerton School District and the Carson v. Makin Charter School rulings.  Unfortunately, for decades, nearly all citizens have been deliberately misled into believing that any mention of religion or of one’s faith is illegal in the public square as well as inside public-school buildings or grounds and that equal access excluded citizens of faith government funding.

Today, Spiritual Revival is as Essential Today as was the Great Awakening Prior to 1776.

https://tinyurl.com/yc3w7w62

 1.     Carson v. Makin School Choice – Maine

A 2022 Supreme Court decision in Carson v. Makin ruled that if the government provides financial support to parents of children attending a secular public charter school it must also provide the same financial support to parents for the financial support of religious schools.

The U.S. Supreme Court returned a decision to reverse the unjustly banned families from participating in a government student-aid program if they chose to send their children to religious schools.

o   Syllabus:  https://tinyurl.com/3er35723

o   SCOTUS blog:  https://tinyurl.com/2p92awxh

o   Chalkbeat:  https://tinyurl.com/5n7mhm8c

o   Heritage: https://tinyurl.com/yums2yy6

o   First Liberty:  https://tinyurl.com/yc5f2x7w

 2.     Kennedy v. Bremerton School District

The 2002 U.S. Supreme Court’s 6/3 decision respects the Constitutional Rights of all public-school students, teachers, and coaches to engage in a brief, personal prayer in public.

According to the opinion, “Respect for religious expressions is indispensable to life in a free and diverse Republic—whether those expressions take place in a sanctuary or on a field, and whether they manifest through the spoken word or a bowed head.”

First Liberty response: https://tinyurl.com/2xzezcm4

§  Case Facts: https://tinyurl.com/c5fstd6n

§  Gorsuch’s Opinion: https://tinyurl.com/mskp73wj

The “LEMON TEST” NO LONGER APPLIES!  The Court declared it Unconstitutional; The establishment clause no longer applies. See Gorsuch’s Opinion for an explanation https://tinyurl.com/4yzrcj8e

Case overview: https://casetext.com/case/kennedy-v-bremerton-school-dist-1/

The two SCOTUS decisions, (above) provide an opportune time for public school boards to promote an understanding and influence of Religious Liberty that our Founding Fathers desired.  Because these two cases each received a 6/3 vote, the time to reinstate Religious Freedom and teach the history of the Bible’s influence in the formation of the United States is NOW.  Furthermore, with the recent huge influx of illegal migrants from third-world counties, this teaching is more critical than ever to the future of America.

Following are just a few examples of how Religious Liberty can be expressed within the Public School System:

1.      Public school districts should consider creating a Resolution and related policy acknowledging Religious Liberty for all Administration, Teachers, Students and Parents, referencing SCOTUS’ 6/3 decisions in both Kennedy v Bremerton School District and Carson v Makin.

2.      Develop and update a URL link on the School District’s and each school’s website entitled: Major Legal Rulings Affecting Public Schools in the Past Decade with links to related cases and easily-understood explanations.  Advise all school personnel, teachers, high-school students and parents of the URLs’ existence. 

3.      Notify all school personnel, students and parents of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Religious Freedom in Public Schools (Kennedy v. Bremerton School District)

https://tinyurl.com/y44w4ps9

https://www.religiousfreedomday.com/

4.     At the School District’s board meetings,

a.      Begin each public board meeting with prayer

https://tinyurl.com/3mtz4thd

https://tinyurl.com/4k8jdnau

b.      Following the Pledge of Allegiance, read the Preamble to the Colorado Constitution.

“We, the people of Colorado, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of             the Universe, in order to form a more independent and perfect government;  establish justice; insure tranquillity; provide for the common defense; promote      the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our       posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the “State of Colorado.”

 

c.       Board members are able to begin their public statement with prayer or scripture. Citizens engaged in public comment must not be discouraged to included religious content.

https://tinyurl.com/mr3m3n4s

 

5.      On the exterior of every public-school building, post the U.S. Motto, “In God we Trust.” Follow Texas’ example, which was approved by the Texas Supreme Court. Numerous other examples exist in other states. Cover cost through donations.

https://tinyurl.com/kny7vw2u

a.      AND/OR…Require U.S. Motto be posted in every classroom, the Teachers’ Lounge, and main entrance to each school.

6.      Instruct all teachers to lead their classes in the Pledge of Allegiance on the first class of each day The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that because reciting the Pledge of Allegiance is a patriotic, rather than a religious exercise, saying the words “under God” does not discriminate against atheists. -- May 9, 2014.

 

7.      Terminate the employment of School-based Mental Health Counselors

Such counseling usurps parental responsibility.

Most mental health counselors are trained to affirm a student’s gender transition.[1]

Such counselors should not be employing secular counseling methods with children whose parents hold faith-based or other viewpoints. Matt 18:6

 

8.      Develop a process to identify and promptly remove pornographic books in school libraries.   (See https://d20books.com/  )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp_sxx_5cCs

https://tinyurl.com/4d7fnaad

At District level:

1.      Post U.S. National Motto at district entrance.

2.      Hang a removable plaque of the U.S. National Motto, “In God We Trust” permanently on the wall behind the Board Members’ seats at the start of each board meeting.

3.      Start each district school board meeting with Opening Prayer, in English, by a local pastor or at a minimum, provide a moment (1 minute) of silence.

4.      Post lists of students’ and teachers’ Religious Rights on each school’s website

5.      Post list of Teachers’ Religious Rights in each school’s teachers’ lounge/breakroom and on District’s website [2]

6.      Periodically, when there is a school assembly, or at another appropriate time/location sing the National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” written by Francis Scott Key

7.      Consider eliminating membership in American Library Association. https://thefederalist.com/?s=Library+Association

8.      Allow for Release time for Religious Instruction

https://tinyurl.com/mfyn827d

9.      Encourage the display of Christmas (A federal Holiday) to be celebrated.

https://lc.org/newsroom/details/111124-friend-or-foe-christmas-campaign-2024

In Classrooms

1.      Affix an 11x17” poster of the U.S. National Motto in a prominent location in each classroom and on the district’s website.

2.      Post a list of Student Religious Rights in each classroom and on District’s website, including links to the SCOTUS’ rulings.

3.      Begin each day with a one-minute moment of silence in the first class of the day.

4.      Cite “Pledge of Allegiance” in the first class of the day.  Teach the meaning of the words.

5.      Post a framed picture of a Founding Father with his quote on Education. (a few classrooms may use the word “Bible.”)

6.      When teaching on the Revolutionary and Civil War, read/sing a couple of songs sung by the soldiers.  Some may have religious references.

7.      Much is being said about “Christian Nationalism,” framing it in such a way as to make it sound conspiratorial.  This link below discusses what it really is.  It was on Tucker Carlson in 2024.  https://tinyurl.com/pp2nhjuy                                    https://x.com/RealCandaceO/status/1780001138785288304

 

Student Performances (Talent Shows)

1.      Students can express their religious personal religious views in song or poems

https://firstliberty.org/news/school-will-allow-students-to-sing-worship-songs/

 

Teachers:

1.      At the beginning of each school year, sign acknowledgment of understanding of the Religious Liberty rights that each teacher and student has. For guidance, review First Liberty’s “Religious Liberty Protection Kit for Students for Students and Teachers.” https://firstliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Religious-Liberty-Protection-Kit-for-Student-and-Teacher-PDF.pdf

 

2.      Have teachers sign a document annually, that disavows Colorado’s May 2023 anti-U.S. Teachers Union Resolution

 

Graduation Ceremonies

1.      Graduating-class students must be informed that the school district cannot legally censure a student’s comments concerning his/her religion or importance of his/her faith..

Valedictorian faith-filled speech:

http://tinyurl.com/3cs4rwud

 (1 Cor. 1:18). Jesus Himself was blunt concerning the consequences of adhering to His teachings, noting, “You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22).

 

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[1] https://www.dailywire.com/news/national-counseling-organizations-push-transgender-ideology-on-mental-health-professionals-in-schools

 [2] https://firstliberty.org/protection-kits/

 

God Will Provide ---- Unless the Government Gets There First

During my ten years serving in the Colorado State Legislature, first as a State Representative and then as a State Senator, I was constantly faced with bills that directly usurped the traditional role of the church by providing functions that the religious community had done for two thousand years, and families before that.  

Several years ago, a friend of mine sent me this article, by W. Bradford Wilcox which highlights this continuing and troubling trend.  While I realize we will never get back to these past era, our awareness of the continual usurpation of church functions by government should be ever on our minds. -- Sen. Dave Schultheis

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123690880933515111.html

Secularism seems to be on the march in America. This week, a new study from the Program on Public Values at Trinity College found that the number of Americans claiming no religion now stands at 15%, up from 8% in 1990 and 2% in 1962.

The secular tide appears to be running strongest among young Americans. Religious attendance among those 21 to 45 years old is at its lowest level in decades, according to Princeton sociologist Robert Wuthnow. Only 25% of young adults now attend services regularly, compared with about one-third in the early 1970s.

The most powerful force driving religious participation down is the nation's recent retreat from marriage, Mr. Wuthnow notes. Nothing brings women and especially men into the pews like marriage and parenthood, as they seek out the religious, moral and social support provided by a congregation upon starting a family of their own. But because growing numbers of young adults are now postponing or avoiding marriage and childbearing, they are also much less likely to end up in church on any given Sunday. Mr. Wuthnow estimates that America's houses of worship would have about six million more regularly attending young adults if today's young men and women started families at the rate they did three decades ago.

Now, President Barack Obama seems poised to give secularism in America another boost, however inadvertently. This may come as a surprise to some, given Mr. Obama's outreach to religious voters last fall, his strong showing among them in the election and his eagerness to cultivate the faithful since. The White House has even been opening many of Mr. Obama's public appearances with a prayer, sometimes surpassing presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton in displays of public piety.

Nevertheless, the president's audacious plans for the expansion of the government -- from the stimulus to health-care reform to a larger role in education -- are likely to spell trouble for the vitality of American religion. His $3.6 trillion budget for fiscal 2010 would bring federal, state and local spending to about 40% of the gross domestic product -- within hailing distance of Europe, where state spending runs about 46% of GDP. The European experience suggests that the growth of the welfare state goes hand in hand with declines in personal religiosity.

A recent study of 33 countries by Anthony Gill and Erik Lundsgaarde found an inverse relationship between religious observance and welfare spending. Countries with larger welfare states, such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark, had markedly lower levels of religious attendance, affiliation and trust in God than countries with a history of limited government, such as the U.S., the Philippines and Brazil. Public spending amounts to more than one half of the GDP in Sweden, where only 4% of the population regularly attends church. By contrast, public spending amounts to 18% of the Philippines' GDP, and 68% of Filipinos regularly attend church.

"For many centuries, average citizens and local communities have often relied upon the support of religious organizations to meet their various social needs, including assistance for the poor, counseling in times of crisis and education for the young," explains Mr. Gill, a political scientist at the University of Washington. "But as the welfare state has expanded, many people have found that they can get these same services from the government without having to give a time commitment to the local church."

Other research indicates that religious giving also falls when the welfare state increases its spending. MIT economist Jonathan Gruber and Notre Dame economist Daniel Hungerman found that charitable spending by churches declined 30% in the wake of the New Deal and that nearly all of the decrease can be accounted for by increases in public spending in the 1930s. They conclude that "government spending does crowd out private charity, at least through churches."

A successful Obama revolution providing cradle-to-career education and cradle-to-grave health care would reduce the odds that Americans would turn to their local religious congregations and fellow believers for economic, social, emotional and spiritual aid. Fewer Americans would also be likely to feel obliged to help their fellow citizens through local churches and charities.

This is not to say that the health of the American religious sector depends only on some level of economic or social dislocation to attract people to congregations. Many Americans are religious for reasons that have nothing to do with the mutual aid found in churches and charities, such as the desire to be in a personal relationship with God or to keep faith with important family traditions. But the reasons for going to church are not so easily separated. And many of those who initially turn to religious organizations for mutual aid end up developing a faith that is as supernatural as it is material. But first they need to enter the door.

Mr. Wilcox is a professor of sociology at the University of Virginia.

Legislators...Watch those Bills

Vigilance Needed from Legislators to Protect Liberty

During my decade as a Colorado legislator, it became evident that most legislators fail to use a limited-government filter when drafting legislation.  To further our freedoms, individual liberties must be considered first and foremost when evaluating legislation.  Much legislation is simply created as a response to current events of the day with little or no regard to long-range consequences.  The result, most often is a growth in the power and control of the bureaucracy over the individual. While legislation is generally proposed with good intentions, it is too-often crafted at the expense of the personal liberty of the citizens represented.

Observing this trend, caused me to develop a heightened sensitivity to the erosion of personal liberty, which in turn led me to adopt the philosophy of voting NO on bills that could not be proven to advance liberty or prevent its erosion in some way.  To create a degree of voting consistency based on limited government, I developed a set of filters which I used when analyzing each piece of legislation.  Some will say the list is too long; I submit, however that its very length indicates the many ways our personal liberties can be usurped. 

 Although this list was initially crafted as a guide for Colorado's state legislators, many of the questions would equally apply to  City Council members and County Commissioners as they too pass regulations, resolutions and the like that affect the individual liberties of the citizens they represent.

The following is a list of "filters" that if considered by politicians would hopefully reduce the frequent erosion of our personal liberties.

A “YES” to ANY of the following questions should  trigger a “NO” vote from conservative legislators.

        

• Does the bill limit personal liberty/freedom, personal responsibility or free enterprise?
• Does the bill exert greater government influence over our personal lives or that of the business community?
• Does the bill allow the government to meddle in free enterprise?
• Does the bill increase taxes, fees, or regulation costs on individuals or businesses?
• Could the bill eventually lead to an increase in taxes/fees or violate the spirit or intent of the Taxpayers Bill of Rights? 
• Does the bill erode an individual's property rights in any form?
• Does the bill redistribute wealth?
• Does the bill promote equality rather than equal opportunity?
• Does the bill concern itself with groups rather than individual citizens?
• Does the bill infringe on the rule-of-law?
• Does the bill in any way promote illegal immigration? 
• Does the bill fall outside the purview of the U.S. or state constitution?
• Does the bill negatively impact the traditional family?
• Does the bill lessen the authority of the parents over their children?
• Does the bill negatively impact the faith community or an individual’s right of conscience?
• Does the bill usurp the historical role of the religious community
• Does the bill run counter to traditional moral values?
• Does the bill negatively affect the sanctity of life?
• Does the bill further entangle the state with the Federal government? (or receive Federal funds)? see WSJ Article:
  http://www.wsj.com/articles/james-l-buckley-how-congress-bribes-states-to-give-up-power-1419541292
• Does bill increase the state’s budget over that of the previous year?
• Does the bill allow for funding through gifts, grants and donations?(i.e.by special-interest groups) 
• Does the bill increase a citizen’s dependency on government services?
• Does the bill allow increased government influence on K-12-aged children (i.e. Pre-Kindergarten, Full-day Kindergarten, or daycare?) 
• Does the bill require one or more government agencies to collect personal or business data?
• Does the bill reduce transparency of government operations?
• Does the bill diminish local control?
• Does the bill reduce a person's right to self-defense?
• Does the bill decrease the integrity of the voting system in any manner?
• Does the bill refer to "comprehensive" changes? 
• Does the bill transfer money from a specific-use cash-fund account for a non-related use?
• Does the bill’s passage seem to be advocated by organized “stakeholder” groups (stakeholder groups almost always require taxpayer dollars to further their future income under the guise of "helping" others.)