Supreme Court Says ‘Yes’ to Religious Liberties

Antonio Peck almost certainly didn’t intend to spark a federal case of religious liberties when he included Jesus in an elementary-school art project. The U.S. Supreme Court recently dealt a blow to those who would censor Antonio and other school children who express their religious beliefs in school assignments.

The high court let stand a federal appeals court ruling that prohibited public-school officials from censoring the religious viewpoints of students. The appeals court ruled in Antonio’s favor last October, and the Supreme Court declined to hear the school district’s appeal.

Antonio’s picture of Jesus appeared in a class assignment regarding students’ understanding of the environment. Jesus wasn’t named in Antonio’s picture, and He wasn’t the sole focus of it. School officials displayed his picture with other students’ but folded over the picture to obscure the likeness of Jesus (as well as half of Antonio’s name).

School officials contended the picture violated the so-called doctrine of separation of church and state, then refused to apologize to Antonio or make any other remedy of the situation. A court case became necessary to affirm the rights of students like Antonio to express their religious beliefs without the intervention of well-intentioned but mistaken school administrators.

Source:  www.centerformoralclarity.net

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