Christian Message Boards: Door 'Blown Open' for Religious Clubs

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Posted by barrykind (Member # 35) on :

Door 'Blown Open' for Religious Clubs in LA Schools

By Rusty Pugh
July 12, 2002

(AgapePress) - A pro-family attorney says a California court ruling that allows a Christian club to meet on school grounds will open the door for other Christian groups to meet without fear of discrimination.

A California district court has awarded a preliminary injunction to Child Evangelism Fellowship, organizer of the Good News Club -- a religious after-school club for elementary children. Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel says the court has ruled that the Good News Club cannot be discriminated against, and they may continue to meet in school facilities, free of charge. Staver says this ruling opens the door that has traditionally been shut to religious clubs in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

"The door has now been blown open," Staver says. "Essentially what this ruling allows is to transport your Sunday school to your public school. And this also provides that the use of this facility must be free, in this case, since the school also allows the Boy Scouts to use the facilities free of charge."

Staver says the school district denied the club access to a meeting room, and the court found that unconstitutional. "This means now that schools may not discriminate, may not bar Christian after-school clubs from coming on campus, from sharing the gospel, from singing Christian songs, from reading the Bible, from teaching right and wrong, character development, and morals," the attorney says.

Staver says the Supreme Court has already removed barriers these religious clubs once encountered, and now the California court has recognized that. He adds that so far, 72 children have signed up to attend the Good News Club meeting.

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