A Sikh student in Georgia's Peachtree Charter Middle School was repeatedly harassed by classmates for his faith, according to a complaint filed by the Sikh Coalition. Now, the Department of Justice has announced an agreement requiring the school district in Dekalb County to implement harassment training and protect the child.

In the 2013-14 term, the school district must work with a consultant to develop and implement anti-harassment training at Peachtree Charter and Dunwoody High School, where the boy is expected to enroll next term, that addresses bias based on religion and national origin. The district also must immediately implement a plan to keep the boy safe when he is at school and is harassed.

The agreement goes so far as to specify where the three boys accused of harassing the other will sit on the bus and where the boy who was their target will sit.

No student should be ostracized and mistreated because of their faith or religious heritage. School officials should remember too that the bulliers cause this problem, not the student willing to complain.

When Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Military Religious Freedom Foundation head Mikey Weinstein decide to argue an issue head-to-head, there is about a zero percent chance the tone will be calm and deferential. Bachmann took to the political arena, calling church-state advocates like Weinstein "anti-Christian" in a campaign letter to her supporters. She also accuses church-state separationists of wanting to deny military personnel the right to practice their faith.

Sheesh. So much for a thoughtful discussion of the fragile line between religious exercise and improper coercion in the context of military relationships and structures.

Not to be outdone, Weinstein is threatening to sue Rep. Bachmann for her statements.

"We are caucusing with our legal counsel to consider the most expeditious course of action we can take in a federal court to stop these bald-faced lies," Weinstein tells Whispers of Bachmann's email and pledge. Bachmann's office did not respond to multiple requests for comment. "About 96 percent of our members [at MRFF] are Protestant or Roman Catholic... of our unpaid volunteers, at least well over 80 percent are Christian... I say [to Bachmann]: Tell it to the judge."

Meanwhile, a joint statement of Southern Baptist leaders suggests at an organized anti-Christian campaign of suspicious activity (which some people call a conspiracy) while promising that is not what they are suggesting.   ("We have no interest in fomenting conspiracy theories or faux outrage... At the same time..."; "We reject any and all attempts to sensationalize or misrepresent situations, in this or any other context. Having said that...").

All of this over a report that has been thoroughly rebutted by the military. The reiteration of policy is not a change in policy. I guess non-news won't stop some from having a rhetorical field day.

Efforts to repeal the Louisiana Science Education Act fell short again last week when the state's Senate Education Committee voted 3-2 to table the proposal. The legislation has been in effect since 2008. It allows teachers to bring in materials from outside the curriculum that are critical of scientific theories like evolution.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune has more:

"The LSE Act is a bad law, not because of its spirit, but because of its failure to provide the necessary restrictions, standards, and guidelines required in order for the original intent to be successfully realized," said Tammy Wood, a Zachary-area teacher who received the 1991 Louisiana Presidential Award for science education.

She said more restrictions should be placed on what type of supplemental materials should be used and "which represent mere nonsense masquerading as a viable alternative."

Lawmakers in opposition to the repeal repeatedly asked for proof that teachers were introducing religious texts in classrooms and using the Science Act to do it. Those testifying said there had been no public complaints made to the Department of Education.

One inspiring element of this story is the initial push to repeal was led by a high school student. Even though the bill stays in place for now, Zach Kopplin deserves much credit for bringing the issue to the forefront and coming as close as he has to turning back the bill.

It's May. That means flowers are blooming, the cover's coming off the gas grill, and lawsuit threats are flying from all directions over commencement prayers. Am I the only one that gauges the time of year based on the church-state disputes in the air?

After complaints that last year's graduation ceremonies contained too much inappropriate religious talk, Houston County schools in Georgia are going to try following the law this time around.

No prayers, hymns or religious references will come from Houston County school system employees at upcoming graduation ceremonies, but it doesn’t mean the events will be God-free zones.

In the wake of litigation threats over religious content in last year’s graduations, Superintendent Robin Hines said the law is clear that school employees cannot inject religion into the ceremonies, but what others may choose to do is up to them. Graduation is May 24-25.

This doesn't make everyone happy, of course. Parents unaccustomed to the law being followed in their county's schools are the ones complaining now. But school officials here are doing the right thing, choosing the First Amendment over the cultural traditions of the 1950s. 

To read more about God and graduation, here's a good BJC piece on the topic. The title sums things up nicely: "Graduation prayers should not do indirectly what is prohibited directly."

Military chaplains minister to the spiritual needs of personnel, but are barred from proselytizing their religious point of view to servicemen and women unless they are seeking guidance voluntarily.  In the same way, military officials may not use their positions of authority to promote religion or mandate religious activities. Neither may they base rewards and punishments on personnel's religion. These are not new policies.

But you would never know that by following the recent conservative tempest after the Pentagon reiterated that position last week. Groups including the Family Research Council are up in arms over the possibility that military leaders may be discussing ways to enforce those longstanding regulations. Earlier today the Department of Defense moved to quell rumors that an actual shift in policy is under way to target Christians.

"The U.S. Department of Defense has never and will never single out a particular religious group for persecution or prosecution," Pentagon spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen said in a statement. "The Department makes reasonable accommodations for all religions and celebrates the religious diversity of our service members."

"Service members can share their faith (evangelize), but must not force unwanted, intrusive attempts to convert others of any faith or no faith to one's beliefs (proselytization)," Christensen added.

As Brent Walker has written before, chaplains should aid the military in accommodating religion, not promoting religion. Enlistees should not be forced to choose between serving their country and being true to their conscience. Nothing about that axiom is a new development. You can read more from Stars and Stripes on the Pentagon's clarification here.

The separation of church and state deserves special thought today. Our Constitution guarantees the right to pray or not to pray, to believe according to the dictates of our conscience, and to be led by a government that honors those choices by refraining from promoting religion. That distance maintains and guarantees our religious freedom. It also preserves the act of free will that makes real and honest our personal religious decisions.

For Baptists like me, whose beliefs rely on principles of Soul Freedom and the Priesthood of All Believers, that distance honors not just my freedom but my faith.

All of that seems worth thinking about today, the presidentially-proclaimed National Day of Prayer. As the Baptist Joint Committee argues, such a day is unnecessary.

"There is nothing wrong with the American people getting together to pray on a designated day, even public officials," BJC Executive Director Brent Walker said. "In fact every day should be a day of national prayer." However, "the government shouldn't be in the business of telling the American people what, where or when to pray or even if they should pray, " Walker said.

"The problem with the National Day of Prayer is that it is an official act of the government urging citizens to engage in a religious exercise," he said.

I understand why government wants to encourage prayer. When Congress passed the law mandating this proclamation, no doubt they wanted to uplift and honor the role of faith in American life. But, respectfully, it's not all that helpful. We should have the space to figure such things out for ourselves. The separation of church and state is good for both.

Via Religion Clause, a lawsuit has been filed in Carroll County, Maryland, over the County Commission's practice of opening meetings with sectarian prayer. Commissioners lead the prayer on a rotating basis. The Complaint alleges the prayers are often explicitly Christian.

According to the legal filing, prayers containing the Christian references “Jesus,” “Lord” and “Savior” were delivered on more than 50 separate occasions at board meetings held during 2011 and 2012. In March 2012, the Appignani Humanist Legal Center of the American Humanist Association sent a letter to the Board of County Commissioners explaining how such prayers are unconstitutional. No reply was received.
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According to the complaint, the plaintiffs in the case find the sectarian prayers “divisive and exclusionary, leaving them to conclude that they are unwelcome at Board meetings and political outsiders in their own community.”

Commissioners like those representing Carroll County would like to believe they act only on their own behalf when they conduct official business meetings. But that is not the case. Official government business impacts and represents all constituents, reflecting a wide range of religious belief and non-belief. While the Supreme Court has allowed ceremonial prayer to consecrate legislative sessions, such prayers - if they must be delivered - should be inclusive and non-sectarian.

Fair is fair. After a Bible distribution group was allowed on high school campuses in Orange County Florida to make scripture available to high school students, officials realize they must provide the same opportunity to an atheist group. Freethinkers will make pamphlets available tomorrow entitled "What is Wrong with the Ten Commandments?" and "Ten Myths About Atheists."

The Orlando Sentinel has more:

"We want to close the door to religion in schools, not open it to Freethought," said David Williamson, organizer of the Central Florida Freethought Community. But "if they're going to have a religious discussion on campus, we need to be a part of it," he said.
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The materials will be left on a table in a common area for students to take. Volunteers may not interact with the students, and can only replenish materials if they run out. The Bible distribution had to follow the same rules.

To his credit, the head of the Bible distribution organization in question, World Changers, supports other organizations' right to distribute literature. But is this what we want our public school experience to include? Should schools become a battleground for religious and anti-religious advocates competing for the minds and souls of adolescent children? Isn't that important enough to leave for families to oversee in their homes and houses of worship?

Today the US Commission on International Religious Freedom released their annual report. One of the primary features of the annual report is its recommendations for the State Department's list of Countries of Particular Concern, the most notorious violators of religious freedom in the world.

For the last few years, the State Department's CPC list has consisted of 8 nations, while the USCIRF report has recommended 16, with several others named to a watch list. As I dutifully read the introductory material to this year's report, I noticed something. They only recommended 15 countries for the CPC list this year, not 16. So, a country is actually doing better? It turns out yes. Turkey was taken off the list. Not only is Turkey not recommended for particular concern, it isn't even on this year's watch list, which the Commission is now referring to as Tier 2.  Read on to see what Turkey is now doing right. From the report:

For the last several years Turkey has implemented a number of reforms to begin to rectify many of the longstanding restrictions on the country’s diverse religious communities. These new policies and initiatives, which relate to returning expropriated minority properties, loosening the ban on headscarves, and issues related to textbook reforms and increased educational opportunities, among others, indicate that Turkey is moving in a positive direction with regard to religious freedom. In addition, a parliamentary commission is currently engaged in redrafting the national constitution, which many believe will support greater human rights, including religious freedom. The political and societal climate in Turkey over the last several years has also been more open to public debate on religious freedom matters.