While the attempt to exclude repeal of the Johnson Amendment, which prevents churches and other 501(c)(3) charities from campaigning in elections, from the sweeping tax “reform” law was successful, there are numerous bills in the Senate that are attempting to do just that. Please help us to prevent this from happening by calling your Missouri Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blount, or Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth. (202-224-3121 is the Congressional switchboard -ask for the Senator by name). You can also ask for a Representative’s office at the same number. See the AU blog on this issue!
An op-ed by Ellen P. Aprill about why the Johnson Amendment is so important was published in the New York Times on December 10. The Washington Post reported on December 11 that the repeal no longer appears in the GOP tax “reform” draft proposal. Thanks to all of you who contacted legislators about this important matter.
We had planned to have State Representative Stacey Newman, who represents the 87th district give us an update on happenings in the legislature, but her work in Jefferson City kept her there. However, we were very pleased and fortunate to have Anti-defamation League Regional Director Karen Aroesty provide a broader view of the law with respect to religious freedom. The meeting was at 7:00 pm on April 20 at The Center of Clayton, 50 Gay Avenue in Clayton. Light refreshments were served, and over twenty members attended. This was also our official Annual Meeting, and four current board members were re-elected.
Rev. Lynn has provided outstanding leadership to AU for 25 years. He has visited our Chapter many times, and will be missed. The announcement of his retirement at the end of 2017 is on the AU national website.
After using a drastic procedural maneuver to end a 36-hour Democratic filibuster, Republicans in the Missouri Senate yesterday (3/9/2016) voted for SJR 39, that would allow discrimination against same-sex wedding ceremonies, in direct contravention to recent US Supreme Court rulings. The action has drawn criticism and derision for Missouri across the country, including a scathing commentary from AU’s national headquarters.
AU Board members have been reading a very interesting but very depressing (from our point of view) book, “The Good News Club: The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children“, by Katherine Stewart. Because of a 2001 Supreme Court ruling, Good News Club v. Milford Central School, public schools are largely defenseless against evangelical organizations (GNC being the most active, best-funded, and nefarious) who are taking over public schools for activities aimed primarily at children between 4 and 14. Even more alarming is that churches are being “planted” in public school buildings across the country, including here in St. Louis. If you are wondering what “planting” means, it is just as bad as it sounds. Public school buildings, including auditoriums and classrooms are taken over (at minimal ‘rent’, usually covering only utilities) for regular Sunday church services and Sunday schools. Katherine Stewart’s book describes these movements in detail, and the picture is not pretty. Read the book.
Most Americans will agree that academic freedom is important in any educational setting.
Kwame Mensah
In 1987, the U.S Supreme Court handed down a ruling that invalidated a Louisiana law that required public schools in that state to offer a “balanced treatment” between the theory of evolution and creationism in their science classes.
It has been 27 years since the Edwards vs. Aguillard ruling. Since that time, several lower federal courts have struck down the idea of teaching creationism in public schools.
Unfortunately, the issue is still alive and well.
Some religious fundamentalists have began to regroup and change the language of creationism to make it sound more appealing.
The terms and strategies to reintroduce creationism back into the sphere of public education are as follows: “evidence against evolution,” “the theory of abrupt appearance” and, of course, “intelligent design.”
Whatever the repackaging scheme, the core ideas consist of the same old biblical fundamentalism fronting as legitimate science.
In addition to the new terms, creationists have attempted to adapt the strategy of wanting to only have a discussion about this supposedly “controversial” issue called evolution.
The assertion of the religious fundamentalist is that they serve as spokespeople for “academic freedom,” a claim made in proposed legislation in many states this year.
So the question becomes, what’s the endgame? The answer is quite old and simple.
It seems to be a pernicious attempt to sway young people who are already disillusioned with science or more difficult concepts, who would now be offered an easier answer to “where did we come from?”
The fundamentalist answer is, “God did it.”
Just having that creationist option in the science classroom would lead to further confusion and distortion of what we as a civilization know about the physical world.
As a teacher I know that the future of our nation depends and belongs to the scientifically literate, specifically in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math.
Students who enter college without the rigorous enrichment of evolutionary theory and its principles suffer a disadvantage.
The good news is that with the exception of a few Christian fundamentalist schools, colleges and universities teach evolution unapologetically and without controversy.
That is, for now.
.Appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch May 2, 2014: Mensah is a contributor to STLtoday.com/religion. He serves as a board member on the St. Louis Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
While the attempt to exclude repeal of the Johnson Amendment, which prevents churches and other 501(c)(3) charities from campaigning in elections, from the sweeping tax “reform” law was successful, there are numerous bills in the Senate that are attempting to do just that. Please help us to prevent this from happening by calling your Missouri Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blount, or Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth. (202-224-3121 is the Congressional switchboard -ask for the Senator by name). You can also ask for a Representative’s office at the same number. See the AU blog on this issue!
