Renee Griffith, valedictorian of Butte High School in Montana, attributes her achievements to her belief in God and His Son who gave His life for our salvation.
School officials did not accept her motivations for excellence and told her to replace the words, "God," “Christ,” “His joy,” and “from God with a passionate love for Him” with something more generic like “my faith,” "lived with a purpose," and “a love of mankind.” They told her she could thank anyone she wanted when giving her valedictorian speech, but she could not attribute any achievements to her belief in God.
“I didn't let fear keep me from sharing Christ and His joy with those around me,”
“I learned not to be known for my grades or for what I did during school, but for being committed to my faith and morals and being someone who lived with a purpose from God with a passionate love for Him.”
Miss Griffith could not see herself in denying what was True and, therefore, was told she would not be speaking at her school's 2008 graduation ceremony in spite of her superior academia. Since this was a violation of her rights as an American, she complained to Montana’s Human Rights Bureau; and they dismissed her complaint.
In April 2009, she filed a complaint in the Montana Thirteenth Judicial District Court. Her attorney William J. O'Connor II argued that the requirements of principal John Metz and superintendent Charles Uggetti, "were not reasonable in light of the purposes of the graduation ceremony and were contrary to the School District regulations."
The judge who heard the case disagreed. In February of this year, Judge Gregory Todd ruled against her complaint saying the school was not unlawfully discriminatory toward her religious beliefs. He wrote that “A high school graduation ceremony is not intended to be a forum for expression of individual student religious views.” He further determined that the school must by policy prohibit religious references in order to maintain 'neutrality toward religion' as required by the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
HOWEVER, he is mistaken. There is no such prohibition as required by any policy. Any student at any school may give a faith-based speech on their own behalf and according to their own will. According to the U.S. Department of Education, there is a prohibition against teachers and administrators from discouraging activity because of its religious content.
“Students may express their beliefs about religion in the form of homework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free of discrimination based on the religious content of their submissions.”According to Attorney O'Connor, "The question is not whether she was trying to espouse religion, which she was not, whether she was trying to promote religion on behalf of the school which she was not. She was only trying to give her personal beliefs and the court's decision says if the personal belief is of a religious nature, they would not allow it."
Judge Gregory Todd's opinion will be appealed to the Montana State Supreme Court. “This is a case of pure censorship and a denial of the freedom of speech,” said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. “If we don’t begin protecting the right to free speech in the schools, we are going to lose the right to speak entirely.”
Ironically, Judge Todd ended his written ruling with verses from the Bible:
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
From the Montana Constitution:
Section 5. Freedom of religion. The state shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
Section 7. Freedom of speech, expression, and press. No law shall be passed impairing the freedom of speech or expression. Every person shall be free to speak or publish whatever he will on any subject, being responsible for all abuse of that liberty. In all suits and prosecutions for libel or slander the truth thereof may be given in evidence; and the jury, under the direction of the court, shall determine the law and the facts.
Pertinent quotes:
"What students would learn in American schools above all is the religion of Jesus Christ." George Washington"A serious problem in America is the gap between academe and the mass media, which is our culture. Professors of humanities, with all their leftist fantasies, have little direct knowledge of American life and no impact whatever on public policy." - Camille Paglia
"I realized early on that the academy and the literary world alike -- and I don't think there really is a distinction between the two -- are always dominated by fools, knaves, charlatans, and bureaucrats. And that being the case, any human being, male or female, of whatever status, who has a voice of her or his own, is not going to be liked." - Harold Bloom
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