An Ohio school teacher ordered to remove a tapestry of the Ten Commandments from his classroom complied, but refuses to obey an order to remove his Bible from off his desk. Science teacher John Freshwater has taught for 20 years, but has never taught from, or preached out of, his Bible to students. He contends that he is being unfairly discriminated against in what amounts to viewpoint discrimination and infringement on his sincerely held religious beliefs.
Dave Daubenmire of Pass The Salt Ministries is a spokesman for Freshwater, and he made this timely observation:
Please notice that the attack on religious freedom in America is on Christianity. No one is trying to silence the religious freedom of Muslims or atheists or humanists. Quite the contrary. We are told to ‘understand’ Muslims, to be sensitive to the atheists and to tolerate the humanists and their various denominations of ‘isms’ (environmentalism, feminism, secularism, socialism, communism), which we teach openly in our schools. 1
Students at the school are responding to the religious persecution by supporting the popular teacher. They are using cell phones, the internet, and other means to organize a “take-your-Bible-to-school day.”2
Notes:
1. World Net Daily, “Students proclaim ‘take-your-Bible’ day Rally in support of teacher ordered to hide Good Book,“
April 18, 2008. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=61903
2. Alexander J. Sheffrin, “Ohio Teacher Refuses to Remove Bible From Classroom,” Christian Post,April 18, 2008.
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080418/32015_Ohio_Teacher_
Refuses_to_Remove_Bible_From_Classroom.htm
