Faith

Update: Va. School Reverses Ban on Students’ Ten Commandments

A recent decision by Giles County, Va., school administrators to remove framed copies of the Ten Commandments from its hallways prompted a number of students to tape up copies of the religious laws on their individual lockers in protest. In nearby Floyd County, students posted the Commandments as a sign of solidarity until their own school administrators banned the practice.

The Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit “litigation, education and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom,” reports:

On February 23, Jacob Agee and other students who are members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes posted copies of the Ten Commandments on their assigned lockers. Very quickly thereafter, Principal Barry Hollandsworth and Assistant Principal Tony Deibler removed each copy. Liberty Counsel then sent a letter to the Floyd County High School administration, requesting the reversal of their censorship of religious material posted by school students on the face of the students’ lockers. Liberty Counsel gave school officials two weeks to reverse course or face a federal lawsuit.

In a letter (.pdf)addressed to the Liberty Counsel released Thursday, Floyd County Division Superintendent Terry Arbogast announced that school administrators were reviewing and revising their policies governing students’ rights to post non-school items on their individual lockers.  In the meantime, Arbogast wrote, students will be able to post copies of the Ten Commandments on their lockers as requested.

The Liberty Council immediately praised the decision.

A tour of the school reveals a variety of student expressions of school spirit, support of activities, birthday well wishes, social causes, and so on. In this case, the school has opened up student lockers for student expression but was monitoring and censoring religious speech. To censor the Ten Commandments under these circumstances clearly violated the students’ free speech.

Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, stated, “We are very pleased that the students at Floyd County High School can post the Ten Commandments on their lockers. I applaud the school officials for doing the right thing, and I am especially proud of the students. There is a crucial difference between government speech endorsing religion and student speech endorsing religion. While a school could prohibit all stickers on student lockers, school officials cannot selectively discriminate against religious viewpoints, while allowing other secular viewpoints.”

“There is a crucial difference between government speech endorsing religion and student speech endorsing religion,” the organization concluded.  “While a school could prohibit all stickers on student lockers, school officials cannot selectively discriminate against religious viewpoints. We are especially proud of these students.”

Meanwhile, students at Giles High School are continuing to protest the removal of the Ten Commandments from their schools.  Earlier this week, more than 200 students staged a walk-out to protest the school board’s decision.

Comments (53)

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  • batteredtaxpayer
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 5:43pm

    One reason why I live in Virginia!

    Report Post »  
  • cranes
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 4:27pm

    Okay, now let’s take this one step further. Bring back Bible reading to schools. It is noted that our founding fathers were pretty smart men. Could it be because of daily Bible reading. I may produce smarter kids from our schools. After all Wisdom is the principal thing.
    Proverbs 4:7
    The beginning of Wisdom is: get Wisdom (skillful and godly Wisdom)! [For skillful and godly Wisdom is the principal thing.] And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation).

    Report Post »  
  • Greyhound424
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 2:53pm

    We need to get the government out of our damn business! Remove them from the schools! Our schools would be so much better for our kids! I’ll bet that even the test scores would go up in leaps and bounds!

    Report Post »  
  • adp1223
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 2:35pm

    Ugh, it drives me crazy when people talk about student “rights” in a public school. First of all, if they’re minors, they have no rights. Secondly, if they’re not minors, they don’t have to be there. Parents only make things worse by promoting and encouraging things such as walk outs based upon censorship when public students are not entitled to the right of free speech. If they don’t like it, they can pull them out and send them to private school or home school.

    Issues like these would also be fixed if the states adopted a voucher system for schooling. Don’t like the way your students school handles manners such as this? Send them (and your money) to a different school. Inject a little bit of capitalism in the system, and all of a sudden, customer satisfaction starts to be important.

    Report Post » adp1223  
  • Rowgue
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 12:21pm

    And these kids actually know what they’re protesting about, unlike the clueless clowns dragged out to the union protests in Wisconsin by their incompetent teachers.

    Report Post »  
  • rienheart
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 12:01pm

    VIRGINIA FIRST IN FREEDOM!!! Right on Youngins, show them Old Bastids your Mettle!! Don’t back Down!!! Your Parents Should be proud of you.

    Report Post »  
  • thetwilightzone
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 11:46am

    Unlike the students in Wisconsin who are helping to protest Scott Walker, these students actually have a legitimate reason to protest and unlike Wisconsin, I’ll bet every one of these students know what it is they are protesting. Good for them

    Report Post »  
  • voiceoffreedom
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 11:18am

    The old adage rings true: You’ve gotta stand for something or you’ll fall for anything.

    Keep standing firm!

    Report Post »  
  • Tea Party Conservatism
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 11:08am

    “…that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…”
    God given rights are unalienable! No God = no unalienable Rights. No Rights = no freedom. Rights are diminished to mere privaleges granted by the whim of those who hold themselves unequal to others, whether favoring few or many, are easily revoked or denied. This is why communism, fascism, progresive socialism as practiced by liberal democrats, or any other form of collectivist totalitarianism are antithetical to freedom of religion and liberty.

    Report Post » Tea Party Conservatism  
  • Political Junkie
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 10:33am

    Thanks God for your courage!! Please keep up the good fight. It is so inspirational to see young kids sticking up for God instead of degrading him and everything that deals with our Creator. Please don’t give up the fight.

    Report Post »  
  • blackcatrun
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 10:29am

    Notice something? These kids know what they are protesting for..unlike other studant moments caught on tape in anouther state.

    Report Post »  
  • Rob
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 10:28am

    The progressives think they are doing good… they just can‘t understand I don’t WANT them doing good for me. LEAVE ME ALONE!

    Report Post »  
  • Augie Dog
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 9:22am

    To GBISAPL,I know your post was a smart-ass comment. Trouble is if you were smart instead of an ASS you would already know the answer to your ignorant post……..just sayin!!

    Report Post »  
  • temple62
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 8:12am

    Giles County, Va.School Board, Administration and teachers need to find work elsewhere perhaps in Libya where they won’t be faced with the dreaded “Ten Commandments” starring them in their atheistic faces. Gaddafi will welcome you with a 21 gun salute!

    Report Post » temple62  
  • The Third Archon
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 3:10am

    I agree with the idea the peoples’ rights should not be truncated just because they are at school (especially when they are required to do so), and I believe that it is the fundamental right of every American citizen (and a principal I think ought be applicable to the world writ large) to express themselves religiously inasmuch as their devotional practice doesn’t actively harm others (i.e. no human sacrifice).

    As a secular humanist and firm proponent of reason, however, I find the very idea that one ought to be religious laughable. Nevertheless, the right to choose to do so is a sacred freedom that must naturally express itself from the freedom of thought–people must have the freedom to be wrong, if ever we hope to find truth.

    Report Post » The Third Archon  
  • malaglot
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 12:58am

    Nice. Constitution guarantees freedom of religion not freedom from religion. It’s time these schools actually take time to read our documents.

    Report Post » malaglot  
  • Eyeball
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 12:53am

    I earlier proposed that the school district vote out all of those who were involved in removing the 10 Commandments. Now that they have reconsidered, I would STILL vote them out.

    Report Post » Eyeball  
  • havefaith
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 12:17am

    the kids are alright rehang framed copies in hallway as before and ask why they were removed that started the problem not posting the lockers who ever did this should expain thier actions man up show up like your students did

    Report Post »  
  • VA firebrand
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 12:04am

    These kids will learn more thru these actions than they would in school.
    God bless them – they are the new patriots.

    Report Post »  
  • EdgeOfForever
    Posted on March 12, 2011 at 12:02am

    The (First) amendment prohibits the making of any law……….impeding the free exercise of religion…..”

    That should be the only defense needed. Funny how the above quote gets overlooked by groups like the ACLU.

    Report Post » EdgeOfForever  
  • Midwest Blonde
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 11:39pm

    Good for these kids! Keep it up!!

    **********

    The separation between Church & State is often misused and misquoted.

    This is the entire first amendment: (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution)

    “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

    It quite literally means that Congress shall not establish a [state] religion, nor prohibit the free exercise of religion. This does not say a religious article can not be displayed on State property (such as a Nativity at Christmas), because the “state” is not establishing a religion by allowing it’s display. This includes ANY religious article, Christian, Jewish or otherwise.

    In a letter in response to a religious group, Thomas Jefferson wrote this: (and THIS is where the concept of “separation between Church & State” originated)

    “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.”

    The full text of Thomas Jefferson’s letter is at this URL (bottom of the page)
    http://www.usconstitution.net/jeffwall.html

    The letter to which he as replying is found here:
    http://candst.tripod.com/tnppage/baptist.htm

    Report Post » Midwest Blonde  
    • fordfan
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 3:27pm

      THAAAAAANK YOU, M. Blonde!!!!! At least one other person actually understands the first amendment! God Bless these kids and anyone else willing to make this type of statement.

      Report Post »  
  • UpstateNYConservative
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 11:33pm

    What? Allow the Commandments to be visible? What…what..what?

    Why…Moslem and atheist students might be offended! Why….Michael Moore might be offend if he sees a photo of the Commandments on a bigoted racist student’s locker! Oh, the humanity!

    (writing such sarcasm made my eyes bleed)

    Religious or not, the Commandments are hard to debate. So are the teachings of Jesus.

    I find that all so funny, really. Liberals hate when Christians mention the Lord, yet run right to “Love thy neighbor as thyself” as if they (liberals) have a corner on that market. Liberals then say we shoud never invi=oke the Name of the Lord.

    Well, you libs, who do you think is the One who gave us Christians our values?

    (Hint: Sure as God made little green apples it wasn’t Marx)

    Report Post » UpstateNYConservative  
    • Dale
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 10:51am

      Upstate; Liberals/progressives do not love others – they love themselves.

      Report Post » Dale  
  • dontbotherme
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 9:39pm

    This is a walkout that I am proud of. I will never understand why the 10 Commandments are so awful. All they do is put a limit on sin & teach how to love.

    Report Post »  
    • Mil Mom
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 12:20am

      But if you refuse to listen to a conscience telling you that you really are not a god,( as a WH biggie just told students they are )they are suuuuuuuuuuuuuuch a downer!

      Report Post » Mil Mom  
  • GBECKFAN
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 3:56pm

    GOD bless these students!!

    Report Post »  
  • calamari12
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 3:52pm

    Good for these kids. They are smart and able to stand for what they believe. Hope they have several copies of the Commandments ’cause I‘m sure this isn’t over and they may need to replace their papers a few times. Two thumbs way up!!

    Report Post »  
    • Tea Party Conservatism
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 11:22pm

      Seperation of church and state is not in the Constitution. If it were, it surely would serve to keep government out of religion rather than religion out of government.

      Report Post » Tea Party Conservatism  
    • Large Eagle
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 12:00am

      Original Intent by David Barton – I wish I could send a copy to all of them – It would back up their believe and that special discernment the Spirit has given them. Maybe they could introduce it to the school board as preferred ready.

      Report Post »  
    • Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 12:12am

      11th Commandment: Boom Winning, Deal with it.
      12th Commandment: Tiger Blood cures all
      13th Commandment: I am you master, you will kneel to the altar of Obama
      14th Commandment: Eat your vegetables, Michelle O.
      15th Commandment: Are you kidding, Nancy P.
      16th Commandment: We Won
      17th Commandment: We the people….

      Report Post » Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra  
    • restorehope
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 12:12am

      Sounds like these progressive administrators were “hoisted by their own petard.” This is a victory for freedom of speech and also the defeat of another liberal attempt to brainwash our children with their leftist ideology. This is an important lesson for the students to learn. Hopefully, they will have their eyes wide open in the future when libs try to suppress more of their rights.

      Report Post »  
    • banjarmon
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 1:24am

      Good for you KIDS….God will prevail….

      Report Post » banjarmon  
    • gbisapl
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 1:36am

      Does this mean they can post passages from the Quran as well? You know freedom of religion and all.

      Report Post »  
    • watchtheotherhand
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 2:44am

      “No one will infringe on my freedom to live how ever I want by using religion. Especially if I infringe on their right to voice it!” — WATCHTHEOTHERHAND (Sarcastic schizo-hyde lib personality)

      Report Post » SLEAZYHIPPOs ILLEGITIMATE OFFSPRING  
    • Templar Knight
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 3:14am

      It is very good for the kids who stood up for the 10 Commandments. They are the next generation and we need more who believe in God and will take a stand for what is right.

      Report Post » Huguenot Descendant  
    • godlovinmom
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 3:49am

      I believe some of our youth today have been paying attention to whats been going on…I think they are thinking about their futures…and what progressives and librals and the like are doing to our great country …turning back to God is the ONLY thing that will save their futures..and ours for that matter…God bless them…keep up the good fight kids!

      Report Post » godlovinmom  
    • hgaut
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 8:31am

      If I were a parent I would’ve popped all the buttons on my shirt with pride seeing my kid stand up for their Christian belief,. I am amazed at these kid’s fortitude and dedication to stand up for something true and not “oh well” attitude which some adults have when their faith is challenged. I bet if we could see into the spirit realm, we’d see a host of angels surrounding them and with beaming smiles.

      Report Post » hgaut  
    • betterthantv
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 9:05am

      @ Tea Party You of course are correct, but I have debated this with liberals until I was blue in the face. They don’t seem to understand the difference between freedom from and freedom of. I applaud these kids for having the guts to stand up to the liberal school boards. This is a great sign for the future of our youth!

      Report Post » betterthantv  
    • Dale
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 10:46am

      The kids walked out to protest the administration’s (ill-advised) actions, and restore a precious document’s display. Fourteen Wis cowards fled their state to prevent the inevitable. They were elected to represent their constituents and chose to represent the union special interests. This comparison shows who the grown-ups are!

      Report Post » Dale  
    • Taquoshi
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 11:08am

      In reply to GBISAPL Posted on March 12, 2011 at 1:36am

      Does this mean they can post passages from the Quran as well? You know freedom of religion and all.

      ****************************************************

      I don’t know if you were being sarcastic or not, but many different public schools are actually promoting Islam through various means, such as a field trip to a local mosque, having the kids memorize the five pillars of Islam, having school assembles so that Muslim speakers can address the student bodies and also giving Muslim students time off for prayer during Ramadan. Each of these incidents have been reported in the news during the past year or so.

      It seems to me that our schools are becoming more totalitarian with each passing week. Students no longer have rights once they set foot on campus. It is one thing to do this with a private school, but a public school should not be a federal prison where the inmates are controlled in what they say, what they wear and what they can and can not do, particularly when it does not pertain to public safety or health issues.

      Report Post » Taquoshi  
    • Ranubis
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 12:03pm

      Meanwhile, students at Giles High School are continuing to protest the removal of the Ten Commandments from their schools. Earlier this week, more than 200 students staged a walk-out to protest the school board’s decision.

      Though I agree with what the kids are taking a stand for, walking out of school was wrong. They could have done this on a Saturday at the community park. Just as most of us we’re angry at the students in Wisconsin for leaving school to attend the demonstrations there, we should let these kids know that this also was the wrong tactic.

      Report Post » Ranubis  
    • Land of the free
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 9:14pm

      God tells us to write his laws everywhere, so we will not forget them. As a society we have forgotten his laws and need to again post them on our foreheads if need be.

      Report Post »  
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