Reply To: 3rd Circuit: Parent Can’t Read Bible to Son’s Public School Class

It seems the slippery slope is the argument most of you are making, i.e. if you allow this, it won’t be long before they want to read from the Koran.

But, I find this a specious argument.

The role of the courts is to balance conflicting rights under our Constitution, balancing the indiviual’s right to freedom of religious expression against the Constitutional prohibition of the state from establishing a specific religion.

This text, Psalm 118, does not offend Jews, Christians or even Muslims – only atheists might be offended. They would be offended by a text making any reference to G-d. There is nothing in the Constitution which endorses the idea of the majority being ruled by a small minority because that minority might be offended by something the majortiy believes.

The Constitution does not insist that to avoid the establishment of a State Religion the United States must be 100% secular. As long as the action by an arm of government does not endorse a specific religion, then there is no crossing the chruch/state Chinese wall.

I hope this case is appealed and the Supreme Court weighs in, since I find that increasingly so, this country is displaying less and less tolerance for the expression of religious belief.

And I find it very troubling that Jewish groups are coming down on the side against individual religious freedom.