bore me to tears

…about the practice of co-opting secular holidays and recasting them as Christian…

In an earlier post, I noted a few examples (Saturnalia/Christmas,  Eastre/Easter, Darwin/”Academic Freedom”), but I totally forgot to include “Religious Freedom Day” (which is today, by the way!).  I hesitate to mention the two - “Academic Freedom Day” and “Religious Freedom Day” - in the same post because the names are so similar. It’s confusing, I think.  Fortunately, both have the same intended purpose (to give public school students trained up in Christian evangelism a state-sanctioned bully pulpit (pun intended) to violate church/state separation), which gives me an excuse to give them the same, single name: “Trojan Horse Day.”  Do you like it? 

If you’re unfamiliar with RFD, basically, “Religious Freedom Day,” is observed annually on January 16th to commemorate Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.  As I mentioned,  the Christian Right has gone and hijacked Religious Freedom Day for its own religious/political purposes. 

On the RFD public website, there is more information, including a guidebook:

Religious Freedom Day is not “celebrate-our-diversity day.” Freedom means the freedom to respectfully disagree. Religious Freedom Day is first and foremost a time to acknowledge one of our most important civil liberties. Schools that promote students’ freedom of religious expression are not promoting religion but are promoting civil liberties. The main message students need to hear is that they should not feel inhibited to express their beliefs at school.

and

The Religious Liberties of Public School Students:  The freedom of speech can take different forms. It includes what students say to other people as well as their freedom to speak to God in prayer; it includes what they write in school assignments or the words they give to a friend either by speaking or in writing.

In the materials, students are urged to learn their religious rights under the law:

1. Students can pray, read their Bible or other religious books, and talk about their faith at school during school hours.  
2. Students can organize prayer groups and religious clubs and announce their meetings. 
3. Students can express their faith in their class work and homework.
4. Teachers can organize prayer groups and Bible studies.
5. Students may be able to go off campus to have a Bible study during school hours.
6. Students can express their faith at a school event.

Additional resources for students, parents, teachers:

• Free to Speak Pamphlets: Perfect for campus Bible clubs (elementary and secondary schools) to distribute to classmates and teachers! This pamphlet is a powerful way to help students and educators learn seven freedoms of religious expression on a public school campus. Churches and youth groups can also promote greater clarity and freedom for all students by distributing it. There are 100 pocket-sized pamphlets in each order. 
• Teacher-Reacher Packet: Makes it easy for you to have a year-long outreach to your child’s teacher.
• Expressing God’s Love at School: Written for both parents and teachers, this 30-page handbook gives you a wealth of proven ideas you can easily implement in a child’s classroom and school. It includes a monthly planning calendar and suggests different ideas for each month.

So, this movement is a curious creature, isn’t it?  …Amorphous.  Relentless.  Hungry. Consuming all that’s in its path. As it grows and grows. And gets bigger and bigger…

 
My little blippet about RFD last year.