“But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten,” Jeremiah 20:11. The Scripture was referenced at Letcher Central High School’s locker room in Whitesburg, Ky. Their message read: “But the Lord is with me like a Mighty Warrior.”
The atheist group Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) complained about religious messaging and demanded its removal. FFRF works to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism, and to promote the constitutional principle of separation between church and state.
The school complied and painted over it. ChristianHeadlines.com noted that FFRF also ordered that the bulletin board with the “Jesus is my Savior, You Can’t Scare Me” be taken down. The bulletin board was removed.
FFRF staff attorney Christopher Line contended the district violated “the Constitution when it allows its schools to display religious symbols or messages. Public schools may not advance, prefer, or promote religion,” he addressed in a November letter to the school.
FFRF commended the district for taking action to address these complaints and taking a critical step to ensure all students’ views are honored. “We applaud the district for taking action to remedy this violation,” said FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Students in our public schools are free to practice any religion they choose — or none at all.”
Grievances are nothing new against Christians in America. A mother was forced to take down a memorial cross honoring her son on the roadside because an atheist was offended. Tennessee Rockvale High School coach Rick Rice was in hot water after an anonymous complaint was made after a team-led prayer before a football game in 2019.
However, the community rallied behind the coach like Ronnisha Simmons-Duke, a mother whose teen attended the school. “That’s something that you see on the fields, that’s something that you see in the locker rooms, that’s something that you see in the classrooms, in small groups when it comes to any athletic sport, but especially in football, we really see that,” she said in an interview.
FFRF sued to protect students forced to pray in Puerto Rico primary school. Feb. 27, they filed a federal lawsuit against Puerto Rico’s Education Secretary and a principal on behalf of a family subjected to forced prayers and bullying, the organization reported. “We look forward to ending these egregious practices and upholding the right of this American family to a public education free from religious indoctrination and divisiveness,” Gaylor commented in a press release.
–Corine Gatti-Santillo