School Board to Pay in Jesus Prayer Suit

The NYT again:

A Delaware school district has agreed to revise its policies on religion as part of a settlement with two Jewish families who had sued over the pervasiveness of Christian prayer and other religious activities in the schools.

One family said it was forced to leave its home in Georgetown because of an anti-Semitic backlash.

It seems that a Jewish woman who had for years sat through prayer after prayer at her child’s school finally had enough when at a graduation a minister proclaimed that Jesus was the only way to truth. So she did something totally outrageous and politely and reasonably asked the school board to consider more inclusive, less specific prayers. That didn’t go down well.

The family faced threats and had to leave town.

Certain forms of Christianity in the US seem more like tribal beliefs than real religion. There’s an utter divide between the message of Christianity as seen in the Sermon on the Mount, say, and the sheer hatred that is shown to anyone who dares step out of line. So much for turning the other cheek, loving your enemy, and the meek inheriting the earth.

And there’s also a complete disregard for the US constitution — even a warping of it — when Christians claim that anything stopping them from forcing their views on others in the public square is an infringement of their right to free speech and religious practice: “As news of the request [for more inclusive prayer] spread, many local Christians saw it as an effort to limit the free exercise of religion, residents said.”

The suit was, quite properly, settled in favor of the Dombrich family and another family who chose (perhaps wisely — hey can still live in the county) to remain anonymous, and states:

• that within 30 days the district has to amend its religion policy to clarify what practices are constitutional
• that school officials may not organize prayer at graduation
• and that people will be able to complain anonymously about violations about religious liberty or any other policies.

If it’s like this in Delaware, you have to wonder what’s going on further south.

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