The longer I live, the more I see religion, particularly Christianity, seep into the US government. At times I despair at the thought of government losing its neutral stance and potentially become a bullying force against anyone who doesn’t share that particular faith. Considering the myriad of people living in this country, many not Christians, it’s amazing to watch them rewrite history to justify the power grab.
But then we have these kids.
It can take a lot of guts to stand up for separation of church and state in America. People who file lawsuits to stop the display of religious symbols on public property or the use of sectarian prayers before government meetings often find themselves the targets of harassment, threats, and even violence.
Adults can usually withstand the pressure. But imagine fighting a pitched church-state battle when you’re a teenager in high school.
The high school years are a period when many young people just want to fit in with peers or keep a low profile. When separation of church and state is violated in a public school, students are the ones most affected. They’re the ones who have to stand up and make it right. It’s not always easy.
The list includes:
1. Zack Kopplin: Zack Kopplin is a one-man war against the teaching of bad science in Louisiana. Zack was a high school student in Baton Rogue when he started to speak out against a measure legislators passed in 2008 to sneak creationist materials into schools through the backdoor.
Zack is taking on the “Lousiana Science Act” that teaches creationism in classrooms.
2. Jessica Ahlquist: In 2011, high school junior Jessica Ahlquist protested the posting of a banner listing an official school prayer in the auditorium of Cranston High School West in Rhode Island.
While the banner hung in the auditorium for nearly 50 years, Ahlquist persevered to get it removed.
3. Krystal Myers: High school senior Krystal Myers knew something wasn’t right at Lenoir City High School in Tennessee. There was simply too much religion in the school.
She tallied a myriad of abuses including prayer at graduations, football games, minister visits, religious imagery in clothing, distribution of Christian material and such.
4. Corwyn Schulz: By the time he was a high school senior, Corwyn Schulz had had enough. Corwyn, who attended Medina Valley High School in Castroville, Texas, endured Christian invocations at school events, prayers led by coaches, religious posters on school walls and other school-sponsored forms of religion.
Corwyn teamed with the Americans United for Separation of Church and State to block prayer during the commencement ceremony. While they lost the battle, they persevered to remove many religious aspects from the school.
5. Mark Reyes: The small town of Poteet, Texas, had a tradition of including a lot of religion in its high school graduation ceremonies – often Christian. Students were expected to compose and deliver prayers during the event. In fact, they were told to submit their prayers in advance for review by the principal.
Reyes, who happened to be valedictorian challenged commencement prayers during his graduation. He prevailed.
These are just five examples of awesome kids standing up to the status quo. Kudos.
