More than a year ago, the principal, Patricia Vidmar, had advised Mr. Williams - a self-described "orthodox Christian" - that she worried he "would try to proselytize his Christian faith to the students in his classroom," according to a federal lawsuit filed two weeks ago on Mr. Williams's behalf by Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative Christian group based in Arizona.
Some at his school feared that that was exactly what he was doing. So last May, Ms. Vidmar instructed him to submit his class handouts to be screened for inappropriate religious content, Mr. Williams says.
What has ensued has opened a window on the increasingly high-pitched struggle taking place in a number of schools across the country over how much God should be taught in American history, a battle that has raged for many years but is intensifying as conservative groups feel invigorated in pushing their viewpoint and as defenders of a more secular approach are put more on the defensive.
Barred from his classroom, Mr. Williams said, were handouts with excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, the "Right of the Colonists" by Samuel Adams, and the 1682 "Frame of Government of Pennsylvania" by William Penn. Also rejected were excerpts from George Washington's prayer journal and a handout titled, "Fact Sheet: Currency & Coins History of 'In God We Trust.' "
Ms. Vidmar nixed the handouts "because of their religious content," the lawsuit states. In it, Mr. Williams accuses the school district of excluding "the viewpoint that this nation has a Christian history" and of demonstrating "impermissible hostility towards religion." Mr. Williams says his materials had been singled out because of his Christianity.
1. A right wing guy tries to push the envelope regarding making sure his narrative is the only narrative...
2. Moderates rightly object...
3. The right-wing spin machine goes into hyperdrive...
I have nothing against mentioning the religious history of the United States, but it should be shown warts and all:
1. The context of religious freedom given the then relatively recent events of the Thirty Years' War...
2. The theft of land, the issues of slavery (and the support of conservative churches for it), the witch burnings, the oppression of progressive movements by conservative churches, etc. should be discussed. And of course, the religious oppression of non-Christians should also be taught.
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