ADF comment on U.S. Supreme Court's decision not to review Idaho ban on religious classical texts
Monday, Mar 26, 2012
The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel David Cortman regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to review Nampa Classical Academy v. Goesling, a challenge to Idaho’s ban on public school usage of texts and documents deemed to be “religious”--even if they are classical books from Western Civilization taught with regard to their literary and historical importance:
“Every student deserves a quality education. Banning classical religious texts denies students the right to learn what they need to know about world history and the world in general. For that reason, the decision of the Supreme Court not to review this case is regrettable, especially in light of the high court’s existing precedent stating that even ‘the Bible may constitutionally be used in an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like.’ We trust the court will reaffirm that conclusion in the future. In the meantime, it’s no surprise that the call for school choice has become so popular: When government officials ban the objective study of all religiously-themed texts--like the Bible, the Iliad, and the Odyssey--it does nothing but dumb-down public education.”
ADF Media Relations: (480) 444-0020 or www.adfmedia.org/home/contact
“Every student deserves a quality education. Banning classical religious texts denies students the right to learn what they need to know about world history and the world in general. For that reason, the decision of the Supreme Court not to review this case is regrettable, especially in light of the high court’s existing precedent stating that even ‘the Bible may constitutionally be used in an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like.’ We trust the court will reaffirm that conclusion in the future. In the meantime, it’s no surprise that the call for school choice has become so popular: When government officials ban the objective study of all religiously-themed texts--like the Bible, the Iliad, and the Odyssey--it does nothing but dumb-down public education.”
ADF Media Relations: (480) 444-0020 or www.adfmedia.org/home/contact