Clearly, the suppression of

student-initiated religious speech does not achieve

neutrality toward religion. In fact, it sends the

opposite message of hostility. As one federal appeals

court recently said: "'Cleansing' our public schools

of all religious expression inevitably results in the

`establishment' of disbelief - atheism - as the

State's religion. [I]t cannot be the case that government

may prefer disbelief over religion."

Over the past year, our

nation's schools have been rocked by acts of senseless

violence. This has sparked a national debate over how

best to communicate a sense of meaning and value to

American students. At the heart of this discussion is a

growing sense that religion has too long been left on the

sidelines in public education.

This isn't to say that we

should allow preachers in the classroom. The Constitution

does have its limits. But there is a place for the moral

values and fundamental ethics that religion teaches us.

And making a place for the school students to speak about

religion fosters an atmosphere of freedom that could

benefit believers and nonbelievers alike.

- John W.

Whitehead, The Rutherford Institute

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