Atheists Scold Schools for 'Illegal' Bible Distribution
An atheist group has sent letters to 26 school districts in Oklahoma demanding that they halt the "illegal" distribution of Bibles by The Gideons International.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) claims the schools are violating the U.S. Constitution by allowing the Christian group, known for placing Bibles in hotels around the world, to bring Bibles into classrooms, CNS News reported.
"It is unconstitutional for public school districts to permit the distribution of Bibles as part of the public school day," wrote Andrew Seidel, an attorney with the FFRF. "Courts have uniformly held that the distribution of Bibles to students in public schools is prohibited."
FFRF co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor said in a release: "It's time for schools officials in Oklahoma to do their job, enforce the law, and protect students from the Gideons."
The Insider Report disclosed in January that the FFRF had played a role in a decision by a Florida school district to ban the distribution of Bibles in area schools.
Orange County Public Schools had for three years allowed the Christian group World Changers of Florida, along with the Florida Family Policy Council, to distribute Bibles on Jan. 16, National Freedom of Religion Day.
Last year, the FFRF sued for the right to distribute its own literature in the schools. One of the groups' proposed pamphlets was titled "An X-Rated Book: Sex and Obscenity in the Bible."
The school system gave the group permission to pass out the materials. But this year, the Satanic Temple also announced plans to distribute literature in the high schools.
As a result, the school system said it would not permit any outside materials to be distributed, including atheist and Satanist literature — and Bibles.
