EDUCATION Half a million lights shine on 'Bring Your Bible to School Day'
Half a million lights shine on 'Bring Your Bible to School Day'Thursday, October 5, 2017 | Michael F. Haverluck
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Student Bible on deskThe personal Bibles of more than half a million students will be packed in backpacks and carried with textbooks when they pass through school gates in every one of the 50 states on Thursday, which marks the fourth annual “Bring Your Bible to School Day” (BYBTSD).
Focus on the Family (FOTF) is inviting public school children from coast to coast to celebrate religious freedom and God’s Word on October 5 as they shine the light of the Gospel on their campuses with those who do not know Jesus Christ – sharing a message that is also planned to go viral online.
“Kids and teens will also be on social media using #BringYourBible to explain why they’re taking part in this day: to share the hope and love they receive from reading their Bibles, and to let others know their faith is part of who they are,” FOTF announced on its website.
No longer afraid to share …
In a day and age when America’s youth are being pressured at school to challenge the Christian worldview – to oppose pro-life beliefs, to embrace the “right” to have an abortion in the name of so-called “women’s reproductive rights” and to champion the LGBT agenda, including homosexuality, “transgenderism” and same-sex “marriage,” – students are refusing to be silenced on campus.
“Many Christian students feel there’s an unspoken pressure to stay silent about their faith,” FOTF disclosed in a statement. “Others report overt efforts to silence them from presenting their Bible-based viewpoints in class discussions or in assignments. Yet, the First Amendment recognizes the rights of students to talk about their faith and read their Bibles outside of classroom time.”
FOTF President Jim Daly sees the pro-Bible day as the ushering in of a movement that reminds students of their constitutional right to share their faith – devoid of fear and intimidation felt from faculty, administration and their fellow students.
“Over the years, we’ve heard from many kids and teens who want to meaningfully engage in conversations with peers to share their perspective on important issues,” Daly proclaimed in a FOTF announcement. “The good news is – they can. The Constitution recognizes students’ rights to share their biblical viewpoints in a way that doesn’t disturb instruction time, and to exercise their faith at school. ‘Bring Your Bible to School Day’ celebrates these rights and gives Christian students a chance to share a bit about their faith, which is an important part of who they are.”
Thirteen-year-old Lettie, who leads the FOTF-sponsored event at her Virginia middle school, is one of many students who coordinates with other classmates to make it happen.
“We put posters around the school and on our lockers a few weeks before Bring Your Bible to School Day,” Lettie shared on YouTube. “Some of us didn't wait till that day. We brought our Bibles every day when we learned about it.”
She and many of her fellow student believers had no idea that they would not be punished for expressing and living out their faith at school.
“We have also started praying at lunch,” Lettie continued. “I never knew that we were allowed to do that. My friends and I wanted to do it to share the Bible with each other and talk to others who don't know about Jesus!”
Gaining momentum …
In just a few years, BYBTSD has avalanched to become a permanent and prominent fixture in America’s public schools – starting in 2014 with 8,000 students participating to more than 356,000 getting involved last year.
For the third time since BYBTSD’s launch in 2014, the Newsboys is partnering with FOTF to increase awareness of the event. Repeating last year’s promotion of the event, the award-winning Christian rock band is giving participants a chance to win a free trip for four to their concert and meet them in person.
Duck Dynasty’s Sadie Robertson is also encouraging youth to get involved
Sadie Robertson is also helping promote the event, saying “I think that’s so important in making that stance to hold [the Bible] right in front of you and walk in the school building,” Robertson expressed on YouTube. “It’s absolutely amazing.”
Also partnering with FOFT in support of the event is the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) – a Christian legal group based in Scottsdale, Arizona – which offers free legal representation to students whose constitutional rights to free speech and religious freedom are violated while participating in “Bring Your Bible to School Day.”
Not alone
FOTF spokesperson Candi Cushman says that BYBTSD provides an opportunity for youth of all ages – as well as young adults – to take their faith to a new level and spread the Word with their peers on campus.
"We have some great stories from kids – even as young as kindergarten – taking their Bibles to school and just reading it out loud with their friends at recess," Cushman told CBN News. "There are thousands of students joining them across the nation, and groups like Focus on the Family are standing behind them and praying for them."
Contrary to what school administrators – and the ruling campus politics – might have students believe, sharing their faith at state-run schools and bringing their Bibles on campus are perfectly legal.
"People don't know that students have that basic right to bring their Bibles to school,” Cushman pointed out. “Students tell us themselves that 'before this event, I thought my Bible was banned.’ … That's just not accurate."
In fact, flying in the face of threats and attacks waged by Leftist groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), legal precedent has established that Bibles are legal on state-run campuses and should be as welcomed there as textbooks.
"We have several decades of federal court rulings,” the Christian spokesperson added. “This is a well-established constitutional right that kids can bring their personal Bible[s] to school."
It was also stressed that talking about the Bible at school should not be taboo – as many teachers and administrators would like students to believe.
"They can have it on their desks during free reading time, they can read it during free time, they can talk about it with their friends during free periods, as well before and after class – as long as they are not disrupting instruction time and are being respectful of that and respectful to their peers," Cushman asserted.
According to Cushman, BYBTSD helps students hold onto – and embrace – the biblical teaching that their relationship with Jesus Christ is something to shine on a lampstand … not to be hidden under a bowl.
"This is an event that is a visual reminder to students of their basic right to freely live out their faith," she concluded. https://www.onenewsnow.com/education/2017/10/05/half-a-million-lights-shine-on-bring-your-bible-to-school-day
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Pressured to challenge the Christian worldview? Who hasn't seen the pressuring to blindly accept the Christian indoctrination overtly and subliminally. Will they openly accept alternative views and texts, or is only a bible day. sharing ones faith is proselytizing and students in school can't escape.
sharing ones faith is proselytizing and students in school can't escape.
Unless they are being proselytized to by the teacher they can certainly escape. There is nothing wrong with bringing a book to school and talking to people one on one about it regardless of if that book is the Bible, Koran, or even 321Steve's suggestion. Anyone can choose to walk away or tell them they are not interested. Speaking openly about faith is a first amendment right whether you like it or not.
So dividing kids up along their parents' religious beliefs is beneficial to whom exactly?
I don't know how long it's been for you since you were in school, but if you think about what it was like you will remember that school was hardly unified. In fact, the only unifying thing about a particular school was that a particular group of children attend a given school. Beyond that there isn't all that much unity.
Are satanic bibles acceptable ?
public schools paid for by taxpayers seems to cross the line about church and state here in my opinion.
Family day.. great idea.. Religion in public schools .. not so much.
NO!!! Only the one true bible, version 142 revision g13, all previous renditions deemed unfit.
Do they still teach Greek Mythology in school ? They did when I was in school and it is a religion just not a popular one.
I went to school in rural NW Arkansas. My biology class was given open book, multiple choice tests and students were awarded 5 point for putting their name on their paper.
The only time that I was exposed to Greek Mythology in school was when I read library books by choice.
They taught it in my school. In fact "The Odyssey" was a required read. Perhaps Zuksam and I are showing our age.
Psst....as soon as it started being referred to as mythology and not theology then it ceased to be a religion!
I mentioned that I went to school in Arkansas. This was in the 70s. It went downhill from there. When Clinton was our governor in the 80s, our schools were ranked the 49th worst in the nation. I believe that Mississippi was ranked 50th at the time.
Bring your weed too! The pages make great rolling papers. Other than that they aren't worth much at all. They will make your bum chafe if used as toilet paper.
Bring your Bible to school... as long as it's for your mythology class.
It is a great idea. Yes, and if they want to bring the Quran to school....do it. It just can't interfere with classes.
Again, Love It!
This is a great chance for Christian children to identify and then bully and ostracize the children who exercise their right to NOT bring a bible to school. Good for them.
If a person wants to sit there quietly reading their bible, more power to them. The minute they start preaching, it becomes a church vs state violation.
Also pretending it means anything other than the Christian bible is laughably dishonest. People suggesting such isnt the case are knowing liars.
As far as I'm concerned I don't care if they can bring 30 or 100 million bibles to school. They just don't get to open them up in class and disrupt the actual teaching. Neither should they be permitted to approach other students outside of the classroom on school grounds and push their mythology.
Don't pray in our schools, and we won't think in your church.
This is interesting - in essence, there's nothing whatever wrong with a kid bringing a Bible to school and even today it happens all the time. If they want to read it on their own time or discuss it outside of class with others who are interested, that's no problem. We have that First Amendment right.
I'm not Christian but if I was, I'd be into wearing shirts with John 3:16 or some such thing on it. Unless the school has uniforms or a very strict policy on what kids wear, there's really no reason why not.
This was years ago, but in 11th grade I had an elective about the Bible that was purely secular in nature and emphasized the Bible's effect on history and society. That's not really objectionable either.
Did it include the Inquisition and the torture devices used by Christians to make their victims confess?
How about Henry the VIIIth becoming head of the church so he could get a divorce? And what did you think of Bloody Mary Tudor's methods of dealing with people who would not conform to her religion?
I have always believed that the founding fathers were very acquainted with the horrors of what the Christian leadership would do to achieve and maintain control over government leaders and that is why we do not have a state religion and it is why we do have separation of church and state.
some info ...
http://see_the_truth.webs.com/Inquisition.html
Today, the Christian Church does not have the power it once had, yet, we have witnessed the Christian abuses of children, child rape, molestation and other vile acts that reveal the true nature of many Christians and the effects their "God" has upon his followers. The pedophilia scandals are just a small sample of what Christians are capable of. This is due to the evil energy they tie into. "God" and the "Devil" are backwards! This can be plainly seen in the Old Testament where that "God" of Christianity was "a Murderer and a Liar from the beginning."
Years ago, when the Christian church had complete control over government, human life and spirit, we can see from the inquisition, just how sick these people are and just what lengths they will go to get you to accept "Jesus." Just as is seen in the numerous Christian abuses of children today, years ago, with the Inquisition, girls as young as nine and boys as young as ten were tried for witchcraft. Children much younger were tortured to extract testimony against their parents.¹ Children were then flogged while they watched their parents burn.
So you believe that Jesus was directing the Tudors and the Inquisition? Interesting.
You mean the Roman Catholic Church is not Christian?
The RCC has over 1.3 BILLION believers and is by far the largest, wealthiest and most powerful Christian organization in the world.
Bloody Mary Tudor was one of their most ardent believers and committed some of the worst atrocities in mankind's history.
And, yes, according to the Christian rules of her religious sect, she is saved.
If no mortal man is infallible then why should anyone listen to one when it comes to spiritual matters?
They put their clergy between man and God
Why are mortal men trying to insert themselves between women and God via legislating our access to birth control?
Where did God say that our access to birth control should be controlled by fallible men?
Who isn't pro life? Pro choice is about allowing the female to make their own mental and physical health decisions.
Why should anyone's health be held hostage by strangers?
Yahweh is not pro life and is not anti abortion.
Abortion:
Hosea 9:11-16 Hosea prays for God’s intervention. “Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer. Give them, 0 Lord: what wilt thou give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. . .Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb.” Clearly Hosea desires that the people of Ephraim can no longer have children. God of course obeys by making all their unborn children miscarry. Is not terminating a pregnancy unnaturally “abortion”?
Numbers 5:11-21 The description of a bizarre, brutal and abusive ritual to be performed on a wife SUSPECTED of adultery. This is considered to be an induced abortion to rid a woman of another man’s child.
Numbers 31:17 (Moses) “Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every women that hath known man by lying with him.” In other words: women that might be pregnant, which clearly is abortion for the fetus.
Hosea 13:16 God promises to dash to pieces the infants of Samaria and the “their women with child shall be ripped up” . Once again this god kills the unborn, including their pregnant mothers.
2 Kings 15:16 God allows the pregnant women of Tappuah (aka Tiphsah) to be “ripped open”. And the Christians have the audacity to say god is pro-life. How and the hell is it that Christians can read passages where God allows pregnant women to be murdered, yet still claim abortion is wrong?
Actually, I do remember our secular Bible class did talk about the Inquisition and some of the bloody and lengthy wars that happened during the Reformation.
It appears you want to be totally biased against the influence of Christianity on Western culture and I'd say my little 11th grade elective was even handed. Some good and some not so good. This was clearly a course that was not objectionable in terms of separation of church and state - the course spent no time proselytizing and anyone Christian or not could take the course. There is unquestionably a thread of history in Western thought that Christianity is a part of and it's worth exploring for anyone.
What are the positive influences that Christianity claimed to have on Western culture that are only unique to Christianity and have occurred in no other civilization that was devoid of Christianity's influence?