The ACLU often gets a (generally) bum rap for being “anti-religion,” when in reality it is anti-state-religion, fighting the state imposing official religious messages and stances on individuals. A good example of the difference can be seen in a recent case where the ACLU assisted a student with a religious message in a high school yearbook.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan — often known for helping to keep religion out of schools — announced a settlement Tuesday with Utica Community Schools that reinstates Moler’s religious message in the yearbook.
Moler, who was a class of 2001 valedictorian at Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights, was among a group of high-achieving students school officials asked to submit a few words to pass on to their classmates for the yearbook. She used a biblical verse, Jeremiah 29:11: ” ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ”
The entry was cut from the yearbook; school officials told her at the time that it was because it was religious. So Moler enlisted the ACLU’s aid.
You can’t solicit personal messages in a neutral forum and then exclude ones for specific religious content — any more than you can require folks to provide only religious messages, or only give an audience to religious messages.
Makes sense to me.
UPDATE: Les has more (so to speak).