What do the phrases “In God We Trust,” “One Nation Under God,” “God Bless America,” “God Shed His Grace on Thee” and “All Men Are Created Equal, They are Endowed By Their Creator,” all have in common? Aside from being phrases which all appear in either historical texts or patriotic songs, they are also the phrases which have caused a stir at Westview High School after a math teacher was ordered to remove a banner bearing these phrases.

Westview High School math teacher Bradley Johnson was ordered to remove the banner after having displayed it in his classroom for 25 years. Westview Principal Dawn Kastner told Johnson that the banners were impermissible at school because they promoted a “Judeo-Christian” viewpoint. Mr. Johnson has hired the Thomas More Law Center to represent him in a lawsuit alleging his freedom of speech has been violated.

This is just another case of strict seperationists misjudging the first amendment, believing it does not allow for the mention of God in any Government run facility. Obviously a history teacher speaking about the Declaration of Independence would not be expected to strike the words ‘endowed by their creator’ from his lecture, nor would the school be expected to inform students not to use the words ‘one nation under God’ when reciting the pledge of allegiance.

Hat tip Stop The ACLU for the story.

Update Sept. 10, 2008: Judge rules banner can stay in classroom

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

ACLU, Constitution, Education, First Amendment