It’s Time to Have More of God IN (not out) of Our Schools, Don’t You Think?

By Autumn Leva, VP of Strategy

As believers, we all lament decisions by courts and politicians that have “kicked God out of our public schools.” But what if we—the family of believers—stopped lamenting and instead decided to do something about it?

That’s what’s happening in Georgia right now, and we wanted to make sure you heard about it—because it can happen in your state too.

Last fall in Georgia, a high school football coach knelt in prayer with his players before the game. Then, an atheist group called Freedom from Religion Foundation sent the school a threatening letter saying that the coach was out of line—and of course used the tired, old, and always out-of-context mantra “he violated the separation of church and state.”

But here’s the kicker—this atheist group isn’t even located in Georgia. They’re based in Wisconsin and have a reputation for meddling in other states—probably even yours, even if it didn’t make national news—attempting to silence religious speech and squelch any public displays of faith. Freedom from Religion Foundation typically targets small schools, towns, or even senior living homes without the means to fight back.

Now, our ally in Georgia, Family Policy Alliance of Georgia, and a bold state Senator, Michael Williams, are pushing back—and their efforts are getting a lot of attention in the media.

Whether public school staff can kneel or bow a head in prayer with their students is a gray area of the law, but Family Policy Alliance of Georgia and Senator Michael Williams believe that this should be a very clear area of the law—students should be allowed to pray at school, and teachers and coaches should be allowed to join them.

Senator Williams introduced a simple, common-sense bill to clarify that:

1. Students can lead prayers and faith-based groups at school.
2. Students can pray or express a religious viewpoint in their speeches (at graduation, for example) and in class assignments.
3. Teachers can participate in student-led prayers.

Cole Muzio, President of Family Policy Alliance of Georgia, praised Senator Williams’ bill: “We are thankful that Senator Williams has stepped forward to affirm that First Amendment rights don’t end in the school parking lot. Teachers shouldn’t be forced to choose between their career and their faith, and students shouldn’t have to hide their faith at school.”

Does your state have a Senator Williams who will boldly step forward to protect your state’s schools from out-of-state activist groups, challenge the status quo, and restore religious freedom for students and teachers? Does your state have a Body of believers who will support a bold elected leader who will stand for faith?

Family Policy Alliance believes bold legislators who will stand for faith are worth supporting, and we want to help you find them in your state! Our calling and mission is to see godly men and women elected to the “mission field” of public office where they will serve families like yours and help restore religious freedom in every corner of the states and nation.

Imagine if we saw more coaches praying with their teams, more students in Bible studies and praying at school, and more teachers praying and reading their Bibles during break time.  With a Body of believers willing to live out their faith by unleashing biblical citizenship, like the coach who prayed with his team, and elected leaders who share and boldly live out their values, we can see more of all of this—in every state—and we’re willing to work for it. Will you help us?

If you’re up for the challenge, I’d like to ask you to start by joining our Family Policy Alliance team in:

1. Praying that the Georgia Legislature will pass Senator Williams’ bill to restore religious freedom in schools; and
2. Committing, right now, to vote in the 2018 election for leaders who share your values.