Three Challenges We Will Face in 2019

How Hope and Truth will win in the new year – with your help!

Happy 2019! You are quite certainly being bombarded with requests to create new resolutions. Tis’ the season to pledge to make your life better.

Our approach to 2019 isn’t as much about resolving for change as it is about recognizing the challenges in front of us and confidently confronting those obstacles directly. We understand the realities of living in a fallen world, yet as believers we can have hope and confidence to face those realities by speaking truth and love. That’s what we will be doing in 2019.

As we look into the new year, here are some challenges we anticipate – and what we can all do to overcome them:

1. Students at public universities and even younger kids will face persecution for their beliefs. You may remember what happened last year at the University of California at Berkeley where conservative student Isabella Chow was harassed on campus after expressing her views. Our children aren’t immune, either. For years, a Wisconsin-based atheist groups has been attacking small schools in other states by trying to prevent prayer. This type of suppression of conservative thought will unfortunately continue and perhaps expand in 2019, but there are many conservatives who are energized and ready to support religious freedom and freedom of speech. Family Policy Alliance® worked to create a new policy clarifying that students and teachers have the right to pray at school.

Here’s what else we are doing:

2. Doctors and other medical professionals will face rules that will require them to provide services against their religious beliefs – and even their professional judgments. We’re seeing our own country impose rules and regulations for doctors that may go against their religious beliefs, especially those that require medical professionals to provide abortion services.

 Here’s what we are doing:

3. Faith-based adoption agencies will face additional scrutiny for their pro-family positions. Kansas and Oklahoma led the nation in helping children find forever homes and protecting religious freedom in 2018 by ensuring that faith-based adoption agencies are free to serve birthmoms and children in their states. Check out this video to see why Faith-based Adoption Agencies matter.

 Here’s what we are doing to help them:

Family Policy Alliance exists to bring light to every aspect of these issues as we develop honest ways to engage our leaders and ensure your religious freedom remains intact. We’re thankful for what you did to stand up for these issues in 2018. As we approach another round of state legislative sessions beginning this month, we hope you will partner with us in speaking truth in love – and holding our elected leaders accountable to do the same.

Meet Cole Muzio, President of Family Policy Alliance’s allied organization in Georgia—Family Policy Alliance of Georgia.

After an out-of-state atheist group has repeatedly attacked teachers and even students for praying at school, Cole and his team—and two bold Georgia legislators—decided to do something about it.

Since making laws is the job of the legislature (not activist groups or courts), they are working to advance a bill that would protect the right of teachers and students to freely pray and express their faith in school.

Please pray for Cole and his team! We hope their work catches fire in other states!

Hear from Cole in his short Facebook Live video from this week.

 

Family Policy Alliance is proud to work alongside Nebraska Family Alliance, one of our 40 state-based allies. This article first appeared on their site.

by Karen Bowling, Executive Director of Nebraska Family Alliance

This month, 286,000 students are returning to public school in Nebraska. A question I am asked frequently during this season is, “what are my child’s religious rights in a public school?” Here are 5 religious rights that every student has in public school:

#1 The Right to Pray
Every student has the right to pray, discuss their faith, read Scripture, distribute literature, and invite fellow students to join their particular religious group as long as it is voluntary, non- disruptive or coercive, and it occurs during non-instructional time.

#2 The Right to Express Religious Views
Students have the right to express their religious views during a class discussion or as part of a written assignment or art activity as long as it is relevant to the subject under consideration and meets the assignment requirements.

#3 The Right to Form Religious Clubs
Secondary school students have the right to form religious clubs if the school receives federal funds and allows other non-curriculum related clubs to meet during non-instructional time.

Religious clubs must be student-led—a non-student cannot lead the club. Regular attendance by an outside adult may be prohibited in order to avoid the appearance of the club being initiated or directed by a non-student.

Teachers may be present at religious club meetings as monitors, but they may not participate in club activities.

Student religious clubs may have access to school facilities and media on the same basis that other non-curriculum related clubs do.

#4 The Right to Wear Religious Attire
Students have the right to wear religious attire required by their religion such as head scarves or yarmulkes in school. Students may also display religious messages on clothing or jewelry to the same extent that other messages are permitted.

#5 The Right Not to be Required to Violate Their Religious Beliefs
Students have the right to not be required to violate their religious beliefs.  Students also may be able to be excused from lessons that are objectionable to the student or the student’s parents on religious or other conscientious grounds.

Learn more about our allied group, Nebraska Family Alliance.