The Christian Post reports that a conservative Christian group has begun a probably-illegal Bible distribution program in local high schools in the area.
Volunteers from a Florida-based group have distributed Bibles to the lunchrooms of several high schools in the Sunshine State.
World Changers of Florida, a conservative organization, distributed the Bibles on Wednesday, with a focus on high schools in Orange County.
There are apparently some restrictions on the program, but definitely not enough to comply with the First Amendment.
“Passive distribution means the Bibles may be placed on one unmanned table for distribution in a location where students normally congregate during non-instructional time,” reads the memo. “The representatives may only be allowed to replenish Bibles if they run out and must remove any undistributed literature at the end of the distribution day.”
Has the ACLU heard about this? Anybody got any copies of The God Delusion they’d like to make available for distribution in the same cafeterias?
Here’s an idea: what if we put up a “Teach The Controversy” web site where students could get access to all kinds of controversial information about the Bible’s self-contradictions, the actual history of the church, the evidence that Jesus was mostly or entirely mythical, and so on? Then distribute bookmarks with the web site URL alongside all these World Changers Bibles, so that students who take them can keep their place as they read, and maybe have some interesting discoveries to make next time they go online? Our goal would be to make sure there’s at least one bookmark for every Bible.
Anybody up for that?
Perhaps cards with links to the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible?
Either that or notes to check out Ezekiel 23:20.
If I was a student there, I’d make sure to grab one every day and throw it in the trash. I’d also encourage my friends to do so.
I like the bookmark idea, although it’s too easily discarded to deter the missionary project. It should include a sticker or rubber-stamp on the inside cover. Students should be encouraged to bring a red pen and sharpie to the cafeteria, and leave the bibles behind as personalized copies for World Changers to collect. Disposal in the trash may send them the false signal that students are taking them home, and encourage their efforts.
And all those bibles, even the ones that go straight into the trash, will be counted to add to the inflated numbers used to claim the bible is the best-selling book ever.
I would suggest distributing the Qua’rn at the same table. That might make the Christians realize that there is a problem. I doubt that reading either without direction would lead to many converts.
Hell just find some Catholic bibles to distribute and make sure you point out the differences.
I await the day when Christians finally get to legally post the Ten Commandments somewhere and suddenly break into bloody warfare over which Ten Commandments get posted.
They don’t seem to realize that their god revised the first copy of the core ten, and insist on going with the original that has no dietary restrictions. Have any Catholics ever though about the rule about the graven images? Small wonder that their church does not encourage unsupervised reading.
I don’t think that the Catholic bible would have enough of an effect. Anything Muslim pushes extra emotional buttons that you don’t get with anything else since 9/11.
JT posted about this yesterday. He says American Atheists are on it, and they have asked the school for permission to hand out a book by Madalyn Murray O’Hair. Here’s the link:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wwjtd/2013/01/american-atheists-testing-the-equal-treatment-waters-in-florida/
The Central Florida Freethought Community is working on the secular response. Keep up with the details at http://www.facebook.com/CFLFreethought
How about stacking, along with the Qua’rn, the Book Of Mormon, the Communist Manifesto and Dianetics? I tried to list them in increasing order of nuttiness, but I can’t really decide who is further from reality, Marx or Hubbard.
I went to a Louisville Atheists and Freethinkers meetup Tuesday featuring a talk by Suzanne Lamb on a similar situation in Muhlenburg County. The school board is apparently trying some sneaky tactics to get away with it. The FFRF and SSA are working to resolve the situation.
Link
Thanks, Johnny. Suzanne is a Facebook buddy of mine since she appeared on Freethought Radio a few shows ago. She is certainly an inspiration for us in the endeavor.
The Central Florida Freethought Community is working on the secular response. Keep up with the details at http://www.facebook.com/CFLFreethought