I've written before about a legal challenged to a religious released-time program in schools in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Now that program is being scrapped in favor of an after school program. That may well moot the case, but it's still a victory. I think all released-time religious programs should be scrapped, but some of them are protected by the Supreme Court's Zorach decision. The one in Ft. Wayne appeared to violate even that ruling because the program took place on school property.
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Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of Michigan Citizens for Science and co-founder of The Panda's Thumb. He has written for such publications as The Bard, Skeptic and Reports of the National Center for Science Education, spoken in front of many organizations and conferences, and appeared on nationally syndicated radio shows and on C-SPAN. Ed is also a Fellow with the Center for Independent Media and the host of Declaring Independence, a one hour weekly political talk show on WPRR in Grand Rapids, Michigan.(static)
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Ft. Wayne Schools End Released Time Program
Posted on: September 1, 2010 12:12 PM, by Ed Brayton
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Comments
Funny to read about my good ol' hometown. Brings back the memories!
Yep...35 years+ we all trooped out to the little portable trailer parked on the street in front of Harris Elementary School.
All I remember is how BORING the "lessons" were.
Posted by: BMiller | September 1, 2010 1:22 PM
I grew up just outside of Fort Wayne. It's a pretty conservative community, so I'm not surprised they had such a program. But I just can't get over the stupidity of using school time to teach kids about religion.
On the other hand, it does explain why we country kids were so much smarter than the city kids! ;)
Posted by: James Hanley | September 1, 2010 1:29 PM
I attended the first 7 of 8 years covered by our local parochial school. Back in the day, the time lost to religion class, about 45 minutes first thing in the morning, was offset by the absence of phys ed classes in most parochial schools. Music and art were also only minimally a part of the curriculum, so there was probably just as much time spent on the material sampled on achievement tests. The Catholic school day was almost a pure grind. The day I switched to public school education at the beginning of 8th grade was one of the happiest days of my childhood.
Posted by: Dr X | September 1, 2010 1:46 PM
Yep, Indiana. My current home state.
194 years of tradition unhampered by progress.
Posted by: Yeti | September 1, 2010 3:30 PM
I moved away from there fifteen years ago, but I'll betcha Utah's release-time time program is still going strong.
Posted by: Prof. Bleen | September 1, 2010 7:32 PM
Pardon my ignorance. What is a "released-time program"?
Posted by: Rooker | September 2, 2010 12:42 AM
Rooker, I was also unfamiliar with the concept. Turns out Wikipedia has a pretty good writeup.
Posted by: dcsohl | September 2, 2010 9:01 AM
Thanks dcsohl. I don't know why it didn't occur to me to look there.
I can't believe this sort of thing is permitted anywhere in the US today. Isn't church and Sunday school indoctrination enough for these people?
Posted by: Rooker | September 2, 2010 11:44 AM
My heart aches for people who know no more about their Creator, who endowed us with our unalienable rights, than what religion teaches. I hate religion. Religion murdered Jesus, and it kills people today (yeah, bores them to death). And the young person was right: there's nothing duller or more boring than the study of religion. The Bible, when studied, is the living, breathing Word of God. It is our "owner's manual" that guides us into a life of unexcelled joy in this life, and the promise of a better life when this one ends. After loving it for 75 years, I highly recommend it. Not some crumby version, but the 1769 Authorized Version of the King James Bible. God bless.
Posted by: Joseph Kennedy | December 19, 2010 4:45 PM