Religious liberty trumps all
by digby
A high school principal in Tallahassee, Florida is in hot water over his unilateral decision to drop a controversial book from a summer reading list for students.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, Lincoln High School Principal Allen Burch pulled The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon after a handful of Christian parents complained that the novel did not show proper reverence for God and the Christian faith.
Curious Incident is the story of a 15-year-old British math genius who is on the autism/Asperger’s Syndrome spectrum. The teenager relays everything that happens around him in the same matter-of-fact, almost emotionless tone, including some adults’ struggles with faith and a belief in God.
Burch’s decision to pull the book has caught the attention of the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and other major freedom of information, anti-censorship organizations.
“This case is very startling. A handful of parents are making choices for every other parent in that school,” said Sarah Hoffman of the NCAC to the Democrat. “There is a reason policies are in place — to protect educators and the decisions they make.”
This happens all over the country and has been going on for as long as public schools have existed. But I’m going to guess this new theory of religious liberty is going to give it a whole new life. If something offends someone’s religious beliefs then it must not be allowed. Because freedom.
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