You probably didn’t know that several of our Presidents, past and present, have declared January 16th of each year to be “Religious Freedom Day.” You will not likely see any fireworks displays, or even hear about it in the mainstream media. So exactly what is it? Well, as the title states, it is a day which is meant to celebrate the freedom of religion that we all enjoy here in our great country.
But don’t we have religious freedom every day of the year? Why do we need a special day? And doesn’t it exist in our public square as well as in our public schools? While it is certainly supposed to, very often it does not. So what does it look like when religious freedom doesn’t exist? It looks like students at school being told that they may not mention the word Christmas during December. Or that they may not include a small cross on their artwork. Or that they may not make an announcement at school because it includes the word “pray.” Or that they may not hand out an invitation to Vacation Bible School. I can go on, but you get the point.
Because of these and many other instances that continue throughout the year, ADF has teamed up with Gateways to Better Education for Religious Freedom Sunday. This is a national event, which occurs this year on January 16th, in which churches honor educators and inform their congregations about the freedom of religious expression that students enjoy (or should enjoy) in our public schools. Although not always respected, students have constitutional rights to pray and read their Bibles during free time, to include aspects of their faith in their homework and artwork, to form religious clubs, and to share their faith with their friends and classmates. Detailed information is available on Gateways website. ADF has also written a document explaining the law in this area.
Some may deny that there is any need for such a day and that the “religious right” is just making up sad stories to create much ado about nothing. In addition to the fact that several of our current and past Presidents seem to think such a day is warranted, we also need to remember that to these kids who are told that their faith is “illegal” at school, it is no small matter. Nor should it be a small matter to any of us. Such religious freedom is the bedrock of our nation as it gives us all the right to worship as we choose, or not at all. And that is something many need to be continuously reminded of.
