In the United States there is a strict separation of church and state – at least that’s what the constitution says. Nevertheless, religious groups repeatedly focus their proselytizing activities on state schools. But they sometimes encounter protests, as an example from the town of Huntington in the state of West Virginia shows: Two class teachers from the local state high school had sent their underage students to an evangelical “revival celebration”, an event to recruit new members – and met with strong protests.
As 16-year-old Cameron Mays reports, the event took place in the auditorium of the school building. Students were encouraged to close their eyes, raise their arms in prayer, and dedicate their lives to Jesus for meaning and salvation. They were threatened that if they did not follow the Bible they would end up in hell following death.
A blatant violation of the US Constitution, which stipulates the separation of state and religious communities: This is what Max Nibert, who is in the twelfth grade of high school, points out. “I do not believe that a tax-financed building should provide any religious leader with a platform to persuade minors to be baptized,” the non-commercial news platform quoted him as saying National Public Radio. Nibert is co-organizer of a protest march through the school building, which was attended by over a hundred students. how National Public Radio It was further reported that journalists were held back by the school’s security forces while the protesters shouted slogans such as “Separate church and state” and “My faith, my decision”.
According to Jedd Flowers, spokesman for state schools in the district, the revival was attended by the group Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) organized. It took place in early February as part of a non-teaching day that gave students the opportunity to prepare for exams or college, but also to attend guest speakers. Participation in the “revival celebration” was voluntary. Flowers attributes the fact that two whole classes were obliged by their teachers to do this to a “regrettable misunderstanding”.
Nevertheless, the incident triggered a broad debate regarding the relationship between schools and religious organizations. Among the critical voices is the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia, in which parents of school-age children have joined forces. In a letter to the district school board, they called it “inappropriate and unconstitutional” to give religious leaders a special opportunity to preach and proselytize to students on school grounds during school hours.
25-year-old Nik Walker, who has been touring West Virginia since the age of 17 as a preacher, says he feels it is his duty to lead “hopeless” youth with addiction problems, anxiety disorders and depression to the faith. However, the report of a mother, Bethany Felinton, reads quite differently. Despite his Jewish faith, her son was forced to attend one of Walker’s events. The teacher refused his request to leave the room, saying that the classroom door was locked.
Max Nibert now wants to petition the school authorities. Among other things, he calls for punitive measures for the teachers concerned.
