Oklahoma Chapter of Americans United: July 2014

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Rob Boston of National AU Will be Guest Speaker for OKC Annual Meeting

MEDIA ADVISORY

Oklahoma City Chapter

OK Chapter to feature National AU Communications Director

Rob Boston at “Taking Liberties” Annual Meeting

Contact: John Loghry, President, 405-651-5605

James Nimmo, Communications Chair, 405-843-3651

Rob Boston, National AU Communications Director, 202-466-3234

What: 2014 OKAU Annual Meeting – “Taking Liberties” with keynote speaker National AU Communications Director, Rob Boston

When: Wednesday, September 17, 2014, 7 – 9 p.m.

Where: Belle Isle Library, 5501 N. Villa, Oklahoma City, OK 73112

Who: OKC Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church & State

(OKLAHOMA CITY) The 2014 Annual Membership meeting of the Oklahoma City chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church & State will be held on Wednesday, September 17, featuring National Americans United Communications Director, Rob Boston.

In his new book, Taking Liberties: Why Religious Freedom Doesn’t Give You the Right to Tell Other People What to Do, Boston says, “it’s time to restore the real meaning of religious freedom: It means you get to make decisions for yourself, not anyone else.”

Covering issues like same-sex marriage, access to contraceptives, religion in public education and censorship, Taking Liberties is a much-needed broadside against the Religious Right's reckless attempt to meddle in our personal lives.

Light refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public. For more information visit www.robertboston.com or www.okau.org,

Monday, July 21, 2014

Separating Mustang from the Maverick: Religious Education or Proselyting?

Photo courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustang_horse

Religious Education or Proselyting?

Readers,

I'm sure many of you have been following the rise of Hobby Lobby and its owners, the Green family. The recent Supreme Court decision that allows corporations to discriminate against women based on the religious viewpoints of the owners has made and will continue to make headlines for at least a generation.

In addition to its corporate actions, the Green family is also moving into the public schools with plans for bible classes to teach as they say, the history of the bible.

There are many people who see this plan as a smokescreen for advancing a particular religious viewpoint rather than teaching a generalized history of religion.

The Mustang public school system adopted a bible class developed by the Green Family Scholars into its curriculum this year.

This adoption has been approved under some doubt as to whether the school board met legally in accordance with Oklahoma's open meeting law.

Jim Huff, one of the co-founders of the OKC chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church & State (okau.org, au.org), has a well-developed radar for spotting shady deals that threaten the respect for religion in a public tax-payer supported school that must accommodate a variety of religious backgrounds.

Mr Huff will be presenting a public discussion this coming Tuesday, July 22, 6:00 pm at the Mustang Public Library that will investigate.what is legal and illegal regarding the teaching of religion in public schools.

With his life-long study of religious history from around the world Mr. Huff's presentation will answer many of the questions you might have as well as opening new threads of conversation about the always hot topic of religious observance in America.

These links will give additional information about the developing controversy in Mustang, Oklahoma.

Article in the Mustang Times newspaper:
http://www.mustangpaper.com/contentitem/374165/1586/meeting-to-discuss-district

Did the Mustang School Board meet outside the legal guidelines of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Law:

http://foioklahoma.org/2014/05/22/mustang-school-board-members-circumvented-open-meeting-act/

Washington Post story:
http://tinyurl.com/nmn2byo
clip "...when the Mustang school board made 220 pages of the book public, church-state experts suggested that its claims and assumptions amounted to teaching the Bible from a particular religious perspective, which the Supreme Court has banned in public schools."

Directions to Mustang Public Library:

http://www.mustanglibrary.org

map link--- http://tinyurl.com/lan4syj

Report a Violation to AU's Legal Department

AU LEGAL DEPARTMENT :: Report a Violation Through our litigation and non-litigation advocacy work, we actively fight to remedy violations of the separation of church and state. If you are aware of a government action that you believe violates the Constitution's requirement that church and state be kept separate, please e-mail us at madison@au.org or report the violation through our online form. Please visit the AU Report a Violation web site for full details.

As of March 2, 2015---Please note our new address:

1301 K Street NW
Suite 850, East Tower
Washington, DC 20005

Phone: 202-466-3234

Fax: 202-466-3353

membership@au.org
www.au.org

Oklahoma AU Statement of Purpose

Americans United for Separation of Church and State proudly supports and defends the right of citizens to choose and live according to their own convictions, whether religious or non-religious. It traces that basic freedom to a tradition founded by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Roger Williams, and enshrined in the First Amendment. It venerates the principle that religion is too important to be entrusted to government and encourages pluralism, tolerance, and a public life in which we the people interact on the basis of equal worth and mutual respect. Thus, Americans United considers separation of church and state a positive force in American society, a principle that encourages full participation among all people, burdens no one for following their conscience, and has encouraged a flowering of religious variety and vitality unequaled in today's world.