A lawsuit filed in federal court last week accuses California’s Antelope Valley Union School Board of blocking scholarships from atheists while allowing them from Scientology. Courthouse News Service reported that the district was sued after it refused to let students compete for $17,950 in scholarships from the Freedom From Religion Foundation and $1,750 in scholarships from the Antelope Valley Freethinkers. According to the atheist groups, Palmdale High School declined to notify students of their scholarship offers, which required applicants to submit an essay on the challenges of being a “nonbeliever.”…. The lawsuit notes that the school did offer scholarships from other groups — including the Church of Scientology — that “solicited religious speech, required applicants to be religious, and dealt with the historically controversial topics of homosexuality and guns.”
If you ever think to doubt that discrimination against atheists is one of the last socially acceptable forms of oppression in this case, this case should help disabuse you of that notion. Given that at least seven states have laws on the books prohibiting atheists from holding elected public office (et tu, Texas??), a high school refusing to countenance scholarships from FFRF is hardly breaking news.
For whatever reason, there are those who legitimately feel threatened by those of us who consider ourselves to be “good without God.” Never mind that when you evaluate real, legitimate threats, far more often than not religion will be part of the picture. Most atheists are far more concerned with living their lives than spreading dogma and discrimination.
That said, when a school district (this is not the first time FFRF and Antelope Valley have clashed) decides to proscribe non-Christian speech, not only is it violating the separation of Church and State, it’s engaging in censorship.
There’s a time and a place for pushing religion on students: It’s called “church,” and it happens on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. In the meantime, our tax dollars shouldn’t be used to advance the interests of the majority religion. Education is supposed to be about learning, not indoctrination in and obedience to the majority religion.