
How did things ever go this far?
Is it a matter of religious intolerance, doing what is expedient or something far more
rosary beadsThese beads are often associated with catholics They are also worn by some for fashion
This is a story of freedom, not just one with religious overtones
Here is what happened, just keeping to facts
A federal judge ordered a New York middle school to reinstate a seventh-grader , Raymond Hosier who was ordered suspended by a school for wearing rosary beads .
He wears these prayer beads in as a memory of his brother , who died clutching this rosary at a car acceident
Judge Lawrence Kahn ordered the boy to be reinstated pending a hearing on June 11 into whether the suspension violated his civil rights.
What is worrying is the reason given by the school.
The worrying thing is that district officials contend Hosier violated a policy banning them because they are worn as gang symbols
The American Center for Law and Justice to file a lawsuit on Tuesday in U.S. District Court arguing that Raymond’s suspension violated his rights to free religion.
This begs a more serious question
This is what it boils down to.
In this case the choice of a gang to wear a symbol or item of clothing was sufficient for a school and district officials to deny the right of law abiding people to be denied the right to do the same
To those who treasure their freedom, that must be alarming
Let us hope the court upholds Hosier’s rights at the full hearing.
It is a far bigger issue than rosary beads or religious tolerance. It is about freedom and the rights of the majority. It is about not allowing a minority to destroy the rights we all expect in a democracy. How can the school and district officials have not seen the thin end of this wedge?
