Family Love

Religious freedoms have been a hot topic in the local and national news media in the last few weeks. We have seen so much coverage in our newspapers and television stations both locally and nationally.

Women of today are concerned with the rights we have in our county – what we are free to do; how we choose to live; how we choose to rear our children; when and where we and our children can share their faith and pray. All of these are being brought to the forefront by today’s newspapers and television stations. We need to know our rights for ourselves and for our children and grandchildren.

We are finding out that our children have more rights to share their faith at school than was ever believed. State Rep. Mike Johnson has been posting those rights on Facebook and schools all across our nation are paying attention and becoming aware of those rights. They are contacting Johnson and are surprised at what they did not know.

Students have the right to do the following: All students retain their First Amendment freedoms while on campus, Christian students enjoy the right to share their beliefs, pray, evangelize, read Scripture and invite other students to join in such activities, so long as the activities are voluntary, student-initiated and not disruptive or coercive. All students with all of any different religion have the same rights as Christian students have.

A school may not prohibit student expression during non-instructional time unless it (1) materially and substantially interferes with the operation of the school, or (2) infringes on the rights of other students. No school can prohibit student expression solely because others might find it “offensive.” As a student, you can:

• Express your religious beliefs during class or as part of an assignment

• Distribute religious material and collect prayer requests at school

• Advertise religious events at school

• Pray at school, and during graduation and before sporting events

• Wear religious clothing, jewelry and symbols to school

• Engage in religious expression during school-organized events like talent shows.

Christian clubs can:

• Hold their meetings on campus

• Use school equipment, such as audio/visual and sports equipment

• Require members to be Christian and adhere to a code of conduct

• Receive school funding for their activities events like all other student groups and advertise on campus for their meetings.

For more information, check out Freedom Guard Now at www. freedomguardnow.org.

If we want the freedoms of our great country to stand, we must exercise them without fear. We must teach our children what their rights are under our country’s constitution. We must pray for our country and children like never before. We must stand tall in our beliefs and we must bend our heads in prayer to ask for wisdom and strength to do so. Prayer is simply having a conversation with God. It is praising Him and thanking Him for all His blessings. It is seeking His guidance in our everyday lives for both the big and the small issues of our lives.

Some people don’t pray because they don’t understand how powerful prayer is. When we pray we open the door for God to come into our problems and situations and work on them. True prayer aligns our heats with God’s. Prayer is our connection to heaven and heaven’s connection to us – we should keep the lines open. The challenge is for women to pray for wisdom, for guidance in rearing our children and grandchildren, our marriages and our country.

The majority of Americans state they are a Christian so let’s let the world that know we are.

Dianne Glasgow is a family and child specialist at the LSU AgCenter in Caddo Parish.

She can be reached at [email protected], 226-6805 or 464-2552.