THEIST_WATCH
  Msg  : 67                                         Written : 08/11/94 06:07pm
  From : ROBIN MURRAY-O'HAIR                        Status  :                 
  To   : ALL                                                                  
  Subj : Evolution vs. Creationism                                            

                Evolution v Creationism -- Again

     The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (CA) is at it again. This time
(July 26, 1994) it has refused to rule on a religious issue and sent a
case back to a lower federal court.
     John Peloza, a high school biology teacher, sued the Capistrano
Unified Schools District in Orange County, California, claiming that
its refusal (in 1991) to permit him to teach biblical "scientific"
creationism, supported Atheism and showed hostility to religion. He
also complained that he was required to teach evolution in his biology
classes and that he was forbidden to try to convert his public school
students to Christianity or to initiate conversations about his
religious beliefs on school grounds.
     The court dismissed the latter complaints but held that the
requirement to teach evolution "as a fact" violated Peloza's religious
beliefs.
     Peloza and his attorney viewed the decision as affirming that
public schools cannot suppress "alternate views" of the origin of life.



THEIST_WATCH
  Msg  : 94                                         Written : 09/08/94 04:57pm
  From : ROBIN MURRAY-O'HAIR                        Status  :                 
  To   : ALL                                                                  
  Subj : Daggers at School OK                                                 

     YOU CAN TAKE WEAPONS TO SCHOOL -- IF YOU ARE RELIGIOUS

     Well, another blow for religious accommodation has been struck.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has ruled that Sikh
children may attend classes while wearing daggers. In a 2-1 ruling, the
court held that the Livingston Union School District must accommodate
the religious beliefs of these children in this regard.
     The Sikh religion (founded in northern India) requires that its
male members carry "kirpans," ceremonial but lethal daggers at all
times. The kirpan has a 4-inch blade.
     The court felt that the school district could find a way to allow
the children to carry the knives without endangering the lives of
others. Other school districts in the U.S. and Canada permit Sikh
students to wear kirpans if the daggers are blunted or fastened to
their sheaths.
     The students had made their legal appeal under the federal
Religious Freedom Restoration Act.


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