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From: padraig@utastro.UUCP (Padraig Houlahan)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.religion
Subject: Re: Schools and Churches (really 'support' for areligious moral codes)
Message-ID: <758@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 26-Sep-85 10:29:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: utastro.758
Posted: Thu Sep 26 10:29:07 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 1-Oct-85 09:20:16 EDT
References: <623@hou2g.UUCP> <5884@cbscc.UUCP> <1154@mhuxt.UUCP>
Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX
Lines: 33
Xref: linus net.politics:10544 net.religion:7387

> ...
> In any case, you are conviced that your side (vs the government) is right
> and that you would be right to make the government bend to your convictions.
> What is the basis for that?
> 
> 
> -- 
> 
> Paul Dubuc 	cbscc!pmd

It's the same problem as found when dealing with pornography. In the public 
arena the rights of the pornographers are curtailed although not removed so 
that all can go about with minimum interference. If one wants to do something
in private, that's ok, however if one wants to do something that disturbs 
others in the public domain that's not ok. Pornographers have as valid a claim
to public school access as any other special interest group, and just like
the others will offend some section of the community. The middle path
seems to be to restrict access to all special interest groups - KKK,
pornographers, religions, secular humanists etc. Screaming "discrimination"
here rings hollow, for just as the individual has limitations on his freedom
- one cannot kill arbitrarily - then so have the above groups. The
discrimination charge would be valid if the separate groups were denied
the right to meet together.

There does of course remain the problem that many groups percieve restrictions
on them as being *active* support for their "opposition". Such groups include
many religious organizations where they see public schools as "pushing"
secular humanism. However, because some call themselves "secular humanists"
and associate themselves with specific ideas which are within the
domain of education, one should not interpret the educational system
as being pro-secular-humanist.

Padraig Houlahan.


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