School: "Don't Talk About Faith Here"

Freedom of religion, not freedom from religion, was promised to us by our founding fathers. The cornerstone of the American ideal is that we may pursue happiness and live without fear that our beliefs will be forcibly quashed by the authorities.

Tell that to the Wisconsin school principal who has given his Bible-reading high school student a talking to. Why? His open discussion of religion with other students was "disruptive".

Again we see that for all their talk of openness, the politically-correct are the first ones to silence those with whom they disagree. Luckily, this story has a happy ending, or at least not a negative one. The student was not officially rebuked or reprimanded.

However, it is not hard to see where an incident like this could ultimately lead. Talking about sex, drugs, and how awful George Bush was? That's fine. But talking about God? Mention Him and you'll earn you a trip to detention.

Congratulations, First Things!

This month's issue of First Things is now online/in print. The issue merits special attention because it marks the twentieth anniversary of First Things' publication.

There is no other comparable journal of religion and public life. First Things provides the most stimulating, useful, and generally well-written commentary I've ever encountered.

One must be thankful that giants such as Father Richard John Neuhaus, Joseph Bottum, and George Weigel have walked in our time.