An Education in Mississippi Fundamentalism
In other news, Politix reports on a recent incident where students were allegedly forced to listen to a Christian fundamentalism sermons disguised as a student assembly, this time in a Mississippi public school in Rankin County.
“A Mississippi public high school has caused a furore by forcing students to attend Christian assemblies, students allege. Northwest Rankin High School assemblies were led by local church officials, students claim, and showed Christian video while teachers actually blocked the exits to prevent students leaving.”
Here’s the basic details as reported by local station WAFB 9:
“The Appignani Humanist Legal Center learned from Northwest Rankin High School students that a mandatory assembly was held during school hours on April 9 where a representative of the Pinelake Baptist Church spoke of finding “hope” in “Jesus Christ,” according to a press release from the American Humanist Association.
The group claims that students stated anyone who attempted to leave the April 9 assembly were prevented from doing so. The press release adds that at the end of the presentation, the speakers led the students in a Christian prayer.”
Here’s a copy of the e-mail from the school regarding the event in question. As you can see, there is absolutely no information about the content of the assembly or the reason for it being held.
Rankin assembly email
The letter is pretty disturbing in its description of the assembly and what went down, which describes what sure seems to me like a mandatory church sermon and conversion lecture about sin and salvation, especially with the inclusion of the videos and closing prayers, described below:
“In the video, two young men were interviewed who had once led “troubled” lives. To find hope, the men described various behaviors such as turning to drugs, sex, cutting, suicide, and the like. They then explained how turning to Jesus Christ solved their problems and recommended that other people turn to Jesus Christ as well. The video immediately delved into a full-blown lecture of the supposed miracles, powers, and teachings of Jesus Christ and encouraged all students to turn to him…At no time did a school official turn off the video. Indeed, the presentation was mandatory and faculty stood near the exit door, preventing students from leaving. According to the students, a principal harassed several students who attempted to leave and told them to sit back down.”
You can view a copy of the letter sent to Northwest Rankin High School by the Appignani Humanist Legal Center here. More coverage of this story and a short video is available from local station WDAM 7.
As mentioned, the American Humanist Association filed a lawsuit on behalf of one of these Northwest Ranking students, who is simply named “M.B.” in the complaint. The legal complaint states the basic charges in the case as follows:
“This action arises out of the Defendants’ policy of sponsoring school assemblies (the “Christian Assemblies”) that promote religion, and Christianity specifically, to its students during the school day. The School’s sponsorship, presentation and promotion of these Christian Assemblies, and its excessive entanglement with the Pinelake Baptist Church, violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, as applied to Mississippi by the Fourteenth Amendment thereof.”
You can download a copy of the complaint filed by Appignani Humanist Legal Center here (M.B. v Rankin County School District), which was filed with the Jackson, Mississippi federal courts.
Pinelake Baptist Church
So who exactly is Pinelake Baptist Church? They’re part of the conservative Christian fundamentalist movements that I have been documenting for my dissertation work, as evidenced by their ‘doctrinal statement’ on their website, which reads in part:
The Bible
“We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are God’s revelation of Himself to mankind. They were written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit, with the result that Scripture is God’s Word—entirely true and without error in the original writings. They are the supreme and final authority for Christian beliefs and living. We further believe that the focus of all Scripture is the person and work of Jesus Christ.” {my emphasis}
What is especially troubling is that this may not be the first time this has happened, as there is a reference to “Church Assemblies” in the letter, indicating that this is not the first time such a situation has arisen. While I haven’t been able to track down details on this yet, it would not surprise me, given what we know about the slippery slope of fundamentalism in Mississippi public schools. I’ll continue to track this story and the associated case as it unfolds.
Until next time…beware of fundamentalists in public school clothing.
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