All of the above.

My boys had someone from the festival come to their school yesterday and invite them to "Xtreme Kidz LIVE" or maybe just the stunt bike part. I'm getting really sick of these church groups pitching their stuff at school.

They were at my daughter's school yesterday. I am not happy. Phone calls and e-mails this afternoon.

Just who is and who isn't allowed to pitch programs to our students and why or why not? I honestly don't know the rules and feel too lazy this morning to go trying to dig through Knox County Schools policy this morning to answer my own question. If someone happens to know the answer off the top of their head, it'd be appreciated.

Back in the dark ages of the late 1970's and early 1980's when I was in Junior High and High School in the Knoxville City School System, I don't remember any assemblies promoting or sharing information about much of anything. I don't remember pamphlets being handed out. I do recall one of those pamphlet cases like you see outside Pigeon Forge attractions in the guidance counselor's office at Whittles. I was still being drug off to church every Sunday by my mom back then, so I heard a lot about Y.O.K.E. and Young Life from Sunday School, and both groups met on school property after hours at that time. But I don't recall hearing or seeing anything related to either group inside Whittles or Fulton.

My personal stance is that a religious group is a NPO. They're entitled to the same rights and privileges as any other NPO, no more and no less. If Planned Parenthood, the NRA, PETA, NOW, MADD, or SADD can go into a school and hold assemblies and/or pass out literature, I don't see the grounds for banning religious groups specifically, as long they're not preaching scripture or holding prayers or such like. A church couldn't hold a revival meeting in a school assembly, but they could advertise their youth oriented programs (Y.O.K.E., Young Life, Upward) if other NPO's are allowed to do so. The establishment clause has to be weighed against the free speech clause of the same amendment. I don't see where you can discriminate against a religious organization any more than you can specifically endorse one.

In like fashion, if Plannt Parenthood, NRA, PETA, NOW, MADD, and SADD are banned from holding assemblies and passing out literature, there's no grounds for letting a religious group in. When government either lets everything in or bans everything from public property, their positions are usually pretty easy to justify. When governments start trying to let some groups in while keeping others out, things get a whole lot dicier, at least to me. Government shouldn't be in the role of promoting some forms of free speech and suppressing others.

Once again, before the "what if a wiccan group wanted to" questions start flying my way, I reiterate my own nonbelief in all things supernatural. I just don't see where my nonbelief makes believers my enemy. For that matter, I don't see activist progressives/conservatives as my enemies, though I vehemently oppose much of what both groups are trying to do. At least they care enough to decide what they believe in and to stand up for those beliefs. My enemies are the that vast majority of Americans who don't care enough to really give a rat's ass one way or the other. They might decide to show up and vote for whichever candidate struck an emotional chord or who got painted in such a ways to make them dislike him/her, but they really don't know jack about what goes on around them. Those folks aren't holding up their end of the bargain our Founding Fathers struck when they decided to try this whole representative democracy thing. Them, I have issues with.

I doubt there is a real test for this, Ray. Most of these other groups are probably not trying to go around parents to proselytize to children. PETA, NOW, or other organizations that most parents and administrators would not approve of have probably have not asked to enter the schools. I suspect if either of these groups did, it would be holy hell and the community would be in an uproar.

I don't see how it can be construed in any way that the kids should be "informed" of this (non)event. There is a lot of advertising in billboards, papers, and probably in their churches. If their parents were interested in them going, they probably already know about it. When the administrators let these folks in, they are saying more than "we want you to be aware of this", they are saying "we want you to go to this". And the kids who want to go, for one reason or another, have an opportunity to apply peer pressure to the kids who aren't going. These methods are exactly what the eeeevangelicals believe the bible tells them to do -- to proselytize. Kids learn this message at a very young age and are active participants. As a kid, I never went to church but my friends would always invite me to VBS and summer church camps. I went along to hang out with them, but this always resulted in emotional trauma -- should I be saved? Am I going to hell? Do I need to run around telling everyone about Jesus all the time to keep from going to hell? One time, I spent a week in Oklahoma, of all places, with a Nazarene group who wouldn't let us wear shorts! Oklahoma in the summer!! No shorts!!!

Funny how they think if they use the letters "x", "z", and the word "extreme" that kids will be interested.

Of course, it's targeting youth! They try to so hard to be "cool" that it just comes off looking lame.

I don't necessarily have a problem with this, I just wonder at the chutzpa it takes to name a festival for yourself. The Franklin Graham Festival? Sounds a little ego-centric to me, and not terribly biblical.

Philippians 2:3-4, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

I think it opens a door for your children to talk to you about God and maybe it's not a bad thing to let them start understanding that Christians can have fun and we are not the enemy. What liberal ways of thinking that you are so upset by this. I didn't call the school board when my son had to watch the Al Gore garbage but found it a great opportunity to sit down and talk with him about how he needs to explore his own opinions even if I didn't agree. My goodness why do you get so upset over God? Don't tell me it's because you think they are pushing their religion on you--I put up with all the liberal stuff everyday--it's called tollerance a word in which you should be very familiar with--works both ways!!!!

Michael Silence is on the case...

(link...)

Also, see here for previous discussion re. school policy in a similar situation:

(link...)

When it comes to so-called "evangelicals" like Franklin Graham I'm taking a wide stance and charge him with accepting government money, deception and misuse of the public trust, and misrepresenting himself as something he most certainly is not (a real "Christ-like" person).

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
Hunter S. Thompson

Don't just wonder and ask, come to the Festival and decide for yourself. Sat. at 7:00 (rock music bands) and Sun. at 4:00 (Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder). It's free. You might learn something.

Young people and baby boomers ARE liars.

j4 - This from someone who posts anonymously and attacks the known messenger. This from someone who has 10 posts in a year. Since you're apparently trying to keep track, and doing a poor job I might add, you can add 'volunteers time for community events' to your list.

Great night tonight. About 14,000 in attendance, mostly teenagers to hear TobyMac. I expect the largest crowd on Sunday afternoon. Come, listen, decide for yourself.

It's a shame. I think what many on this board are actually reacting against is the extraordinary hypocrisy of many of those who so loudly proclaim their Christianity yet whose actions and words are so contrary to the teachings of Christ. It's not that they are anti-religion...but rather opposed to how a religion can be subverted for some rather ugly purposes. Christ himself warned of this. And it's in full bloom in our country right now.