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School District Sticks It to Atheist Group After Refusing to Ban Pastor-Led Program

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When the atheists at the infamous Freedom from Religion Foundation recently tried to force an Indiana school district to cancel a lunchtime leadership program led by two local pastors, they soon discovered that they had chosen the wrong people to try and bully.

Not only did East Porter County School Corporation superintendent Rod Gardin deny the FFRF’s request, but he further demanded an apology.

To understand why, flashback to Jan. 10, when the FFRF sent a letter to Gardin accusing the pastors who run the leadership program of using it “to befriend and proselytize students during the school day on school property.”

“This predatory conduct is inappropriate and raises many red flags,” wrote the FFRF, which has a history of trying to bully public school officials. “The District cannot allow its schools to be used for religious instruction during the school day. We write to request assurances that this practice will be stopped immediately.”

Predatory conduct? Really?

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According to The Christian Post, the so-called predators are “two pastors associated with the Assemblies of God-affiliated Heartland Christian Center.”

Moreover, the “Elevate Students” program they reportedly run at Kouts Middle/High School “gives students the opportunity to engage in character and leadership-building activities during their lunch period.”

That’s it. Nothing more. Nothing less.

“I analyzed the curriculum used in the program. There is no religious content in the curriculum. There are no Bible verses, references to any spiritual deity, or any activities that expose students to any religious concepts,” Gardin explained in a letter he sent to the FFRF.

Has an atheist ever tried to bully you?

To stress this point, he shared comments from students who’ve participated in the program:

“You will find that none of the students described any type of spiritual awakening or realization. What they learned were life principles that are religion-neutral that will assist them in developing into adults who can lead their families and communities in productive ways.”

Here’s the kicker: Besides making it clear that he has no intention of revoking the program, Gardin also demanded an apology for a phony news brief the FFRF posted Jan. 16 in which it rehashed its complaints about the district’s lunchtime leadership program to its followers.

“Since it has been demonstrated the school corporation is not allowing preachers to proselytize at one of our schools, I request you remove the erroneous information from your website regarding this topic and replace it with a retraction apologizing for the error,” Gardin demanded.

That’s called standing up for your rights. Well done, Mr. Gardin.

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As of late January, however, the FFRF’s original news brief remains on its website complete unaltered.

Apparently, the radical atheists with the FFRF lack the decency to correct their own mistakes. Who would have thunk it?

Please share this story on Facebook and Twitter and let us know what you think about the way East Porter County School Corporation superintendent Rod Gardin handled the atheist bullies at the FFRC.

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