Re: "Primary Literature"

Justin Keller (jkeller@merle.acns.nwu.edu)
Tue, 23 Apr 1996 20:01:57 -0500

Some of my research concerns church-state issues and the Supreme Court, so
the discussion on the ACLU has piqued my interest. There are a couple of
points I want to bring up. First, the ACLU doesn't normally sue anyone
because generally they're not an involved party and don't have standing to
sue (Flast vs. Cohen). But they often do represent or file briefs on
behalf of parties who feel their Constitutional rights have been violated.
So the paranoia some conservatives, including Christians, feel about the
ACLU is not entirely justified.

But second, the ACLU has taken positions that *appear* hostile to religion.
The most recent example (I think--I'd have to double check my sources or
have one of the lawyers on the reflector correct me) is Rosenberger vs. UVA
Board of Regents from this past summer, in which the Court ruled that UVA
had to provide equal access to student funds and printing resources to a
Christian magazine. So we shouldn't think of the ACLU as simply being out
to protect the rights of American citizens.

Having said this, can we move on and talk about evolution/creation issues?
I really don't think this is the place to be discussing the "agenda" of the
ACLU.
Justin Keller