LCPS ANNOUNCES POLICY OF PERSECUTING DISSENTERS FROM ESTABLISHED RELIGION

In defiance of the U.S. Constitution’s express prohibition of such by any agent of government, Loudoun County Public Schools have issued a declaration that one religion is now established across the LCPS organization. In accordance with this establishment, any student or staff member who speaks against the official religion of LCPS or in violation of its orthodoxy, or refuses to partake in its sacraments, is to be officially rejected and condemned. 

Establishment of the LCPS religion as the supreme faith across the organization will require subjugation and rejection of students and staff insofar as they express agreement with the tenets of another religion that conflicts with it and are deemed by agents of LCPS to represent a sufficient affront to the LCPS religion. Thus—to take just one example—if a religion states that gender expression not aligning with one’s sex should not be affirmed or applauded (as the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic religions do), that religion—or at least the person expressing agreement with it—must be rejected and condemned by LCPS staff.

Some parts of the LCPS religion, such as not discriminating based upon race, ethnicity, national origin, socio-economic status, or religion, among others, are in harmony with many other religions and in fact may be consistent with U.S. law. Christians like me, for example, also reject racial slurs, reject antisemitism, and are thankful and welcoming to all kinds of people. 

However, because there can be no U.S. law that infringes the First Amendment, government is not permitted to require the celebration of anything. It is especially onerous to require members of an organization, including customers of that organization (namely, the students, their parents, and the taxpayers) to celebrate diversity when diversity is defined to include immorality. 

Following is the LCPS doctrinal statement, with my emphasis added:

LCPS Commitment to Equity

LCPS centers equity as one of its foundational core values. For our community, equity means being committed to providing a safe, supportive, inclusive, affirming, and respectful environment for each student and staff member that fosters success, growth, and academic rigor. The cultivation of this environment requires us to reject and condemn the use of hate speech, racial slurs, anti-semitism, and any action or behavior that discriminates based on race, ethnicity, national origin, gender orientation, gender expression, socio-economic status, religion, ability, or other cultural identities or expression. Such non-inclusive speech, behavior, and actions do not reflect who we are as a learning community. 

We embrace and value the unique identities, backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and needs of each student and employee. Celebrating our diversity is important and helps define us as a school division.

Demonstrating the courage to address inequities and remove barriers represents an integral part of our collective effort towards excellence in education. Equity is the vehicle that leads to greater access, opportunity, and equality so that each student is empowered to make meaningful contributions to the world.

All religions assert as true certain spiritual premises that cannot be proven scientifically because they address matters beyond physical reality. In most cases, such assertions stem from a scripture that purports to be revelation from God or an enlightened person. Although not citing the source of authority for its own spiritual assertions, from the “LCPS Commitment to Equity” statement we may observe the following selection of faith statements (that is, unquestioned and unquestionable premises) and sacraments (that is performative acts) of the now-established religion of LCPS:

FAITH STATEMENTS (overt and implied)

SACRAMENTS (selected):

1. Within the LCPS organization, all people (whether believers in the LCPS religion or not) must celebrate diversity.
2. Within the LCPS organization, all people (whether believers in the LCPS religion or not) must embrace inclusiveness.
3. LCPS end user (i.e., student) or LCPS staff use of “non-inclusive speech, behavior, and actions” as defined by LCPS is to be rejected and condemned by the LCPS organization.
4. Within the LCPS organization, all people (whether believers in the LCPS religion or not) must refrain from “hate speech” as defined by LCPS. Any failure to refrain from hate speech as defined by LCPS is to be rejected and condemned by the LCPS organization.

At back-to-school nights across the county, and—no doubt—during the school day, parents and students were warned that blasphemy against the LCPS established religion will not be tolerated. Considering the foregoing, and since officially changing the names of things across the county has become a diligently pursued activity in recent years, I propose modifying the name of our school system. Welcome to LCPS: Loudoun County Parochial Schools.

Also, because the federal Constitution prohibits the government establishment of religion, the new LCPS organization should return all government funds and become a private organization.

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Daniel Alan Brubaker, PhD, is a researcher in the early history of Islam and Quran manuscripts. His doctorate in Religious Studies was awarded by Rice University (2014).