Atheist Student Harassed by Groups of Christians

Religion is a touchy subject, to put it lightly. Religious wars have plagued our history but have also extended into the modern era. A new and unnecessary war has begun, leaving high school student Jessica Ahlquist fighting alone.

Ahlquist, a 16-year-old from Cranston High School, was the plaintiff in the Rhode Island American Civil Liberties Union case that sought the removal of a prayer banner in her high school’s auditorium. The banner includes the phrase “Our Heavenly Father,” ending with “Amen.” For Ahlquist, an atheist, this was a clear violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause that calls for a separation of church and state, prompting her to go to court to have the banner taken down.

Executive Director of the ACLU, Steven Brown, wrote a letter to the Cranston School District after receiving a complaint by a parent over the banner’s overt religious content. This caused the ACLU to raise suit and in his letter, Brown wrote, “there can be no question that the school auditorium’s prayer display violates a core principle of the First Amendment.”

Once U.S. District Court Judge Ronald R. Lagueux ruled in favor of the ACLU and Ahlquist, ordering the banner’s “immediate removal,” Christians from around the school and community began harassing the teenager.

Students of Cranston High School and members of the community began tweeting and posting Facebook statuses threatening Ahlquist, while one person even posted her address online. These posts are deplorable, some reading: “May that little, evil atheist teenage girl and that judge BURN IN HELL!,” “definitely laying it down on this atheist tomorrow anyone else?,” “Hmm jess is in my bio class, she’s gonna get some shit thrown at her,” “gods going to **** your ass with that banner you scumbag,” “When I take over the world I’m going to do a holocaust to all atheists,” and the worst in my opinion, “We can make so many jokes about this dumb *****, but who cares #thatbitchisgointohell and Satan is gonna rape her.”

Rhode Island State Representative Peter Palumbo added fuel to the fire, calling the teenager “an evil little thing” on the John DePetro Radio Show, a local talk show. He added that, “she [Ahlquist] is being coerced by evil people,” implying that atheists and anyone who does not practice Christianity for that matter are “evil people.”

The tweets and postings are only adding to the already growing and frightening problem of cyber bullying that has caused many teenagers to take their lives. What bothers me the most about these however are that they come from Christians.

I am a Christian, yet, the behavior of these people from Ahlquist’s community goes against what my religion stands for. These people have behaved incredibly unchristian-like and their actions are upsetting.

In the King James Bible, James 1:26 reads, “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” What this passage means is that anyone who considers themself to be Christian, yet acts and speaks in unchristian-like ways, is only deceiving their own heart and therefore their religion is in vain. This passage perfectly describes the actions of the Christian community that bashed and harassed Ahlquist. Such anti-Christian behavior reflects negatively on the Christian community as a whole. Christianity is not about lashing out at others for their different beliefs, let alone harassing and threatening others. These actions completely go against all that Christianity stands for.

I understand why some people in the community may be upset at the removal of the banner. The banner has been in place since 1963 and many see it as an integral part of the school’s history. However, Cranston High School is a public school and therefore Ahlquist’s argument of separation of church and state was completely reasonable.

I think that it is important to note once again that Ahlquist is an atheist. What if she had been Jewish or Muslim and still brought the case to court? She could have practiced Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism or Shinto. In fact, anyone who does not practice Christianity and attended Cranston High School could also have felt uncomfortable with that banner.

Had someone practicing any other religion done what Ahlquist did and received the same negative feedback as she did, well that would be considered a hate crime.

Despite all of the taunts and harassment she has received, Ahlquist contends that it was “all worth it.” “It has been a very long and difficult year for me and my family and we’re just so glad it has finally been decided,” said a relieved Ahlquist to the CranstonPatch at the Providence ACLU office the day after Judge Lagueux ordered the banner to be taken down.

What she did took a lot of courage and bravery to be able to stand up in front of her community and affirm her own beliefs, knowing that she would possibly face backlash. I am a Christian but I applaud Ahlquist for defending her beliefs and the rights that we hold sacred in our Constitution. For those Christians who threatened the 16-year-old, maybe they should take some time to consult their Bible.

Jessica Keesee can be reached at jessica.keesee@spartans.ut.edu.