Lawsuit Against Mega Church Brings Questions To Enfield Graduation Ceremonies

Families in the town of Enfield are waiting to hear whether this year’s high school graduation ceremonies will take place as planned at a local Christian Church.  An attorney representing the town says the event should go forward. WNPR’s Diane Orson reports. 

 

481 graduating seniors in Enfield are supposed to receive their high school diplomas at The First Cathedral Church in Bloomfield. But the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a federal lawsuit this month on behalf of two students – one Jewish and one agnostic - and their parents.  They say holding the event at a church violates their First Amendment rights by communicating a message of favoritism for Christianity.  But Vincent McCarthy of the American Center for Law and Justice disagrees. He represents the Enfield School District. Speaking on WNPR’s Where We Live, he says a ceremony in a church  is not necessarily a church ceremony.

 

"And that’s right from a case called Doe. V. Elmbrook out of Wisconsin.  The fact that a graduation is taking place in a church doesn’t render this a religious exercise.  No one’s being forced to engage in any religious practices at all."

 

Although large crosses can be seen on the roof, the doorway and in the stained glass at the back of the stage, McCarthy says other religious symbols could be removed.  The plaintiffs have asked for a temporary injunction to halt commencement plans.  

For WNPR, I’m Diane Orson.