According to city officials, worship in a public facility -- when the schools are not even in session -- is too much mixing of church and state, so they've ordered dozens of churches evicted by Sunday, February 12.

I agree with most Americans who believe this is wrong-headed.

In a recent study by LifeWay Research, two-thirds of Americans believe public schools should rent to churches and other community groups. For that matter, school districts across the country have shown their agreement by renting to thousands of congregations every weekend.

Until recently, religious groups have been legally permitted equal access to public buildings in New York City. But recently the U.S. Supreme Court let stand the ruling of a lower court, which approved the New York City Department of Education's ban, opening up NYC churches to lawful eviction. So, legally the city government can enforce a ban, but just because it's legal doesn't mean it's best for our communities and our country.

CHURCHES BENEFIT COMMMUNITIES

Schools and churches make their communities better, and the public knows it. According to a 2011 Barna Research study:

"Three-quarters of U.S. adults believe the presence of a church is 'very' (53%) or 'somewhat' positive (25%) for their community. In contrast, only one out of every 20 Americans believes the influence of a church is negative."

It seems odd for a municipality to ban something from public buildings that their constituents strongly view as positive.

The New York City Law Department, however, disagrees, stating:

"We view this as a victory for the City's school children and their families. The Department was quite properly concerned about having any school in this diverse City identified with one particular religious belief or practice."

Most Americans see churches as partners in the community, but the NYC school system sees churches as a threat rather than a benefit. They are mistaken.

DISCRMINATING ON THE BASIS OF SPEECH CONTENT IS AGAINST OUR VALUES Continued...