Last night, my wife and I attended a local school board meeting concerning exemption from compulsory school attendance.  Our local school board had passed a policy that required children 14 years old or older to submit a statement about their religious beliefs.  In accordance with this policy, the board could schedule a meeting with the child “to determine whether the request for exemption is … due to bona fide religious training or belief.”  During the meeting, one of the board members acknowledged that “the board was not capable of determining whether a child had a bona fide religious training or belief.”  So, what’s the point of the policy?  My wife and I, together with about 250 other people, packed the local administrative building.  The main room where the school board was meeting, the hallway, and as many as three or four overflow rooms were occupied with people in support of a family, who was taking a stance against the school board, protesting the policy.  The board was apparently compelling a 14 year old child to submit a statement about the child’s religious training and beliefs, with the prospect of the child having to meet with the board.  I cannot imagine what the parents were going through.  As parents, we have a responsibility, not just a right, to protect our children.  I have a child who loves the Lord, he’s well-grounded in his faith, and I wouldn’t want to subject him to an interrogation by anyone about his faith.  But let me emphasize something, about 250 people showed up to support the parents in challenging this policy, which ended up being repealed by the way.  You know this tells me, God’s not dead, at least not in our community!