I have been waiting for a non-Christian religious group to say they have the same rights in the public forum that the Religious Right have insisted on having. It has finally happened in Virginia. This is what happens when we take freedom of religion seriously instead of thinking that the only religion is “our” particular brand of religion: Falwell’s Faux Pas Leads to Religious Equality. This is why separation of church and state is a good thing: if you want your Christian flyers put in a public school’s publicity packet then do not be surprised (and pleased don’t be outraged–it makes all of us look stupid) when in the next school packet there is something from the Moslem mosque or the Buddhist temple or even the local Wiccan coven. This is what religious freedom looks like in a pluralistic society, and if Falwell did not insist on obliterating the separation of church and state then we wouldn’t have to worry about any of this. May be Falwell and his collegues need to revisit Deuteronomy where Moses tells parents that it is their responsibility to teach their children about God and why they believe what they believe. It is not the public school’s job (or any sector of government) to teach our children faith: that is the family and church’s job.