Park Policy Favoring Indian Religion Stands

The Supreme Court has refused to hear the appeal of a decision that effectively allows the National Park Service to favor Native American religious beliefs on public lands. Now the government will be able to arrest people in public parks who do things that are regarded by some tribes as sacreligious.

KUTV reports:

Two visitors [to Utah's Rainbow Bridge], Evelyn Johnson and Earl DeWaal, had alleged they were forced to leave the area and threatened with arrest several times. ... Navajos, Hopi and other Indian groups consider Rainbow Bridge a sacred site that should be approached closely only during their traditional religious ceremonies.

It must be kept in mind that none of this involves private land — it's all public land that ostensibly belongs to everyone. The only reason being used to prevent people from approaching the Rainbow Bridge is that it violates the religious rules of certain Indian groups. It might be rude to do this, but why should it be something that one can be arrested over? Why should park rangers be put in the position of enforcing religious rules?

You can be arrested for trespassing on the private property of a church, but only because there are civil laws against trespassing. Your arrest would not be because you were doing something sacrilegious.

Read More:

• Separation of Church and State 101
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