Focus on the Family Defends 'Bring Your Bible to School Day'

The organizer of the annual "Bring Your Bible to School Day" has defended the event, arguing that critics of the popular yearly event are "afraid" of America's youth expressing their Christianity.

Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, said in an interview with The Blaze that Thursday's annual "Bring Your Bible to School Day" should be seen as a great form of religious expression, adding that he would encourage a day for students of other religions, including Islam, to bring their Holy Book to school.

"I think that there's been so much intimidation in the culture toward people of faith — and particularly Christians," Daly said. "[We thought] this would be a good level-headed way to exercise a right that's there."

"Why do we need to fear students expressing their faith or expressing their interest in the Bible? The Bible's been with us," Daly added. "Originally, the education system used the Bible as a book to teach children to read and write and for moral guidance."

On Thursday, students across the nation participated in the event, which was started in 2014. Social media photos showed Christian students in multiple states bringing their Bible with them to school.

Daly said in a statement on the Focus on the Family website earlier this week that one of the purposes of the annual event is to remind Christian children that they have a right to express their faith.

"[…] students have a legal right to bring their Bibles to school and read it during their free time. Some educators might not be aware of this right," Daly wrote.

"In some cases, we've heard of administrators attempting to impose a 'cultural censorship' of sorts that make students feel like their faith is unwelcome in public schools. Whatever the case, too many students feel a quiet pressure to hide their faith – an integral part of who they are – while they're in school," Daly added.