Religious Right Group Drops Texas Bible Lawsuit.

A Religious Right legal group that accused a Texas public school teacher of throwing two students' Bibles in the trash abruptly withdrew its lawsuit only 13 days after it was filed.

Controversy flared in May, when two Texas middle school students, Angela and Amber Harbison, claimed that a teacher confiscated their Bibles, called the religious texts "garbage" and threw them in the trash. Another student asserted that he was ordered to remove a book cover featuring the Ten Commandments. With assistance from the Orlando, Fla.-based Liberty Counsel, the three students and their parents filed suit on May 19 against the Willis Independent School District.

The case quickly became fodder for Religious Right leaders who claim that public schools are hostile toward religion. As Jerry Falwell told supporters in the June 1 edition of his Falwell Confidential, "Leftists who hate the Judeo-Christian heritage of our nation are constantly attempting to discover new ways to ignore and neglect that history. As a result, students of faith are frequently targeted and persecuted for even the most simple expression of their faith. These brave young students are the martyrs of our day."

But now it appears that the incidents may have never happened. On June 1, Liberty Counsel attorneys dropped the suit without public explanation. The announcement was welcome news to school officials, who maintained that the charges were inaccurate.

"The district has always maintained that the allegations contained in the suit were untrue," read a statement released by the school district. "Students of Willis Independent School District have not been told they cannot bring Bibles to school, and Bibles were never confiscated or thrown into the trash.... The allegations contained in this lawsuit are totally inconsistent with the actions of this school district and its employees."