Denise Etheridge
Thank the Lord, it’s about time.
Just because some in the community are used to doing things a certain way “because that’s the way we’ve always done it,” doesn’t make it right.
FFRF states its purpose is to protect the constitutional principle of separation between church and state. In my view, more local governments and public school systems need to be reminded that government cannot endorse any particular religion. We as Americans cannot be forced to pray; nor can we be forced not to.
We are free to pray in our homes, attend religious services at any house of worship — be it a church, synagogue, mosque, or temple — and even say grace over a meal at any restaurant. The issue here is not to prevent Christians from practicing their religion, but to prevent public school employees from pushing their particular religious views on their students when on school grounds or during school-sanctioned events.
In the complaint made against the Walker County school system, FFRF has expressed concern over whether coach Mark Mariakis allegedly led students in prayer, or pressured them to attend faith-based camps. I believe the foundation wants to ensure public school employees do not coerce students to pray, whether it be in the classroom or on a football field.
If you want your children to pray in school, send them to a private school of your choice. Do not expect children of many different faiths — or those being raised without religious instruction — to pray in the name of the majority’s god in a taxpayer-funded school.
My children attended public schools. Most of their teachers were understanding when they had to be absent to observe a non-Christian religious holiday. But not all. So, I had to speak up. I had to rock the boat.
There was one time when my son’s (eighth-grade) rec football team prayed with their coach on the field. I happened to arrive late to his practice that day; he’d gotten a ride with a friend. My son stood to the side in his uniform, while the rest of his teammates knelt in a circle in prayer. Christian prayer. He wasn’t exactly coerced, but he was definitely excluded.
My colleague, Dennis Norwood, who reports for our sister paper, would have you believe atheists and other non-Christians would — in a sense — proselytize their “unbelief” and have Christians turn away from the tenets of their faith. That’s nonsense. It’s fear-filled rhetoric that leads to inflaming people’s passions and gives rise to bigotry. We non-Christians are not out to prevent anyone from practicing religion.
Let me say this; I am a believer. I am a Jew. And if you want to talk real religious persecution, well, my people are experts.
By the way, Dennis, I do not lead a sad existence just because I don’t believe as you do. Nor do any of my friends, be the progressive protestant Christians, Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Mormon, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Wiccan, Shamanic, Agnostic, Humanist, Atheist or whatever.
Like Dennis, I too regularly attend worship services. I have attended Torah study and other religious classes offered at my synagogue. I pray each day and celebrate Jewish holidays and lifecycle events. But I am still not comfortable with invocations at public school games or commencements, or before government meetings.
And although Dennis might be looking forward to his arrival in paradise, I’m in no hurry to greet my dear departed loved ones in the afterlife.
Heaven can wait. Life is to be lived here on earth, to constantly improve oneself and leave a legacy of good works behind when the final sleep does come.
Denise Etheridge is the assistant editor of the Walker County Messenger and can be reached at detheridge@npco.com or 706-638-1859.
This is the only part of this article I disagree with. It would be better to be written as:
If you want your children to pray in school, encourage them to do so on their own. They do not need to be led by an official of the school.
"Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
NOTE: "Free Excercise thereof". This prohibits the very notion of the govenrment from making any law, or rule that would stop prayer in school, or in any setting both public and private. No govenrment official, or group, can therefore make any rule, or law, to stop any religious group from excercising this right to be free of oppression with regards to expressing their beliefs in any setting, including government buildings and property.
Furthermore, I see that you have missed the point entirely. The issue is not to debate religion. But its constitutionality. If we truly have freedom of religion, then you are free to believe anything you want. If there are stupid/enlightened people that follow your beliefs, then you have the right to do so, and so do they. However if you believe that others are wrong and have differing beliefs, thats ok too. The issue is that you are free to have any belief you desire. And just because you think differently, you still have to have respect for others right to also follow their faith, regardless of how silly you think it to be. A free society grants to it's members, tolerance for stupidity, as well as wisdom. Since we are all flawed in our thinking and understanding of the universe at large. No man is in any position to press his way of thinking, or beliefs onto someone else. But, he also must be tolerant of others rights as well, lest his be taken away by the same powers he envokes to take away the rights of others. As with all other matters, there is responsibility that comes with privilage. The privilage to have freedom of thought, whether its religion, or speech, or any other, it comes with responsibility and accountability. You should be responsible for your words and actions. If you tell kids that there is no god. Thats ok. You can do that. If the kid has free will, and no pressure from Government or society, They can choose to either believe, or deny your faith based on their own personal observations. The single most important thing, is to teach the truth about life. The good, and the bad. Let the children find their own path thru life. Let them find the truth according to their own hearts. It is truely damaging to deny them knowledge to protect them from the influience of those with whom we disagree. That is the true path to wisdom. One can not be truely wise, if one has been protected from the evils that are truth. One can only protect, if one knows the threat that is laying in wait. We are all in this together, and need to love one another as best we can. Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, Indian, or any other ethnicity, we are part of the human race. to quote two great thinkers, Lincoln, and King:
"United we stand! Divided we fall" "I have a dream, I have a dream, where my little children will be judged, not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." We all need to be personally responsible for our words actions and works. Lets come together as a nation. No matter what you believe, or where you come from, we are all in this together. Lets work together to make it a better place. Stop dividing, and start bringing people together. We owe it to each other, and to our chidren.
It's certainly the case that if you understood it, you wouldn't be making yourself look so stupid by saying things like this:
"First of all, there is no separation of church and state clause listed in the constitution."
...and then quoting the 1st Amendment, which establishes the very separation of church from state you'd just denied exists.
The literal words "separation of church and state" don't appear in the constitution, nor do the words "religious liberty," nor "freedom of religion." Every one of them, however, describes exactly the same thing, the principle embodied in the 1st Amendment.
"'Free Excercise thereof'. This prohibits the very notion of the govenrment from making any law, or rule that would stop prayer in school, or in any setting both public and private."
The government doesn't have any "right" to pray, genius. You do. You have no right to have government grant your religious exercises privileged status, nor are you being oppressed if government is denied that power.
If you want to learn a bit of the relevant history, start here:
http://classicliberal.tripod.com/radical/churchstate.html
Learning is harder than the sort of idiotic ranting you do above, but it does gift you with the ability to speak in an informed manner on the topic, for a change.
The GOVERNMENT has no voice in religion it defends OUR right to practice what we want.
No religion is special, no belief is condemned and the government defends us from itself and all others.
WE the PEOPLE can pray or not, believe or not, etc.
That's all it is.
When did our nation most exemplify these "christian" principles and so deserve gods blessings? When we kept slaves and bought and sold people like cattle? How about when we evicted an entire people at gunpoint off their land and marched them to reservations? Both done under the noses and "blessing" of the white church. Christians are the most deluded people ever to stumble through life. Raise your hand if you believe in a talking snake and talking donkey.
The weasel-wording you employ in that sentence suggests you know full well that what you're implying by it is entirely false. The Enlightenment-era thought that went into the creation of the U.S. government and of the governments of the several states has quite a pedigree (the basic ideas are pre-Christian pagan), but Christianity is no part of it (except insofar as the U.S. can broadly be said to be a product of Christendom, and exactly the same can be said of the despotic regimes that thought sought to overturn).
(The commenting system, here, seems to be acting up)
Most people can't afford private school, but if you don't want your children to be "exposed" to positive guidance, perhaps your children should attend a private school instead.