Posted on 04/05/2010 1:02:05 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
I got the most pleasant of surprises at a funeral.
The service had reached the point where an Old Testament passage had to be read. The one selected was the 23rd Psalm. As the woman reading it pronounced each word, I found myself following along. I didn't remember each and every sentence, but I remembered most of it.
I said along with the woman as she read, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
As the reading concluded, I sat in the pew and asked myself, "How did I remember that after all these years?"
My first memory of the 23rd Psalm is not from hearing it in a church, but in school.
I distinctly remember hearing a Miss Pemberton in my kindergarten class. The year must have been 1956, maybe 1957. The 23rd Psalm was the Scripture reading of choice for most days; somehow, the repeated readings must have been ingrained in me.
Sitting in that pew earlier this year...
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/Banning-prayer-in-schools-hurts-public-morality-89875147.html#ixzz0kG4BRZvN
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
I was a regular in Sunday school, of course, but I know the Lord’s Prayer from public school. We repeated it every day for years.
But it’s perfectly fine for Obama School Czar, Kevin Jennings, to teach kids how to put a fist up friend’s butt.
Before we eat, we bow our heads and thank the Lord for daily bread. Amen
I remember at the time being aware that not only was prayer removed from the schools, but also morality teaching. I kept think, now why would that be, because my catholic and Jewish friends had the same morality. And after all, the government also had laws against killing, stealing, etc. I just could not figure it out until about 2001 when we began to learn about Islam. They do not have any such moral code. Now I wonder, why was morality removed right along with prayer? Was Islam influencing us then?
King David was one hell of a writer.
..but I learned 1st Corinthians 13...the whole chapter by heart...in the 5th grade in elementary school....public school.
A kindly retired missionary use to come by weekly to our school.....she was non threatening and gentle.
Not then. But remember, the atheists that objected to prayers also don’t like moral codes.
At most, even if a little sprinkling of religion were allowed in the government schools, the worldview taught there is godless. This was true even in 1962 when I attending government schools. A scripture or two and the Lord's Prayer during homeroom class can do little to overcome what is essentially government seminary training in thinking and evaluating everything from a godless point of view.
In my Catholic education our religious beliefs were woven into every subject. Just to give an idea the following are some of the practices:
** Every hour we prayed, gave thanks, and asked God's blessing on the next subject to be taught.
** If we heard a police, fire, or ambulance siren, we stopped the class and prayed for the health and safety of those involved.
** Catechism was studied for a half hour every morning.
** The lives of the Saints, and the writings of our church leaders were used to illustrate philosophical points or moral or ethical lessons to be learned.
** We celebrated church holidays with days off from school.
** The feast day of our nun ( and especial the Saint for whom our school was named) was a special day of remembrance.
** In high school and entire week was set aside in the spring for a special religious “retreat”. Leading church educators in the local area were invited to speak to us.
** We prepared for May processions.
** We attended Stations of the Cross every Friday afternoon during lent.
** We were encouraged to attend Mass before school started.
The above is an education in which the child's family traditions were thoroughly integrated into their school day. The Lord's Prayer and a scripture or two during a secular government school day is like putting a band aid on a atheistic hemorrhage. I know. I lived it.
Solution:
1)As conservatives we must work mightily to close down every government school in this nation. They are like the Harry Potter Death Eaters. These godless temples are literally sucking the soul our of our nation's children .
2) As conservatives we must work to see that every child in this nation has access to a Judeo Christian K-12 education that supports the principles upon which our nation was founded.
It’s too late for prayer in schools. If half the baby-boomer generation are flaming state/self worshiping commies then there is little to no hope that their children will be any better.
I have always believed that our country began swirling the bowl about the time prayer was banned from public schools. And they should never have banned paddling either.
The short answer is, get your kids out of public school.
Grandparents, you may have to help. But get your kids out of public school.
As part of my college “community service” we went to the public schools in the town and did Bible lessons one day a week. The teachers loved it because they got an extra hour of free time. The kids loved it, too, because we were nice to them and had a good time. Never be allowed in these times.
But let's face it, the reason for an aversion to Christianity is the moral code and every time a person of religion breaks a moral law the anti-Christianity bunch point their finger. Just like anything else, morality is something we all strive for, but being human sometimes we fail. That does not mean we should throw out morality, or jeer at those who don't live up to our expectations. I think a lot of the gay/lesbian crowd need to throw out Christianity to justify their lifestyle and they insist that everyone else do the same.
I remember saying the Lord’s Prayer in school until about 4th grade (69-70) when they forced them to quit doing it. We always said the Pledge and the Lord’s prayer in the morning.
I agree, but in the case where it really is not possible, you can still teach your kids.
Even a single parent who works full time can teach their kids some Bible, etc.
Amen. Great article. Thanks for posting.
I don’t agree with you. In Detroit, some districts are a majority Islam and I am sure most of you would pitch a fit if the students were made to even listen to the Islamic prayer in schools.
I don’t want prayer in school because my religion may not always be the religion used to pray.
Prayer may be “officially” banned but at my area high schools it does not prevent the P.A. announcer from offering a prayer before football and basketball games. Good for them!
I AGREE! Why is it that conservatives fail to understand that any government powerful enough to force Christian prayer on non-believing students is powerful enough to force Islam, Wicca, or other abhorrent practices on Christian children?
However...the solution is not to have government schools that promote an atheistic worldview. It is **not** religiously neutral for the government to teach children to think godlessly.
The solution is to get government out of the education business completely.
Finally, our nation's best defense against Islam, atheism, and other pagan belief, is to have a population of people with strong testimonies of their Judeo-Christian belief. That isn't going to happen in government schools. A scripture or two and the Lord's Prayer during homeroom time is like fighting raging forest fire with a water pistol. If we are to win this cultural war against Islam, atheism, and other pagan religions we must educate children in schools that thoroughly integrate Judeo-Christian principles throughout all of its curriculum, policies, and practices. That can only happen in private schools.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.