Posted on 05/26/2004 8:46:18 AM PDT by ezfindit
For a while now America has been trending secular. Prior to that time, being wise and educated meant knowing God. That is why most universities and schools of earlier periods were established and attended by religious Christians. The same is true in Jewish history. Until the 19th century education and knowledge were inseparable from religion. Even the etymological origin of the word "secular" is linked to the Hebrew word for a fool. (SaCaL as in "Am sacal-oh foolish nation" Jeremiah V: 21)
This obvious link between God and education was clearly recognized in the wording of that great document that accelerated the westward expansion of the United States, the Northwest Ordinance of July 1787, which included this phrase:
"Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged."
It never occurred to Thomas Jefferson and the other authors in the Congress of the Confederation, that schools would not teach religion and morality and certainly not that one day American schools would proudly proclaim themselves free of religion and morality.
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Trying to become educated without first acquiring a foundation of moral certainty is futile. It resembles trying to push a Zamboni machine off an ice rink while wearing dress shoes. One would only slip and slide, make a lot of noise and fall on one's face. Thus it is in our universities, the institutions in which we exert most effort from the shakiest of platforms, that we frequently find moral distortion and embarrassing foolishness.
Are religious Jews and Christians stupid or of low intelligence? Many secularists would answer, "Of course they are." Are secular fundamentalists stupid or of low intelligence? Of course they are not. Conservatives claiming they are, betray misunderstanding of how secularism insulates even smart people from reality. Even a genius is handicapped if he has been deprived of a religious education. He uses logic like a witchdoctor might use a computer-as a type of totem rather than as a tool.
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(Excerpt) Read more at orthodoxnet.com ...
secular - c.1300, "living in the world, not belonging to a religious order," also "belonging to the state," from L.L. sæcularis "worldly, secular," from L. sæcularis "of an age, occurring once in an age," from sæculum "age, span of time, generation;" used in ecclesiastical writing like Gk. aion "of this world" (see cosmos). It is source of Fr. siècle. Secularism first recorded 1846. Ancient Roman ludi sæculares was a three-day, day-and-night celebration coming once in an "age" (120 years).
Certainly morality and knowledge apply to the above but religion is proving to be more of a curse than a benefit.
"Adherence to God's commandments" should replace "religion" in the above statement.
Of course, in my example, I speak to "organized" religion.
Damn, you beat me. When an article like this puts a lie right up front to support its case, you can anticipate the BS to follow.
where is the lie ?
Origin of the word "secular."
bump for later
Damn reposts. :)
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