Religion in the Classroom {Southern Baptist Discontent with Public Schools}

Lubbock, TX, Avalanche-Journal ^ | 01-01-05 | Mansfield, Duncan, AP

[cyborg]

I'm not familiar with the SBC but I don't doubt that could have motivated some folks back then.

[Amelia]

I don't know that it was the SBC specifically. I'm just familiar with several "Christian" schools that came into being for that purpose.

[Theodore R.]

in some cases school districts are even pushing for the Christian idea of Creationism to be taught along-side evolution. If it's going to happen, now is the time.

Democrat LA and AR (temporarily under unpopular Republican governors) passed such laws in 1980 and 1981, but the Supreme Court struck them down as a violation of the "constitutional principle of separation of church and state" in the 1987 case Edwards v. Aguillard.

[Grendel9]

Sorry you misread me, and I apologize if I gave the wrong impression. I was distinguishing between the three groups: Fundamental Christian, all other religions,
and the wealthy kids going to POSH schools. I have friends and neighbors who also have sacrificed in their budgets to make sure their kids went to parochial school...which, while a huge strain for them, does not classify as a posh school for the wealthy. Wealthy folks spend a minimum of $25,000 per year just for tuition; room and board adds up to another $25,000.

[Grendel9]

I certainly agree with you there! I would charge that kind of social problem on the shoulders of the parents...not the teachers or the school. If Mom/Dad (assuming the kid has one of each) ignore the media content their offspring
is absorbing, the rest of society eventually pays the price when their Twerp exposes his interpretation of that media. IMO the boy is acting out his EMINEM fantasy.
I confess ignorance of the content of THE HOURS; I don't attend the movies, and our Greatkids see only Pg13 MOVIES as yet. MTV, BET, and daytime soap operas, which I also
skip, are bad enough for me.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Careful of the PG13 movies. Many of them are much worse than the R movies, imo. You can get heavy sexual content in a PG13 movie, even nudity. Many R movies are R for the violence or languange only. And when a liberal rates violence, they always rate it worse than it is, again, imo. Context matters. Liberals were outraged at The Passion of the Christ and thought even teens shouldn't see it, yet they are just fine with trash like Along Came Polly and many others. Their values are not my values, therefore their rating are not always a reliable guide for me and mine.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

I am not even all that strict really. No gay stuff and no naked people. But you'd be shocked at how difficult it is to find a movie without those things these days.

[NJ Neocon]

That was an excellent response.

[Bushforlife]

Thank you.

[NJ Neocon]

We have eyes RA. Most of us know what you meant and I agree with you. I ignore those who seek to pick a fight where none exists in order to advance their narrow agenda.

[Mark Felton]

"And they would have done it with the same vehemence that you show in your posts, "We are right and God is on our side!" My postmodern leanings are a extension, probably too far but better safe than sorry, of my desire to distance myself from my ancestors' actions."

Protestant Christians need never ever apologize or feel intimidated by the actions of Medieval Catholics. That is in part why Protestants exist, they PROTEST the Catholic depraved behaviours of the past.

My vehemence is in defense of other peoples right to liberty and freedom of religion.

How dare you suggest you would not give your life to defend those principles.

How dare you compromise your "faith" and be anything less than fully passionate for Christ.

Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first great Commandment." -- Mathew 22:37-38

Too many people claim to be Christian but do not follow that simple Commandment.

If you think other religions can lead you to salvation then you are no Christian. You are a fool for the deceiver.

There is no compromising for Christ. He is the Way.

It is because we are Christian that "peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here." -- Patrick Henry

The US Constitution was written by men who practically make George W Bush look like a Godless heathen.

You do not sound like a believer. You dare question the validity and passion of your own faith because of the depravity of catholics in the past?

You are under the spell of the secular, anti-christian deceivers.

[ddantas]

In NJ where I live, Muslims, Hindus, and Christians live together in a very small space. My Christian faith is right, I know I'm right, and I try my best to convince all of them that I'm right. I am in the majority. Does that mean I should use taxpayer-funded schools (which those Muslims and Hindus also paid for) to preach my Christian beliefs to others? I completely understand your logic, which says firmly YES! I want to say yes too. However, what if the situation changes and some new Neo-Protestantism schism sweeps the nation? What if higher birth rates among immigrants means that Hindus or Muslims have the majority in some distant future? Then by the same logic, they, as the majority, are free to preach every day in school to my children, using my tax dollars to pay for it. That would be completely unacceptable to me, and--I suspect--you as well. So, in the end, we compromise--we all agree to keep religion out of classrooms, even though we are in a position of power now, to protect against if we lose power in the future.

Does this compromise make me a bad Christian? What do you think? Thanks for your comments, you're truly helping me organize/refine my political thoughts.

[RadioAstronomer]

Thank you so much!!!

[Republic_of_Secession.]

Homeschooling might not be a panacea but considering how public schools are breaking down seems that many who can not afford private schooling are turning to homeschooling as a solution.

[Mark Felton]

The less you compromise your Christian values the more you will love your neighbors of all races and religions.

Dr. Benjamin Rush was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a close friend of Thomas Jefferson. he said the following about religion in the classroom.

"I beg leave to remark that the only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid on the foundation of religion.

"Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments.

"Such is my veneration for every religion that reveals the attributes of the Deity, or a future state of rewards and punishments, that I had rather see the opinions of Confucius or Mohamed inculcated upon our youth than to see them grow up wholly devoid of a system of religious principles.

"But the religion I mean to recommend in this place is that of the New Testament.

"It is not my prupose to hint at the arguements which establish the truth of the Christian revelation.

"My only business is to declare that all its doctrines and precepts are calculated to promote the happiness of society and the safety and well-being of civil government.

"A Christian cannot fail of being republican...for every precept of the Gospel inculcates those degrees of humility, self-denial, and brotherly kindness which are directly opposed to the pride of monarchy...

"A Christian cannot fail of being useful to the republic, for his religion teaches him that no man 'liveth to himself'.

"And lastly a Christian cannot fail of being wholly inoffensive, for his religion teaches him in all things to do to others what he would wish, in like circumstances, they should do to him." -- Dr. Benjamin Rush, Thoughts Upon the Mode of Education Proper in a Republic, 1786.

His ideas were once upon a time employed in US schools. The Bible was the cornerstone of all education.

Harvard, Yale, Princeton were all founded to teach Christian principles. The first President of Princeton said "Cursed be all learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ."

Today schools have implemented the very thing that Dr. Rush feared, Godless secularism. The worst possible approach. We are suffering greatly for it. It must change.

[Kevin OMalley]

We have been discussing inexpensive ways to fast track kids through high school to avoid the liberal agenda:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1315730/posts?page=84#84

The thread title was not well thought out, because some parents might instinctively skip over it due to attached stigma, whether real or imagined.

[Theodore R.]

Some of the posted headlines are totally ineffective, I agree, but we are supposed to post the exact headline to make duplicate posts less likely. I added the part in brackets to touch on the theme of the article.

[Redbob]

"The only problem is that we have to deal with the products of public schools afterwards if we do this."

And how would you distinguish that situation from what we have today?