The Bible belt: A stranglehold on schoolchildren?
I still don’t get why there are so many issues with the church-state divide in Georgia schools. A few weeks ago, we had the Jesus in the bleachers issue with the north Georgia cheerleaders carrying billboard-sized Bible verses onto the football field.
Now, we have Bibles being handed out at an Oglethorpe County elementary school. A parent complained that fifth-grade students were told at the end of the school day they could pick up the pocket-sized Bibles from a table set up by two members of an evangelical group.
The parent called it “an egregious thing of crossing the line of church and state.”School principal Kim Lord said the Bible giveaway was Ok, saying it was “as if they were picking up a pamphlet for parks and rec or any other activity.”
Debra Seagraves, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Georgia, told the Associated Press that the school was not doing anything illegal unless it denied the same privilege to other religious groups.
I still think schools should avoid these issues. Because I don’t think parents would be happy if Branch Davidians or other less-than-mainstream religious groups and cult wanted to hand out their literature in the schools.
What do you think?
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60 comments Add your comment
Vince
October 15th, 2009
10:24 am
The school did nothing wrong…unless they made an announcement promoting the giveaway. However, now they must afford the same opportunity for Wiccans, satan worshippers, etc.
Kenny
October 15th, 2009
10:25 am
I think just that… The problem in Georgia is not that they pass out bibles in school. The problem is that if ANY other religion did the same, there’d be civil war! Jewish, Muslim, and Wiccan groups take the higher ground by not pushing their beliefs on young impressionable minds. Any parent will tell you that the more you get on the kid about cleaning his room, the less room cleaning will be accomplished. All it takes in these schools is for the “cool” kids to laugh at one kid carrying a Bible. Then soon, every kid in the school wont want anything to do with one. The evangelicals are cutting their own throat. They push to have religion taught in school, but what happens when the school picks a particular Christian Schism (which to date there are over 30,000 different versions of Christianity) in which to teach, and little Johnny comes home saying Jesus said one thing when Mom and Dad know darn well that Jesus didn’t. EXPLOSION! The bottom line is this, they need to stop the push, lest they self destruct. I think even most non-Christians would be less agitated, if it weren’t an elementary school. And you ALL know darn well, if those books were free Korans, or free Tanachs, how this story would differ.
jim d
October 15th, 2009
10:25 am
I concur, but watching this one light up should be fun.
jconservative
October 15th, 2009
10:31 am
I agree the school did nothing wrong on the surface – can Muslims hand out the Quran? If so, no problem. If not, problem.
Joy in Teaching
October 15th, 2009
10:34 am
When I was in elementary school in Georgia in the 70s, it was a regular treat to have what we called “The Bible Lady” who would come and tell stories using a flannel board. Most of her stories were just stories, but she always had at least 1 Biblically based story. But it was just that: a story. She didn’t preach nor did she try to convert us. Didn’t hurt any of us a bit. Oh yes…and the Gideons would sometimes drop by with those red covered New Testaments. Students could either take one or not: their choice.
I was sure that that sort of thing stopped in the 70s…back when we didn’t have students out of control in schools, when there was an attempt at discipline, and before school violence became a regular occurance.
Marie
October 15th, 2009
10:47 am
Why school officials don’t just have some more common sense and ban all religious groups from handing out religious material is beyond me. This invites non-academic related lawsuits and distractions that a school shouldn’t be dealing with.
Jeff
October 15th, 2009
11:14 am
I’m with the general consensus so far. It was after school, it was voluntary, and presumably other groups would be allowed to make the same offer with their choice of book. As long as those three are maintained, I see no problem here.
TW
October 15th, 2009
11:17 am
Being that the school has to deal with this non-academic issue, we will be lowering their test score bar, right?
Meme
October 15th, 2009
11:35 am
I don’t think that the school did anything wrong. No one forced the child to pick up the Bible. Are the parents thinking lawsuit = money!
Maureen's accountability metric
October 15th, 2009
11:46 am
Doesn’t it just figure that the principal’s name would be Kim Lord?
What I would give to see the look on Kim Lord’s face when a Wiccan group approaches her to pass out literature and tells her to think of it “as if they were picking up a pamphlet for parks and rec or any other activity.”
Maybe the Wiccans could get a snapshot of her look, and sell it on Ebay to benefit the Ivy Preparatory Acadamy.
TW
October 15th, 2009
11:57 am
‘Maybe the Wiccans could get a snapshot of her look, and sell it on Ebay to benefit the Ivy Preparatory Acadamy.’
lmao…thanks.
Shannana
October 15th, 2009
12:51 pm
My 8th grader came home from a Cobb County school with an orange pocket-sized Guideon New Testament Bible. He told me he got it from one of his friends who, in turn, got it from a gentleman who was handing them out at school. I didn’t believe that the friend actually got it from someone on school grounds but I guess it was true. So – it’s not just in Oglethorpe County. By the way, my son was glad to get it.
Jessica
October 15th, 2009
12:58 pm
One idea would be for schools to invite community groups (clubs, sports groups, religious organizations) to set up a little expo one evening each year, maybe the same night as orientation. That way, churches and other groups have an opportunity to share information and materials with students and their parents. If you consider Bibles objectionable (or if your child already has one at home), you can just decline the offer.
DAG
October 15th, 2009
1:43 pm
Someone should try to hand out LaVey Satanism’s “Book of Satan”… or maybe Wiccan’s “Book of Shadows”… then it’d be crystal clear what’s going on.
DeKalb Conservative
October 15th, 2009
1:43 pm
Moving to Georgia from MA is like going back in time. There are schools in MA that don’t allow Christmas carols, or even Halloween to be celebrated (Wiccans protested). I feel that is extreme and over the top, many people will agree.
That said there really is no place for schools to be handing out any religious material. Stories like this, especially when it hits the national media plays into Georgia being a bunch of dumb rednecks.
DeKalb Conservative
October 15th, 2009
1:44 pm
Until a school community is leading the national stage is test schools and academics, get off the moral high ground. Its moments like this that make me question what goes on in the classroom, particular if in world history the teacher is telling the students that Alexander the Great was able to conquer the known world thousands of years ago after a dramatic battle with the dinosaurs.
Parent in Midtown
October 15th, 2009
2:06 pm
Can we talk about the REAL problem here, which is that Kim Lord thinks handing out bibles is equivalent to handing out parks and rec brochures? This person has no business being a principal.
Consider the decision-making process Lord must have gone through: hmmm, these folks want to hand out bibles at my school. Yeah, well, I guess that probably won’t offend anybody because I’m not excluding other faiths and because most folks here in GA are Christians anyway–they’ll probably go along with and applaud my decision. What could possibly be the downside?
Lord, meet downside. If you survive this, it’ll only be because you’re lucky instead of smart. And you’ll only get lucky if this story doesn’t go national. If it does, you’ll be sacrificed on the altar of public relations, and intelligent, rational parents will shed no tears for you. Because it is not the public schools’ prerogative to play any role–any role whatever–in the religious life of children. That’s explicitly usurping the authority of parents, and it cannot be tolerated.
When you give permission to a group to hand out materials in your school, you ARE passing judgment on the content of their materials. Your approval is your de facto endorsement, because the buck stops with you.
I think Lord should be suspended with pay for 5 days and forced to take a course in what it means to have a secular public education system.
Thankful
October 15th, 2009
2:06 pm
I am another one who moved to GA from MA and do agree- it is like going back in time. I would not be surprised if other religions now start lining up for their turn to hand out their literature to students and if this happens, my guess is they will not be allowed to do so. While many feel, there is no issue with this, it is simply not appropriate at school. We do have separation of church and state in this country for a reason. I also don’t want our public schools to be such targets of solicitation. Vendor fairs are good places for solicitation and marketing and I would hate for school grounds to become regular locations where vendors of all types set up shop on a regular basis. The principal did not think this through.
Lord did not break any kind of law
October 15th, 2009
3:33 pm
The principal did exactly what she should have done: she made the group pass out the literature after school and outside. Schools are part of the community.
Now, what she has done is open up the school to other groups to do the same, whcih will be a scheduling nightmare: Muslims could get Mondays, Christians can come on Tuesdays; since Jews don’t do Wednesday night service, we can let them have Wednesdays. The parks are rec and other non-religious can have Thursdays, and other random religious groups can have Fridays.
However, the principal broke no law in doing what she did. She simply made her life a little more complicated.
Ignatius
October 15th, 2009
4:01 pm
Yeah we don’t want them to actually learn what morals are and obstain from pre marital sex. Oh heavens no we cannot have that. You liberal hypocrites have the nerve to sware on a Bible in a court of law and then teach the lies of evolution in schools, The Declartion of Independence states “endowed by our creator”. If you don’t like it tough! …..all exits are open.
V for Vendetta
October 15th, 2009
4:03 pm
I think a lot of you are missing the big picture: Why should any organization be allowed to pass out non-school-related material on school grounds? Flyers for tutors? Sure. Flyers for educational opportunities and/or scholarships? Why not. Flyers for Parks and Rec? Um . . . Bibles? He11 no!
Remember when schools were in the business of educating children?
I agree with many posters’ comments about the other religions. I refuse to believe that Oglethorpe County is awash in religious tolerance and good will. I’m sure, had this been a Koran or even a Torah, there would be quite a different reaction from the school, the community, and the majority of the posters on this blog. Had it been anything pagan in nature, we’d be facing a full scale evangelical hurricane.
Perhaps they should be passing out copies of Darwin’s Origin of Species instead.
V for Vendetta
October 15th, 2009
4:05 pm
Ignatius,
You’re right of course. Morals are impossible without religion. That’s why all atheists are miserable psychopaths who eat babies and kill kittens. It’s all so clear now.
That evolution thing really didn’t work out either, did it? Ever heard of Lucy? Ever heard of Ardi?
I thought not.
TW
October 15th, 2009
4:36 pm
“You liberal hypocrites have the nerve to sware on a Bible in a court of law and then teach the lies of evolution in schools”
Yeah, that’s a lot worse than GOP homosexual games with underage boys…or adulterous homosexual prostitution in public airport bathrooms….
Oh, and lets not forget eight years worth of ‘w’ using the Bible for toilet paper…or that they use ‘liberal’ as an insult, despite The Sermon on the Mount…
Go Raiders!
DeKalb Conservative
October 15th, 2009
4:46 pm
@ Ignatius
If in 2009 with all of today’s access to technology you feel that evolution is a lie, your opinion is completely irrelevant.
The Declaration of Independence is just that, a declaration. It is not a law, it is a document of intent to free the colonies from England. To promote the idea that ‘all exits are open’ if you don’t like the “endowed by our creator” statement in the DoI then you are no better than England in the 1600’s and its oppressive views on recognizing only certain religions.
Learning morals can be taught without distributing bibles. Pre marital sex can be deterred in non-religious ways such as:
1. promote marriages of 15 and 16 year olds (used to be done that way)
2. show the kids pictures of STDs on genitals
3. show girls the excitement of being ‘fat’ in their teen years
4. tell kids candidly what having a child at a young age will mean to their potential in life as adults (opportunities that likely won’t exist, etc)
DeKalb Conservative
October 15th, 2009
4:53 pm
@ Lord did not break any kind of law
Your logic sucks. You can’t give every group a day of the week, unless you expand it to a monthly basis. What day do the following groups get:
- Buddhist
- Hindu
- Wicca
- atheists
- pagans
What gives the principal the moral authority to decide that the bible is a proper handout? What’s stopping Muslims from demanding to distribute a “beauty of Jihad and death to Christians” pamphlet?
Certain Muslim groups could say their religion is the only moral ground and way into heaven. Using your logic, that literature would have to be allowed if distributed after school and outside.
Scratching my head
October 15th, 2009
5:21 pm
From these comments, it’s easy to understand why so many are teaching their children at home.
Hope
October 15th, 2009
5:57 pm
An announcement WAS made promoting the giveaway.
What?
October 15th, 2009
6:11 pm
Your kidding me right? Ignatius…Wow. How about if parents and adults teach morals and values and what happens when kids have kids….Gee, there’s a concept. How about if you take responsibilty for educating the young people you are responsible for right from wrong and stop displacing your responsibility in the name of religion. Get a grip.
Donna S
October 15th, 2009
6:30 pm
Even when you move to a county like Cobb with a decent reputation for good schools, you still have to put up with board members, administrators who are as backward as the rest of the state. We apparently pay millions to a “connected” school board attorney because the board members, etc make bad decisions based on their own ignorant religious based agendas.
Hugo
October 15th, 2009
10:39 pm
God only wrote one Bible. I suppose He could have written more if he had had the spare time, but you know how it is.
Robynn
October 15th, 2009
11:58 pm
To the commenter who assumes that “liberals” swear in the Bible in a court of law: In fact you are not required to swear on the Bible in a court of law, and in most places it’s not commonly practiced any more. You may choose to affirm that you swear to tell the truth without the use of the word God or the Bible, and it is within your rights to do so without fear of penalty or reprisal. Again, this has nothing to do with being against the faith of others, and all about making sure that all beliefs are respected equally. The Wicca bashing may be amusing to some, but if The United States military accepts Wicca as an established religion (and they do) than surely we should.
free market educator
October 16th, 2009
12:53 am
Well, as I’ve posted before, the ONLY families practicing separation of church and state are FREE MARKET EDUCATORS! Our kids can be as religious as they want and even read the Bible during school hours. Why? BECAUSE OUR GOD IS GREAT ENOUGH TO PROVIDE THE BUCKS FOR THEIR EDUCATION. What kind of god do you serve? ONE WHO IS ALWAYS IN DEBT AND HAS TO TAKE FROM OTHERS TO SURVIVE. HA HA HA HA! Don’t forget, Abraham Lincoln’s first text book was a B-I-B-L-E. Shhhhhhh.
Bestoink Dooley
October 16th, 2009
4:44 am
The distribution may have been “outside,” but it was still on school grounds. It never ends. We have to be forever vigilant. These people never give up trying to foist Christianity on the rest of us and our vulnerable children. They would be like the Taliban in Muslim countries if they could get away with it. If you believe in silly children’s stories from a book of dubious origin instead of science to explain our complex universe, keep it to yourself and your own kids,LEAVE MINE ALONE! As for this principal, he should be severely disciplined for being so stupid.
jim d
October 16th, 2009
10:40 am
Larry,
Maybe someone should set up at schools to hand out copies of “Magical Rites from the Crystal Well.”
I’m fairly certain that Ed Fitch wouldn’t object.
Laura
October 16th, 2009
11:19 am
Wow… lies of evolution AND a lack of understanding about the Enlightenment beliefs of the Founding Fathers. Brilliant. If you don’t understand scientific theory, I’m pretty sure that you don’t get Deism, either.
Listen, I’m a Christian, but I read my Bible at home. There is a time and a place for everything, and during the public school day is not one of them. I remember feeling miserable in high school because we constantly had Southern Baptist ministers speak, and being from the North, I’m not one. I can’t imagine how the non-Christian kids felt… I know I had Catholic friends who almost got the school board involved.
It is perfectly legit to read examples from the King James Bible in lit class (World lit books include it) as long as it is accompanied by other religious texts and presented in the context of a unit.
Christianity helps reinforce my morals, but it doesn’t create them. Atheists are just as moral as Christians. You have to be at least moderately so to function properly in society.
V for Vendetta
October 16th, 2009
11:21 am
Wow, fme,
I’m glad your god has nothing better to do than make sure you’re financially secure. I suppose all them poor people must be atheists. Too bad Honest Abe’s Bible couldn’t stop bullets.
CJ
October 17th, 2009
5:00 pm
the day that planned parenthood and the rest stop recruiting OUR children with abortions, guardisil, condoms, (trying to legislate their morality)etc., the day we’ll stop allowing Bibles to be passed out, voluntarily, deal?
db
October 18th, 2009
3:54 pm
Wow? All of you who are against Christ and making these outrageous statements about the word of God? That is just crazy man! God is very real and we will all be Judged by Him. I would hate to be some of you. I am for sure not perfect, but I do have enough since to know better then to try Him. I would advise you all who hate against the all mighty God, the prince of peace, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Rose of Sharon, the Lord of Lords, and the King of Kings! You all need to think real hard. Just imagine hearing these words from Christ on your Day of Judgment. “Depart from me I never knew you” If you don’t believe in God or Hell. You will find out that both exist and both will be very real in your life at your day of Judgment like it or not! We pass out Condoms but not Bibles? Some of you need to take these free Bibles and open them up and read them. Good Grief? Some of you who are posting on this page is doomed, if you do not get your life right with Christ! He is very real and he is coming for his Bride, and you will get left behind if you do not know Him. Just think like this, if I am right then you have everything to gain, (i.e.) Heaven, Streets of Gold,the Land of Milk and Honey,a Mansion in the Sky, no more sorrow and no more pain, or if I am wrong you have nothing to lose. Why would anyone in their right mind gamble with their eternal life? Why would anyone deny God? We are truly living in the time of Revelation. How sad for some of you!I hope and pray that if you do not know Him that you will get to know Him. He is wonderful, and he is my Savior and Lord. I love Him with all of my Heart.
Former Georgian
October 18th, 2009
4:39 pm
If my memory is correct, the Gideons hand out the King James version of the Bible, which has long been considered to be a high mark of English literature. Therefore it is a legitimate educational item, unlike the Koran, Book of Morman, etc. Of course, many of us well-educated parents(my husband is a PhD cancer researcher and I am a science teacher with a master’s degree and 14 years experience as a teacher in SC public schools)have opted out of the public system and send our children to private Christian schools where the Bible is part of the curriculum in all subjects. And yes we do teach our students what the theory of evolution says and the alleged evidences for it. Private schools have much more freedom to explore different viewpoints than public schools because parents who don’t like what we teach are free(and encouraged) to take their students elsewhere.
V for Vendetta
October 21st, 2009
12:17 pm
db,
I have enough “since” to know that the Bible is a fairy tale. While you were in church, I was learning diction.
Jerry
October 21st, 2009
10:47 pm
Ladies and gentleman, we will shortly be arriving at Hartsfield- Jackson airport. Please set your watches back two hundred years.
Saintmarks
October 22nd, 2009
4:03 am
Don’t know what all the uproar is about. Since Georgia is so backwards compared to Massachusettes, the kids in Georgia schools can’t read the bibles anyway.
shaggy
October 22nd, 2009
7:08 am
To all of the “Georgia is backwards” nitwits: There are several transportation methods available for you to go back to either that pretty rust belt you ran away from in the first place or that peculiar smelling northeast, where “youse guys” reigns as good grammar. We really don’t want you here, and we were better off before you desserted your own heritage, crapped up your home environment, and now want to spread like a virus.
And, no I don’t want religon of any kind mixed with government, and I believe evolution is the way we got where we are today, except loud, obnoxious Rosie O’d types from the north. Those are surely signs of reverse evolution, and they will one day return to being a single-cell organism that infests bagels and emits large amounts of noxious gas.
Huh?
October 22nd, 2009
10:06 am
So what exactly is in the bible that you are afraid your kids might read?
Also, if you think Georgia has rednecks, go spend some time in rural Connecticut and Massachusetts. Finger-pointing jerks. How did it go in Boston when the federal courts ordered school bussing for racial equality? Not so liberal then, were you. People who elected Ted Kennedy year after year to represent them, and apparently appropriately so.
Kitty
October 22nd, 2009
10:23 am
Shaggy, Read the test scores for GA; we are in fact ‘backwards’.
chuck allison
October 22nd, 2009
10:43 am
I sure wish unsaved Americans would quit trying to champion heathen foreign religions here in the USA.
Christianity is not just an alternative religion; it is the worship of the one and only true and living God. Giving out the Word of God in our schools is very different from giving out the Koran, book of Mormon or any other pagan, heathen “holy book”. You can’t just invent your own religion.
Kitty
October 22nd, 2009
10:49 am
Chuck Allison,
Simply; you are incorrect.
Kitty
October 22nd, 2009
10:54 am
In fact you can just “invent your own religion”, consider that before a certain period in time, there was no Christianity, so in fact it was ‘just made up’. Those of us not afraid to live our current lives, await no fears of death. Those of you unhappy with the way you have chosen to live this one life have ‘created’ a second life senario in which you afford yourselves a second chance to get it right. Just Do it right now, and you won’t need the ‘Do over’ senerio you have ‘invented’. Be unafraid, you can do it!
Jennifer
October 22nd, 2009
11:37 am
I am a practicing catholic, and I grew up in the Georgia public school system, where my religion was never an issue. It rarely came up, and my parents and our parish shaped my religious beliefs. It wasn’t until I graduated and attended a well-known ‘christian’ college in Georgia that I realized how lucky I was to be protected by the separation of church at state. At this ‘christian’ school I was constantly told that I was not a christian, that jesus was a baptist and that I needed to be saved. The students were relentless, and at times vicious. I was completely caught off guard. I had never had my beliefs challenged and ridiculed before. It was quite a learning experience. I transferred to UGA soon after. Often the people that are pro prayer in school are only pro their prayers and their beliefs. We need separation of church and state, and I applaud the ACLU.
Jackson
October 22nd, 2009
11:55 am
Former Georgian – Interesting that you reference the King James version of the Bible as a high water mark for English Lit. It might be that but is also one of the least accurate English translations of the various writings compiled in the 4th century to form today’s Bible. It was published just prior to the discovery of several ancient manuscripts of the new testament which revealed the errors and alterations of generations of monks, scribes, clergy and translators.
Brett Passmore
October 22nd, 2009
12:28 pm
Sounds like the school did nothing wrong to me.
One parent out of 1000?
greater good was done by allowing the kids access to material that has proven to help others again and again.
South Georgia girl
October 22nd, 2009
12:29 pm
From reading these comments, I am guessing that most of you didn’t spend your life in Georgia. The Gideons have been giving out Bibles here since before I was in elementary school (which was in the 70’s). This was back when everyone in the U.S.A. knew what a Bible was (even if they didn’t own one) and before everyone knew what a Koran was. The Gideons are one of the few orgnanizations that put every dime they receive in donations into their charity. They are composed of business men that pay for their travel expenses with their own money. They also place Bibles in hotel rooms, hospitals, and jails. Every kid in the 5th grade received a Gideon New Testament Bible. I am really surprised (but happy to hear) that schools still allow this practice. I don’t know why this is such a big deal, especially if it is optional for the child to take the Bible.
adam
October 22nd, 2009
3:05 pm
The amount of venom being spewed here is nauseating. To think, as some have erroneously stated, that a Christians only justification for following Christ is because they are “…unhappy with the way you have chosen to live this one life have ‘created’ a second life scenario in which you afford yourselves a second chance to get it right,” is, in itself, ignorant and prejudicial. From what I’ve seen, there is a lot of resentment toward the body of Christ that each individual has his or her own reasons for. My relationship with Christ is based solely on the undeniable experience I had when He came into my life. Am I perfect? Not by any stretch of the imagination, but I can’t deny what he’s done in my life and hopefully none of you will presume yourself so ignorant to make assumptions on what I personally experienced and know to be true in my life. My life is not based on a list of ‘thou shalls’ and ‘thou shalt nots.’ For those Christians who erroneously stated that morality cannot be achieved without religion, you need to read where the New Testament refers to Gentiles having a conscience apart from the Law and the Prophets. Man, in general does have a conscience. Whether it be a weak or strong moral code, we all have one. That being said, the one thing a strong moral code CANNOT do is get you into Heaven. Jesus said, without apology, and without nuance, that He and He alone is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” and that “NO man (meaning mankind) comes to the Father except through Him.” Whether you choose to accept that or not will ultimately determine your final destination. That does not give anyone the right to look down their nose at another due to their spiritual state, but indeed leaves a mandate from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (if you are a believer) to seek and save the lost. Winning arguments does not equate to winning souls, nor does it absolve the opposing point of view from impending judgment in that final day. Christ has come that we may have life and life more abundantly. Never let anyone scam you that His purpose was anything else. He wasn’t selling anything, He came to give. He loves each of us dearly, to the point of laying down His life for those who would deny Him, spit upon Him, curse Him, and ultimately reject Him. I honestly would love to see everyone and anyone that has denied Him in this blog come to know the love and the grace of Jesus Christ. Yes, there is the promise of eternal life, but there is also inexplicable peace that goes beyond understanding and joy unspeakable that comes in this life. Rather than sit from a lofty place and cast insults like ‘backwards’ and ‘pathetic’ or ‘uneducated’, earnestly seek Him and He will revolutionize your world view.
Jenny
October 22nd, 2009
3:46 pm
Well said Adam.
Brutus the Christian
October 22nd, 2009
4:03 pm
People are tribal. People hate Christians. People hate people. It’s just a book. The problem is that the book acknowledges that we are condemned without Christ and people hate that. It requires us do things we as people do not want to do. That is why the book causes so much reaction. The problem is people hate Christians because they are a symbol of that condemnation. People want a mostly valueless society with the exception of tolerance and recycling. Christians acknowledge that they are flawed and need Christ. If my kids were given Koran, I would not have a problem with it at all. I would tell them why I don’t think it is true, but I would not sweat it one bit. I have a Koran in my house. It is not the word of God. It’s just a book. It can’t hurt me or my kids.
Connie
October 22nd, 2009
5:28 pm
lly dig Jerry and Saintmark!
BravesFan79
October 22nd, 2009
6:45 pm
Maybe if we had MORE christianity in schools, then our kids… and especially with kids raised in black culture… would have morals again and there wouldnt be 60+ school kids murdered every year in majority black cities like Chicago.
Without a belief in something what stops these highschool kids from being future murderers? Especially when its brainwashed in their heads thru Radio stations that beating women, hustling selling drugs, and killing is cool.
TI was 100% correct when he said: “Were not happy with ourselves because were piss poor morally”
Moderate politically, but proud to follow God
October 22nd, 2009
7:00 pm
From a practical perspective, I do agree with the people who say that the principal did nothing legally wrong, but may have created a lot more work for herself.
But for all the people who say they moved here from MA and this makes us look like a bunch of hicks, I say who cares.
For all you people who think they are “enlightened” and believe in evolution alone without intelligent design, I will ask you if you think you are smarter than Albert Einstein. Not only was he extremely intelligent, but he was investing theories that determine how nature operates and eventually, how the world began. He believed that God was responsible for creation. Most of you aren’t Smarter than a 5th Grader, must less than Albert Einstein.
Finally, the Constitution did not declare a separation of Church and State. It was designed to keep the government out of Church, not necessarily Church out of the government. We made it from the beginning of our country until 1947 without any declaration of the separation of church and state. Then the Supreme Court, in Everson v. Board of Education, declared there had to be a wall of separation. It wasn’t like this was a new idea that just came up that the Supreme Court needed to address. This was one of the founding ideals of our country. If there was supposed to be a wall of separation, and that was REALLY the intention of the founding fathers, don’t you think it might have come up and been addressed in the first 160 years after the Constitution was written. The Bill of Rights were designed to apply only to the Federal Government. Notice the wording, “Congress shall make no law…” Note that ALL 50 states recognize God in their Constitutions. Granted for you former Massachusetts people, even back then, MA was as liberal as any; They put it as follows: “We…the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe … in the course of His Providence, an opportunity .and devoutly imploring His direction.” This country was based on a belief in God. The real idea was that the Government could not tell the Church what to do, not that the Church, through its individual members, couldn’t tell the Government what it should do.
And for those of you who still aren’t convinced as to the original founding fathers’ intentions, one simply needs to look at the official seal of the United States. On July 4, 1776 the Continental Congress set a committee to work to design a national seal. The task was not complete until the current design was approved by Congress on June 20, 1782. On the seal is the motto “Annuit Coeptis”, or He, [God,] has favored our undertakings. And for Thomas Jefferson fans, he and Benjamin Franklin proposed a design representing Moses crossing the Red Sea, with Pharaoh in hot pursuit. It included the motto: ‘Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God’.
And just in case, if any of you don’t want to keep your money because it says “In God We Trust”, please feel free to send it this way…
Chad
October 22nd, 2009
8:35 pm
Say it again Chuck…
chuck allison
October 22nd, 2009
10:43 am
I sure wish unsaved Americans would quit trying to champion heathen foreign religions here in the USA.
Christianity is not just an alternative religion; it is the worship of the one and only true and living God. Giving out the Word of God in our schools is very different from giving out the Koran, book of Mormon or any other pagan, heathen “holy book”. You can’t just invent your own religion.
Jesus is the ONLY WAY! Sadly our citizens and this country are shunning him and we will continue to spiral downward until we wake up.
For those of you who do not believe, I truly pray for you.
So smart as a society today but how un-wise we have become.
Lester Ness
October 27th, 2009
12:36 am
Catholic Bible or Protestant? Entire Bible or just New Testament?