Let Us Not Put Religion Or Other Bull Crap Back In Our Schools.

Let Us Not Put Religion Or Other Bull Crap Back In Our Schools.

I keep reading and hearing internet posts and comments that the reason we have so many problems in schools is that we have taken God out of them. The idea is suggested that if we once again allow (or even mandate) prayer in schools or if we could teach creation in schools or if we could do other things to bring God back into the classroom, these problems would be solved. I pay at least SOME ATTENTION to world affairs, news headlines—what is going on in the world –AND WHY. I do not want allegiance to the FLAG, God, POLITICS (government or religious) any religion (human rights legislation states that we would have to teach several) or any SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS put back in the schools. Here’s why.

First, I remember the long hard fight to get all that kind of BULL CRAP out of our schools.

Second, we must ask, whose God gets put into school? Let’s face it, among the various Christian denominations and non-Christian religions, there are all sorts of different views of God. Do we mean some “God” in general? The Jesus-- of the Bible? That Jesus may well have been born Islamic.  Then Allah? The Life Force Of Eastern Religions? When someone says we should get God back into schools, it’s generally their version of God not necessarily the biblical one. In most cases, it’s the god whose job is to enforce and control our behaviour so kids will act better, show respect, and leave each other alone. Frankly, I wouldn’t want my children exposed to the religious whims of one teacher or another. Kids go to school to learn how to read, write, and do arithmetic, learn geography, and so on, not to learn their morals and opinions from someone’s conception of God.

Third, the Lord (only if you are a Christian-I am not and neither is MOST of the world) has given parents the calling of training up their children in the faith. Schools, especially public schools, have increasingly seen a rise in their expansion of their roles beyond simply teaching and educating children. Now, in many instances, they have taken on parental responsibilities for feeding, after-school care, and even extended discipline and behavioural monitoring. While it is surely a good thing when schools can assist parents, it should never be that they replace them. Far more important than bringing God back into schools is getting parents back into their children’s lives as the main source of their religious and moral formation, not to mention providing for their basic physical need.
© Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved.