Why Do We Not Allow God in Our Schools?
by What is this world really coming too? why are we allowing this to happen anyway??
I have never been so angry. I was raised in a Christian home and up until my senior year in school I went to a private school, I belonged to three youth groups, and two churches. I thought long and hard about writing this piece, feeling I may just look at things in a biased way, but this has gone way to far.
When I was a seniot in high school it didn’t matter if kids bought a Bible to school or prayed before they ate. Some other kids may have looked at them strange but it was not frowned upon. We even had Christmas and Easter breaks, do you remember them?
Over the years they have removed God from our schools in almost every way. We now have winter and spring break because Christmas and Easter are considered a religious holiday. You are not permitted to pray or bring a Bible to school because our society today takes offense to something they know nothing about. They have even tried to change the pledge of allegiance because it says ”one nation under God.” Today however was the straw that broke the camels back.
My son was told he was going to be suspended if he wore his cross necklace again! Why you might ask because I sure did. The answer is simple really it is a gang sign. Do you believe that! since when is showing a slight sign of your faith make you affiliated with a gang?
Maybe we should have not ever taken God out of our schools. What harm did learning or expressing your beliefs do to anyone? When i was going to school, even public school, there was no worries of school shootings or bombings. Do I think taking God out of schools has mad things worse? Not necessarily. But some kids need to feel accepted even if it is by a “higher being”. I think that telling them what they believe will not be accepted is very wrong. Telling a child that you are affiliated with a gang because you wear a religious symbol is going way to far.
In private school things are just like high school except that it is smaller and that you are free to express your religion. There are still drugs, gangs, cliques, even kids that go to juvinille detention, but you are never told that you can not believe in something or you couldn’t wear something because it might offend someone. You ere actually aloud to be yourself.
Back to the cross is a gang symbol. maybe I am wrong but I got all my kids crosses, they are not huge or gaudy, just a simple gold cross and I told my children they are aloud to wear them, and if the schools have a problem with it to call me. Not only is this wrong in more ways than one it is discriminating and I for one am putting my foot down. I let enough things be controlled in my children’s lives by a system that is out of control and it will stop here. I have to watch what colors my kids wear to school, if they have hoodies on and this year they have gone as far as to say that the back packs with the thick shoulder straps are not allowed. They have to have the ones with ropes straps I will be damned if I will allow them to tell my kids that they are in a gang because they have a small gold cross on. What happened to freedom of speech and religion?
Maybe I should not be as upset as i am but really a cross? I have two boys who have crosses tattooed on their arm does that make them gang leaders? What is so wrong with God or Whoever your higher being may be anyway? I knock no religion, I have no right to say who is right and who is wrong but why should we give anyone the power to take away our constitutional right?
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Post CommentLady Sunshine
On September 18, 2009 at 3:38 pm
A cross symbol is a gang sign??? Well I’m really naive. I can certainly understand your anger, since all your son did was wear a cross necklace.
Liz Sapphire
On September 18, 2009 at 5:36 pm
You’re right… whatever happened to freedom of speech and religion?
Charles
On July 20, 2011 at 10:35 pm
Religion doesn’t belong in school. It’s a belief that not all people share. School is for learning math, science, the arts… FACTS. Keep religion in the church where kids can decide if they want to subject themselves to it. Religion is dying, there are more atheists than ever before because people are LEARNING to think for themselves. Science and common sense are proving that religion is majorly flawed.
David Starr
On August 22, 2011 at 4:42 pm
It is evident that the fervently religious, especially the Christian Right, are hellbent (no pun intended) to try and excercise their “right” to, in the bottom line, impose upon (violate?) the rights of others, particularly in the form of institutional power. Thus, I can’t shake the feeling of facing an almost characteristic intolerance of differences evident in human history, even a slight suffication.
This religion, among others, is historically rooted in blind faith, rigid abstractions and blatant contradictions, with really no prioritization of reason, logic, or even showing direct proof of its absolutist claims. And it has shown to be even more oppressive.Take, for example, Medievel Europe with its entwinement of church/state power and its inevitable consequences. With any criticism of the order, one could be called witch or heretic, imprisoned, tortured, then put to death. Of course, this was about 700 years ago. But it is an example of what can happen when religion holds public power, i.e. a theocracy.
The U.S. founders no doubt learned from this history, thus to quote a phrase from the U.S. constitution: “Congress shall not establish a religion nor restrict the practice thereof.” Clearly, this promotes the separation of church and state. And it shows that religion should be strictly a private affair. Thus, one can still worship, but the diversity evident within humankind is still respected. Today, I really think, I’m even fearful, that the Christian right has the bottom line objective of trying to impose a theocracy, if they could.
Finally, I’ll get to the point: I, like many, am compelled,, obligated even, to strongly oppose the imposing of god in the classrooms, for the reasons mentioned above. Additionally, based on the potential danger of discrimination, bigotry against other beliefs, and, yes, against agnoticism and atheisim. No one, nothing, has the absolute truth. There are only truths, facts and opinions.