I was going through drafts I had saved and found this one from ten (10) years ago. It’s sad and infuriating that, instead of evolving in our thinking, we have fallen back into the dark ages.

For those who might argue that there is no harm in posting The Ten Commandments in schools or having a prayer meeting before a football practice or requiring that the Bible be taught in public school, I challenge you to shift your perspective. Can we require the 42 Laws of Maat or The Five Pillars of Islam or the Halakhah be posted? Can we expect the Qur’an or the Bagavagita or the Talmud be taught in school? Can we hold groups for Islamic prayer on the field before a game?

It isn’t all about Christianity and its believers, contrary to what you may think or desire. And if you would not support all other beliefs and non-beliefs, then you have no idea what it means to celebrate freedom.

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It’s a decades-old discussion.  Prayer in the classroom, God in the Pledge of Allegiance, Christmas parties and concerts in the schools in December.  The majority are either silent on the issues or are in favor.  Christianity is predominant in our culture, after all.  What harm can it cause?  God is everywhere – on our money, on and in our Federal Buildings, on half the cable TV channels we pay for, on billboards along the highways we drive everyday.  God is as much a part of the culture in the United States as baseball and apple pie.  So why not in the schools, as well?

I very much believe that everyone should have the freedom to explore and choose his or her own path when it comes to belief or non-belief in religion.  Stepping out of that personal faith, though, and insisting that others join with you in your rituals and your beliefs, is not ok.  Or it shouldn’t be.  But with Christianity, it’s seen and accepted as the norm.

Likewise, combining church and state is commonplace in the US and seems to endorse – hm…no, it blatantly pushes the Christian religion in every public nook and cranny it can find.  I’ve discovered that this isn’t quite so obvious to those that call themselves Christians.  It’s kind of like those recent commercials we’ve been seeing on television, where the people who have cats have gone “nose blind” to the odors in their home.  The Christian signs become so commonplace and expected, that the believer misses them; churches on every corner, holiday – Christmas and Easter – decorations in stores and on lawns and in public squares, the posting of the Ten Commandments in front of the courthouse, Christmas hymns in public elevators, and politicians pushing their religious agenda every chance they get on TV, radio, the internet, or in calls to your private home numbers.

We are supposed to have, in the United States, a freedom of religion, i.e., to practice whatever religion we choose or none at all, if that better suits us.  We seem to have that, currently, although we have a great deal of intolerance among many Christians for others who are not.  The establishment clause in the Constitution prohibits the official establishment of religion, and I think this is where we run into issues with God in schools (and everywhere else).

Christianity is a strong, forceful religion whose members are encouraged to spread the Word and convert others or bring them into the fold.  Many Christians believe that in order to obtain salvation one must accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and that, if they don’t, they will go to Hell and/or be doomed for all eternity.  (I’ve been told any number of times that I’m “of Satan” – that was my father’s 2nd wife – and was going to burn in Hell)  It’s not possible to maintain a comfortable and equitable environment when a portion of the people in that environment may potentially be set apart.

When I was in elementary school, we used to have parties at Christmas and Halloween and birthdays.  One boy in my class, who was a Jehovah’s Witness, always had to leave the room during these celebrations and stand out in the hallway because his religion didn’t believe in celebrating holidays with pagan roots.  I always felt sorry for him; in a public school, there should never be a child or children who is in any way ostracized because his beliefs differ from some in the rest of the class.

If a child is from a Christian home or a Muslim home or a pagan home or a Jewish home, then s/he should get his/her religious instruction at home and live by the morals, ethics, and values of that religion during the day. That is the best way to bring God into the day while showing compassion and respect for others who may believe differently.