I attended public schools kindergarten through 12th grade. And I recieved a great education and have many amazing memories from my public school days. For the past 2 years, I have been a student of education and I am learning how to be a teacher. (No, this post is not for me to rant about hating my major.) And I am nearly sure that at some point in my life I will probably work in the public school system in America, whether it be as a teacher or not. I'm saying all this to give me some standing... Right now, I am taking a class about education law. It has been most beneficial I think, albeit a tad boring. And before I decided to quit and blog, I was reading a case involving moments of silence and teacher-led prayer in schools.
But I imagine that one day I will have even more standing than a future teacher. One day, I imagine that I will be a parent of a public school student.
And I will be SO THANKFUL for the "wall of separation of church and state."
Let me show you a quote from the case I'm reading... The governor of Alabama said that having teachers lead prayer in public schools for "willing students" is "a beginning and a step in the right direction."
Apparently, not all of the students were willing, but just scared of the reaction from their peers if they refused to participate. This isn't prayer. It's not witnessing. It's coercion. It's forced indoctrination. It makes kids resent school. It makes kids of other religions resent Christianity. And it makes parents of other religions sue you. And rightfully so. Schools are diverse these days. It's a good thing. It gives Christain students a marvelous mission field. It gives Christian teachers an opportunity to shine Light and practice loving like God does. But imagine allowing prayer in schools. Maybe in Alabama, Arkansas, and even parts of Texas, you'd get Christian prayer. But you'd also get every other kind of prayer. And your kids would essentially be forced to say those prayers too.
Can I just throw it out there real quick. IT IS NOT THE GOVERNMENT'S JOB TO TEACH YOUR KID TO PRAY. It's your job.
God made it clear. Look at Deuteronomy 6. Look at Psalm 78. And quite frankly, do you really want the government teaching your kids about religion, faith, God? Pssh, I don't. I want them to teach them how to write, how to read, how to multiply, divide, how to do well on the SAT. I don't want them to teach them how to pray.
That's why they've separated secular education from religious education. If you want kids to have religious education in school too, cough up the dough to put 'em in private school. There's nothing wrong with that. You get what you pay for in public school and in private school. Then you can send 'em to a place like Harding. I've experienced Christian education, and it's great!Or give them their education at home. That way, you don't have to draw the line between religious education and secular education. But DON'T, just DON'T keep posting facebook causes and asking me to sign petitions to put prayer back in schools. Because I won't. Because that would just suck for everyone. You don't really want your kids to say all the prayers the government would make them say, and I don't really want to lead them.
And now, to the students out there who are both Christian students and public school students- don't let them tell you you can't pray, read your Bible at school, or tell your friends about your youth group. Because you can. Check this out: http://www.everyschool.com/PULSE/Lead/Students%20Bill%20of%20Rights%20on%20Campus.pdf
. It doesn't look very legit, but it is. You have the right to freely express your religion, as long as you are not FORCING it on people. Just remember that God is less concerned with your "rights" than His own mission and His own Glory. You can glorify Him in your public school without a lawsuit. Think about the apostles. Their government was not friendly towards Christ-followers. Even less friendly than ours is. But they started a revolution in people's hearts, not in the government. You can too. Go out there and give 'em he-...heaven. And when the school gets away with violating your "rights", count it pure joy.
Oh, yeah, and my photo for the day...
9) A photo of a team or club that you were in.
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