Americas Christian Foundations : Part II

I remember way, way, back to elementary school, there were only 2 teachers I remember well. One was the class teacher who was meaner than crap, the other was the Bible teacher whom I adored. I'm glad I had that foundation in my early years and don't see anything wrong with children today having the choice to have that same foundation. Maybe it would teach these children the morals and respect so sorely lacking in the children of today.

I think religious/spiritual education belongs in the home and church and not in the school.

I'm going to go with an analogy here: To me school is the cooking pot (much like our country) and each individual home and it's people the varied ingredients for the stew.

To me if you only accept "carrots" to be a part of your stew or only accept "green beans" and nothing else...your going to have a real bland stew. We need all the different ingredients and their special nuances to make a fine stew.

The kind of pot our country and schools are threatening to become are ones with a "strainer" to filter the varied ingredients into only what the master cook wants in the pot. The rest of the ingredients are being wasted and thrown away in the garbage. Food is a terrible thing to waste and so are people who don't meet up to the master cooks standards. Who decides who the master cook is anyways?

If people choose to send their children to schools that emphasize religious/spiritual doctrine or home school their children in this manner, that's their personal choice. When it comes to public education that all tax payers are paying for (Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Pagans, Jews, Catholics, Agnostics, Atheists...you get the idea) I don't think it's appropriate for one doctrine to be emphasized and thus it shouldn't be there at all. The emphasis needs to be on education not the spirit. Do we want a open or narrow minded future? Do we want to build more walls or build bridges?

I think our history of trying to insert religion into places like government and education have been a part of the problem, not the solution.

I walked away from christian bs over 40 years ago. The brainwashing still has an affect on me at times and I have to bring the logic side of the brain on-line to remove the fear factor among other emotions implanted by a sick dogmatic philosophy. I grow tired of hearing that America is founded on christian principles. It's bs and part of the frequent hijacking that christians do on a regular basis. America is founded on the principle that power flows up from the people, not downward from some mythical heavenly body. America is open to all religions, or no religion. Christians just don't seem to get that.

From the earliest days of our country, efforts have been made to amend the Constitution to include a recognition of god and christianity. The repeated failure of those attempts has led to a new strategy in recent years which includes rewriting history and claiming that god and christianity have always been in the Constitution. It's bs. The framers may have been a bunch of farmers, printers, merchants and lawyers but they were a heck of a lot smarter than the christians of modern day America.

The brainwashing still has an affect on me at times and I have to bring the logic side of the brain on-line to remove the fear factor

Does the mean you slip in and out of a brainwashed state of mind? How did you get away the first time? I read this brainwashed idea a lot and I would like to understand how people are saved from the brainwashed affect. Chuck, I would appreciate you insight.

I was in grade school (4th) when President Kennedy was shot. Our teacher came back to the classroom and told us to get on our knees and pray for our President. Those days are gone.

First and foremost: This article no more addresses the foundation of the U.S. than students are graded on their final essays based on the choice of paper used.

It goes to a question I've asked many, many times here on the 'Vine, but have never received an answer: If I can prove that the most pious of Christians planned, designed, and built the Ford Focus, is that proof of the Focus being a Christian car? A car built on Christian principles?

Today prayer in school is unheard of, bible study in school would be met with a barrage of law suits form various parties. yet that is not how it use to be.

I refer to the opinion written by SCJ Hugo Black in Engel v. Vitale (1962) which ruled prayer in school to be unconstitutional:

• It is a matter of history that this very practice of establishing governmentally composed prayers for religious services was one of the reasons which caused many of our early colonists to leave England and seek religious freedom in America. The Book of Common Prayer, which was created under governmental direction and which was approved by Acts of Parliament in 1548 and 1549, set out in minute detail the accepted form and content of prayer and other religious ceremonies to be used in the established, tax supported Church of England. The controversies over the Book and what should be its content repeatedly threatened to disrupt the peace of that country as the accepted forms of prayer in the established church changed with the views of the particular ruler that happened to be in control at the time.

Further, to show that religious controversies have proved themselves a genuine concern as well as a possibility in this country, I refer to the Nativist Riots of 1844.

Around two dozen people were killed, dozens more were wounded, and all over that which basically started over which version (Catholic vs. Protestant) of the Bible to read in public school.

So, say what you will about religious instruction in school, history has proved, more than once, that it can lead only divisiveness and violence.

There were no real church schools in the beginning most of the churches were the schools.

This is simply false. The most common source of education in colonial America were dame schools.

The most popular selling book of the time was of course the bible.

Source?

So what was the second most popular book? It was a little book called "The New England Primer"

Source?

As to your quotes, I'll happily concede that many colonial Americans had their opinions regarding education as well as religious instruction. It's a shame you couldn't find such a quote from an actual framer of the Constitution.

Regards