X-Envelope-to: CATHOLIC@american.edu
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.catholic
Date:         Mon, 14 Dec 1992 22:20:47 PST
From:         J Scott Berg <ALHY@SLAC.STANFORD.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Queens school board
              14 Dec 92 16:54:31 EST." <44E4273880A19F04@SCS.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU>

In a message of Mon, 14 Dec 92 16:54:31 EST Jim McIntosh writes:
> On Mon, 14 Dec 1992 13:21:20 PST J Scott Berg said:
> >I think your paragraph starts to focus in on the problem.  "Separation
> >of Church and State" is not what's happening in our government.  It's
> >becoming state-sponsored atheism.  When you refuse to allow anything
> >that has any relationship to religion into a government-related
> >activity, the government therefore is making a choice when it comes to
> >religion (more broadly, belief systems).  It says that any belief
> >system which does not acknowledge God as one of its tenets is
> >preferred in government institutions.  That is NOT separation of
> >church and state in my opinion.
>
> It's hard to say there's state-sponsored atheism when every piece of
> money in your pocket says "In God We Trust". Everytime the House or
> Senate comes into session they start with a prayer by one of their
> chaplains. Every session of the Supreme Court starts with a plea for God
> to bless this country "and this honorable court." I think every speach
> I've heard the present president give ended with "And may God bless the
> United States of America."
>

Admittedly.  At least with the bit on the coins, though, I could
actually care less if they are there or gone.  Putting such a phrase
on our money seems meaningless to me.  If people want to get rid of
it, fine by me.

I'm not one to go on a tirade about how Christianity has declined in
our society.  I haven't been around, so I don't really know what it
was like "in the good 'ol days."  I suspect it wasn't any better.
That seems to be the way things usually are...

> What you DON'T have is government sponsorship of any particular religion
> or sect. You DON'T see crosses on public property erected with taxpayer
> dollars. You DON'T see taxpayer money going towards private schools
> dedicated to the furthering of one particular religion's faith.
>
> I understand that with the federal budget measured in the trillions of
> dollars, it is natural to want to grab part of it and use those tax
> dollars for the promotion of your particular church. It'd sure make
> running those schools or raising those crosses easier than if you
> actually had to pay for them yourselves.
>

A couple of anecdotes from the newspaper that I remember:


A teacher gets in trouble for simply mentioning that he is running a
Bible study to his class.

A group of students get together after school around the school
flagpole to have a prayer meeting (it was "national prayer day" or
something of the sort).  They are forcibly removed from the premises.


It's not a matter of "money going to private schools dedicated to the
furthering of one particular religion's faith" as it is "money not
going to schools that are going to try to undermine my children's
faith/morals."  I think there are many Christians who feel that they
have a moral obligation to bring up their children in a Christian
school because they are afraid of what their children will learn
(explicity or implicitly) in public schools, and that therefore they
are forced to pay twice for school--once for the private school that
their child is going to (that they feel obligated to send their child
to), and once for a public school that they feel teaches against their
faith.

Why can't there be a few minutes of silence where kids can say a
prayer during the day (not led by the teacher or anything--just some
silent time where they can pray, possibly something that their
minister/priest writes out for them to help, and kids who don't want
to pray can do their homework)?  We seem to feel like prayer is an
important part of the life of a Christian, why should kids be deprived
of the chance to experience that?

I'm not asking for government to give any special aid to Christians or
anyone else.  I'm just asking that it not be harder to bring up
children in a religious framework than in an atheistic one.


                                -Scott Berg

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The opinions expressed here are, of course, my own and nobody else's.
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J. Scott Berg
email: ALHY@slac.stanford.edu
real mail: Varian Physics
           Stanford  CA  94305-4060
phone:  (415) 926-4732 (w)
        (415) 326-2631 (h)
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