The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1913-07-03
IS UNITED STATES
CHRISTIAN NATION?
THE BIBLE SHOULD BE MORE
THAN MERE TEXTBOOK -
SHOULD BE IN SCHOOLS.

Portland Ore July 1.-The Bible
should be more than a mere text
book; religion should be taught in
the public schools. Otherwise the
Christian nation of America is false
to it's own ideals and "manifestly dis
honoring to Almighty God" in the
opinion of the Commission Of Public
Education of the Worlds Christian
Citizenship Conference in session here,
voiced in a report to the conference
today. In brief, the report says:
'The Bible should be more than
merely a textbook in the public
schools of every grade; the simple,
broad elements of the historical and
the ethical in Christianity should be
diligently and sympathetically taught
and the whole attitude and atmos-
phere of the system Of public edu-
cation should be reverent, positive and
true to the genius of the Christian
faith though free from any faint OF
bigotry and sectarian bias.
IF it is objected that it is not the
business of the state to stand for re-
ligion, it need only be said that it Is
certainly not more it's business to
stand for non religion which is histor-
ically a synonym for irreligion and
which often furnishes a plausible ba-
sis for anti-religion. Let it be re-
membered that if the state presumes
to educate its youth, emitting relig.
ion, then the natural implication is
that such an education Is, in the judg
ment of the state, adequate and COM
plete, and accordingly an onus Of
prejudice, weighted with the prestige
of the state, is thrown against any
other than such a secular education,
under any auspices whatsoever.
rThis nation has been Normally
declared by it's supreme court to be
Christian nation. For a Christian ma
ton to maintain a system Of educa
tion in which God has no place, or,
indeed, in which God has not the su
preme place, would be untrue to it
self The Christian nation, like tho
Christian man, is inconsistent and
false to itself when it does an un-
Christian thing; and certainly it is
notoriously untrue to its own genius.
if it spends millions and millions of
dollars annually in supporting and
carrying on an unchristian education.
To state this thought in another form:
'If nation is traditionally Christ
ian and if the state which is the civic
organ of the nation is therefore
Christian also, then this conclusion
is confirmed in a very impressive
manner. For instance, the supreme
court had formally pronounced the
United States a Christian nation, and
declared that honesty, morality re-
ligion and education are the main pill |
lars of the state, for the protection |
and promotion Of which government |
was instituted among them From
this it is obvious that for the state TO
omit the religious element in the edu.
cation OF its youth is to be derelict |
in its du,y and untrue to its own gen.
ius.
This statement also has it's i'm
portant and apparent corollaries and
we would likewise stand for them.
For a system of education to ignore
God or to forget Him, is for it to belle
its own history. A secular education,
a literally Goddess or ungodly educa-
ton, is necessarily untrue TO the spir-
it of the Christian nation false to the
highest interests Of TIE Christian state,
deleterious to the wholesome life OF i
Christian people and manifestly dis
to Almighty God"