The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1952-11-28
A Proven Need

Some of the reaction seen to date goes long
way toward proving the wisdom of and need for
the statement issued by the Cardinals Archbishops
and Bishops of the United States following their an.
nual meeting here
The American Bishops entitled their statement.
Religion, Our Most Vital National Asset" Briefly
they said Religion is necessary to man communities
and nations History shows that spiritual losses rah
er than material losses bring nations to their ruin
The real danger to our country is irreligon. The
trend toward rreligon is encouraged by the divorce
ment of education from religion The United States
is religious country religious people upholds
that standard of morality which flows necessarily
from belief in God The State should uphold this
morality and encourage it's people in it, The State
has the duty TO help parents fulfill their task of
religious instruction and training.
One of the very few newspapers to take editorial
exception to the statement was The Washington
Post This was not totally unexpected in view of the
stand on religion in education taken by Agnes
Meyer, an occasional writer in the paper and the
wife of the chairman of its board of directors
The Post editorial said ii opposed the ntroduc
ton Of any religious training into public educa
ton" because it would endanger the American prin
cipe that one group should not force its religious
beliefs any others. The paper said the American
public school should be safe place for children of
any and all religious and Of religious belief
The paper did not deal with the contention of
many thoughtful people that in rendering public
school perfectly safe for pupils Of no religious be
liefs, may well be rendering the school extreme
ly dangerous TO pupils of any and all religious be
hefs In championine the rights of secular educa
ton" can harmfully throw its weight the
side of Secularism One can't take that course with
eqnanimty and still care very much about religion
The Post said "the proper place for religious
education, we believe is in churches and homes and
Sunday schools" Those who want TO combine re
lgIouS and secular education should maintain sep
arate schools of their This is in effect to say:
they want religious instruction in school, let them
get out of the school supported by the publicly
their parents we'll other parents Does this not
preempt the nations schools for Secularism-and
atheism II definitely makes the schools safe" for
irregion II throws its weight against religion.
The Bishops made very good case in estab
fishing that, by origin and tradition the United
States lis religious nation. Many Of those who take
issue with the Bishops statement seem to start from
the premise that naturally rreligious
try They seem to feel that religious instruction in
a school would be an infringement of the rights of
children Of atheists. There is no proof that this
il But II II were. might II not he argued that
10 have things the way they want them would be an
infringement Of the rights Of religious parents.
And how can one argue that religious instruction
is matter for the some, and at the same time say,
in effect that atheism and aRnosticlsm matters
for the school?
On the other hand The Evening Star of this
city thinks the Bishops statement will have "A very
wide acceptance"
The Star said that VI religious instruction in the
schools entails any risk TO our system IT is Ger
tanly "a far sligher risk than that which grows
out of the evils that have taken root and flouriShed
in the Secularism of recent decades"
The Evening Star editorial said the Bishops
statement 'is similar in tone and purpose to one
issued four years ago.
Certainly If one may Judge from The advance
Ns4A.~ -
can hardly be said that there is less need for relig
ious instruction at all levels, and especially among
our young people Nor is there any evidence that
such instruction as has been sanctioned has tended
in any way to destroy proper separation OF the
functions Of church and state"
The Star declared that few will dissent from the
proposition of the Bishops statement that "'the i'm
minent threat to our country comes not from rellr
ious diyisiyeness but from irreipiouS social decay"
"The contentious" the editorial continued 'can
be documented if Recommendation be deemed neces-
ssry But this should hardly he required, for the
evidence is all around us plain for any one to sec
Perhaps there will be some difference Of opinion
concerning the extent 10 which religious instruction
associated with the public schools can remedy these
evils The weight of logic suggests, however, that
religious instruction OF this kind when properly
conducted and adequately safeguarded, can be
helpful"
At almost the same time. DR. Oliver C. Carmch
ael president OF the Carnegie Foundation for the
Advancement of Teaching was issuing an annual re-
port which said that neutral instruction" probably
veakens pupil more than IL strengthens him.
Or Carmichael said the absence of a clear and
positive philosophy is the great weakness of the
Western world in its fight against communism, and
that III is probable that wholly neutral instruction
veakens rather than strengthens the ability TO make
commitments" And yet he said "an education
which does not strengthen the power Of conviction,
that does not inculcae of social responsible
ity fails IN its duty 10 society
The objections raised by critics may IN many
eases 10 be taken As measures Of the distance which
persons and institutions in this country have drfed
toward Secularism.-The Washington Letter.
Look Before You Buv