Evening star., 1952-11-16

that made U.s."
SecuIorism Is Threat
To ChiIdren's Education
These words of Lincoln not
only recall to us our national
traditions relative to the impor-
tance of religion; they also re-
mind US of the constant temp
tation for this country to turn
away from God and to become
immersed in material pursuits.
In oul own day widespread
yielding to this temptation has
given rise to an even greater
danger the way of life we call
secularism. Those who follow
this way of life distort and blot
out our religious traditions. and
seek tc remove all influence of
religion from public life. Their
main efforts are centered on the
divorce of religion from educa-
ton. Their strategy seems to
be: First to secularize COM
pletely the public school, and
then to claim for it a total
monopoly of education.
To teach moral and spiritual
values divorced from religion
and based solely on social con-
vent:or., as these men claim to
do is not enough. Unless mans
conscience is enlightened by
the knowledge of principles that
express God'sslaw. there can be
no firm and lasting morality.
Without religion morality be-
comes simply a matter of indi-
vidual taste, of public opinion or
majority vote. The moral law
must derive its validity and its
binding force from the truths of
religion Without religious edu-
cation, moral education is i'm
possible
In criticizing this secularist
trend in education, let it not be
said that we are enemies of pub
lie education. We recognize that
the state has a legitimate and
even necessary concern with
education. But if religion is i'm
portant to good citizenship
and that is the burden of our
national tradition-then the
state must give recognition to
it's Importance in public edu-
cation. The state therefore has
the duty to help parents fulfill
their task of religious instruc-
ton and training. When the
state fails in this help, when it
makes the task more difficult
and even penalties parents who
try to fulfill this duty accord
ing to conscience. by depriving
their children of their right
under our Federal Constitution
to auxiliary services, this can
only be regarded as an utterly
unfair and short-sighted policy.
Even more alarming are the
efforts to create a monopoly Of
education for a secularized pub
lie school. To one who cherishes
the American tradition, it is
alarming to hear all non-public
education denounced as divisive.
Not all differences are divisive,
and not all divisions are harm
full. There are political and So
cial differences and divisions
which are simply the manifesto
tions of our fundamental free
dom. The differences which are
harmful to our country are
those which divide our people in
their duty of loyalty, patriotism
and good citizenship. Education
of children in schools under re-
ligious auspices has no such ef-
feet. On the contrary, the re-
ligious instruction children re-
ceive IN such schools inculcates
the duties of loyalty. patriotism
and civic service based on love
of God, of neighbor and of
country. Education that is truly
religious is then a unifying
rather than a dividing force.
Particularly difficult to under
stand is the attitude of some
few, who, while occupying posi-
tions of leadership in various
religious groups, yet, in almost
every question involving the in
f1uence of religion in public life
and education, throw the weight
OF their influence behind secu-
larism. In the days when COM
munism was posing as a new
and advanced kind of democ-
racy, some of these persons were
loud in their praise for practi-
cally everything that came out
of the realms of atheism and
tyranny. Now that it is no
longer fashionable to regard
Communism as other than the
avowed enemy of our own coun-
try. they indeed maintain
discreet silence on the subject of
Communistic virtues, but they
still throw the weight of their in
fluence behind such totalitarian
movements as an all-embracing
state controlled school system
and education completely devoid
of religion. Although they often
lay claim to the title of Christ
ian, they are rather devotees of
the pseudo-religion of progress:
and they always think of prog
ress in terms of materialistic or
secularistic evolution. Consci-
ously or unconsciously, in elm
mating the influence Of religion
and in working for the absolut-
ism of majority vote, they are
promoting the disintegration of
those social institflti0nS wl1ose