Close Topic Options

Declaration Of Indepence Prohibited In School

https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6578096/

A teacher was banned from giving his fifth grade students a copy of the Declaration of Independence because of it's referrel to God.

There has been a lot of instances in the past forty years of materials or practices of the Christian faith being taken out of public school systems. Prayer was banned, then not too long ago, prayer at sporting events and graduation ceremonies was banned. (Though many still practice them.) There was also an atheist who tried to go to the Supreme Court to have the phrase "One nation under God" taken out of the Pledge of Alledgance.

How far is too far? Personally, this agitates me. Christianity is a part of our nation's history. There is nothing wrong with teaching ABOUT it as long as a teacher does not ingringe upon somebody else's belief adn starts preaching about it. The Christian in me wishes that teachers could speak openly about God in a more personal sense, but the teacher in me realizes that it would offend students.

Now, however, I would be offended if I were still a student in the public school system. Students are being cheated out of their education because there may be a reference to God in an item. So, are we just going to take American History out of our school systems because our countries history deals with Chrstianity?

**takes deep breath** This is a huge soap box for me.

Any other thoughts on this matter?

School Prohibited Indepence Declaration

I share your views on this topic Ambria. As a child I went to Presbyterian schools and Bible teachings were a big part of our curriculum. We also incorporated other religions because we had a fair number of Hindus and Muslims that went to the school. There was never a question about including religious studies because everyone knew this was a religion-based school. As for the declaration of independence, this country was founded by people who were very religious and expressed those views openly. Until a child is old enough to say whether they want to know about religion or not, it should still be included in the curriculum, and parents need to be more open-minded about it. If my child were to learn about Hinduism or Islam in school, I would be very open to it, because I think it helps them understand other cultures. It is my duty as a parent at home to teach whatever religion I believe in, but in school, let the kids be exposed to all different religions; it can only help them in the long run.

Declaration Of Indepence Prohibited In School History & Civil Business Politics

In fact, at least one of the "Founding Fathers" of our nation specifically pointed out in other documents that the Constitution would only work in a God-based, faith-based nation. The ideas of morality and ethics are inherent in our belief in God. If we become a non-believing people, if God is rejected, our nation will fail.

These things need to be taught in our schools.

IMO
Roz

School Prohibited Indepence Declaration

I think it is important to learn the history of any country. I alos believe that if GOD is used in the development of history, why would someone exclude it.

I also think that if someone does not agree with say a religion, or any other idea of general living, that should not stop them from knowing it and accepting it as someone else's belief.

School Prohibited Indepence Declaration

It sounds like someone just needs to smack some common sense into people. Extremists bother me, especially those involved in the government and education system. The Declaration of Independence is a very important part of US History and if US History is what you're trying to teach, then I see no reason to exclude one of the country's most important documents.

I am a firm believer of the separation of church and state in all matters, but this is simply ridiculous. I'd like to know what precedent the principal used in making her decision.

At the same time, I am somewhat hesitant to jump onto any soap box; we have been given only one point of view. We weren't there. For all we know, the teacher could have been shoving the material down students' throats for the sole purpose of trying to show them that the founding fathers were, for the most part, religious men. The article makes reference to other documents that were censored and we know that the case made against the principal is that she is targeting anything that refers to Christianity, but we still don't know the whole story.

As for the subject of the Pledge of Allegiance that the article brought up, I find it funny that people are quarreling over a line that wasn't even part of the original pledge; it was added in 1954, thanks to a campaign run by the Knights of Columbus that was inspired by anti-Communist sentiment.

Religion is an important part of the history of civilization and there's no denying that. I'm agnostic, but that doesn't mean that if I had a child in school that I wouldn't want them to know the truth. I wouldn't want them to have the information drilled into their mind, but I would like them to know about it. The whole issue just goes back to religous tolerance.

And I'm not sure I quite get this part. Are you saying that was what one of the founding fathers said or are you saying that if people weren't monothiestic, the citizens of the US would have no morals and the country would fall? In either case, then that would mean that freedom of religion and religious tolerance shouldn't exist for fear that Godless people would rise up and, in their lack of good morals and values, ruin the entire country. Yes, religion is very important. However, I don't believe that religion should be the foundation upon which society's morals are based and regulated. Who cares if your morals are created are founded on your belief in man or your belief in God? As long as you're a good person and a good contributor to your community, I don't see why it makes a difference.

I'm sorry, I just don't get that line of thought. I respect it, I just don't understand it.

Edited: Rache on 3rd Dec, 2004 - 9:46pm

Declaration Of Indepence Prohibited In School

The basis for the formation of the government of the U.S. is Christianity, although, of course, freedom of religion was the spark that ignited the Revolution. Therefore, those Founding Fathers built into the Constitution freedom to worship as our own conscience dictates.

Rache said:

Exactly. If our nation of people turn away from God (or their Supreme Being, whatever they may call Him), our nation, as we know it, will fail.

Declaration Indepence Prohibited School

Freedom of religion is why many people left Europe to colonize the Americas and it is a defining characteristic of our nation. However, the revolution was set off more by money than anything else. That's what the taxation without representation argument was all about. The founding fathers didn't stroll up to King George III and say, "Sorry, George. You're a good bloke an' all, but we just aren't buying this whole Church of England thing. We'd like to split off and do our own thing. We'll be seein' you around!"

But why can't a nation that isn't unified through religion actually succeed? It's like you're implying that aethiests and agnostics have no good morals. I don't think that someone has to be religious for them to have good, strong morals and values. This just throws us back to the good ol' question of, "What is good?"

Through Christianity, for example, good would be defined as: "If God says that X is good, then X must be good." However, by this definition, that means that if X represented fratrocide, then fratrocide must be good. But isn't fratrocide wrong? Anyone, aethist or religious, can see that murder of any kind isn't right. Because of this, we roll to, "X is good only in certain circumstances," which takes us nowhere but back to, "What is good?"

The attitude of the founding fathers reflects the time in which they lived. In the eighteenth century, you really couldn't walk anywhere in Europe or colonies in America and find someone that didn't believe in God. Now people aren't nearly as religious as they were back in the 1700's and I bet that if John Adams had been born and raised in the later half of the twentieth century, there's a strong chance he we wouldn't be quoting him as saying, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people," and more likely as saying, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral people."

If the government should protect people from Godless, amoral citizens, then why do we even have the Separation of Church and State? If the founding fathers truly thought that Godless people were a threat to the nation, I highly doubt they would have instituted the Separation of Church and State.

Unfortunately, it seems that time and time again, the school system becomes the battlefield for conflicts over the fine line of separation.

Declaration Indepence Prohibited School Politics Business Civil & History

Although this topic has a theme about education, the underlying discussion is really about rights and liberties and not academics, thus it falls under the Activism board.

* Moved *