Originally posted by Kane:
Originally posted by TourDeForce:
As a good American I respect others rights & don't attempt to impose my faith on them. What a country!!!



This is exactly how everyone should be!

I'm not going to try to force you to give up your religion, and likewise, you should not try to force beliefs upon me.



Thank you for that. What bothers me is what I see as a mis-interpretation of the founding fathers intentions. Remember that many original settlers were here to escape religious persecution. The 'separation of church and state', IMHO, does not mean to EXCLUDE religion entirely from any public forum.

For example, the players prayer before a HS football game. If you're not a person of faith, don't join in. Just because it's happening in front of you doesn't mean that you should be offended. Quite the contrary, the avocation generally includes the hope that ALL players come off the field of play healthy, not just those participating in the prayer. People wishing you well too, WTH is wrong with that?

If you are of a different faith, then the coach should offer the opportunity for you to make your appeals to your respective diety. All about mutual respect, personal responsibility, & tolerance. All three of those seem to be slipping away from the fabric of our Great Society.

Here is a clip from another of my posts in this thread that sums things up for me...

Quote:

The power of faith should be respected, perhaps even revered, but if twisted can be a terrible scourge as we are learning yet again in mans history.

I guess I'm leading up to saying that faith is a personal issue that belongs in the home in the hands of the parents & preachers. After all, there are many cultures out there that don't read the bible.

School should be at once an oasis for science, math, and social studies, as well as a melting pot that exposes the student to the myriad of possibilities at hand. School should not be a tool for marginalizing faith, & indoctrination of the faithless. If nothing else, a nod should be given to the various beliefs that are represented in a classroom. This country was in part founded by groups trying to escape religious persecution. Revel in the diversity.



Thanks for listening.

Must be that jumbly-wumbly thing happening again.