I think Texas's school prayer time may be an intentional move like Lousiana's posting of the 10 commandments in public schools to retest previous Supreme Court rulings. Yes, the new State laws do seemingly defy current Federal law, but some of us equate such Federal laws and rulings as bad decisions that not only oppose God but also betray our nation's Founding Fathers and Christian heritage.
US law has nothing to do with god. God is only mentioned in the US Constitution once, and that's to denote the date. Period. And specifically, the First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion for everyone, which directly goes against christian teaching.
With a Supreme Court now comprising more conservatives than liberals, it's possible that additional reversals like Roe vs Wade and the Lemon test lie ahead that could restore God back into the public arena - as it traditionally was for 350 years.
I suppose it's not
impossible that the conservative majority will ignore the US Constitution and throw out the First Amendment and literally tons of legal precedent and turn the US into a christian theocracy, but I find it highly unlikely. Even for Thomas, Alito and Kavanaugh.
I know the misguided belief in separation of church and state is popular today,
It was popular 324 years ago, too. Especially with
Thomas Jefferson, who first used that phrase, saying it was the basis for the First Amendment's protection of freedom of religion.
and thus even liberal Christians will climb on the band wagon to oppose reintroducing any form of God, the Bible, or Christianity into the public schools, government, or cultural arena.
It was never constitutional to do so before, per the First Amendment. This has been decided law for a while now, since Engel v Vitale in 1962.
Those who do so, like supporting evolution teaching over creationism, serve the Devil well in my view, helping to transform America from a Christian nation into a secular one. I understand why Atheists would favor a godless society, but I'm distressed that a majority of Christians blindly support the same cause.
The US is not now, nor has ever been a Christian nation. But don't take my word for it,
President John Adams said as much himself: "As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion..."
Let me add a different perspective, making this whole prayer in schools issue comparable to the abortion issue. It goes back to the U.S. Constitution and America's Founding Father's intent to establish a nation of states united by a very limited Federal government. We have written documents, as well as historical evidence, that religious beliefs and moral values were in fact supported by the states with little federal intervention until the first significant 1948 Supreme Court ruling. Since then, the Federal government court system has steadily taken over all of the states' rights concerning religious and moral values. This, I claim is both unconstitutional and morally wrong. Instead of having thousands of school districts and 50 states being governed by representatives that reflect the local citizenry, we have a panel of 12 Supreme Court Justices
There are only 9 Supreme Court justices.
assuming all authority - which too often goes far beyond merely interpreting the constitution.
Might I suggest that no matter how you feel about what should be taught or done in the public schools, a freedom loving American should prefer the states and local school districts dictating their religious and moral value policies rather than a group of 12 individuals in DC.
Again, there are only 9 Supreme Court justices.
Like abortion, such sensitive issues should be left up to the citizens and representatives of each individial state to decide (as other criminal laws are). And what about those cases where local districts or certain states want to do or allow deplorable things? That's why we have state and federal legislatures capable of passing necessary laws. Overall though, I find it hard to defend, constitutionally or morally, a Federal government restricting the rights of state and local governments to support the Christian religion, be it in schools or in society overall.
Personally, I feel many decisions, like those concerning religion or those concerning medical decisions, should be left to the individuals involved, and should not be decided by politicians for us. But I may be in the minority in that.
-- A2SG, sure seems like many religious people want the government to make medical decisions for people (usually
other people), can't for the life of me figure out why.....
