God didn’t fight for the rights that compose the foundation of our democracy ““ John Locke, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington did.
Which is why it’s immeasurably frustrating to hear that a Bakersfield school district has recently decided to put up posters in 2,300 classrooms with the phrase “In God We Trust” in the name of patriotism and rename their winter and spring breaks Christmas and Easter recesses.
A school board member, and the only person to vote against the measure, told the Times that non-supporters were called unpatriotic.
Putting the nation’s motto on a poster and displaying it in schools isn’t the problem here, the issue is the reasoning behind its placement.
“How could you oppose the nation’s motto on public schools?” a school board member told the Los Angeles Times.
The answer to that is that we can oppose that motto when it’s coupled with an agenda designed to promote religious exclusivity and skew what it means to be a patriot.
The Founding Fathers who worked so hard and risked everything to establish this country also decided to separate church and state ““ and that probably wasn’t God’s idea either.
Sure, the Christian God is alive and well in the hearts and minds of millions of Americans, but what about those of us who, like many of our Founding Fathers, are Deists?
What about those of us who are Buddhist? Or Muslim, or Hindu, or Jewish? Or any other religion (or lack thereof) that does not entail belief in the Christian God?
Not everyone in this country is Christian. Many of those who started this country weren’t Christian. And many non-Christians value the American ideals of democracy, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Radical, right-wing evangelicals must stop pushing their tired agenda on the rest of the population.
There should be no “God” in any aspect of America that is publicly funded ““ because that is how we avoid turning into a theocracy, and that is how we maintain freedom of religion for all.
Why is this so hard to understand?
Maybe if our civics classes in elementary and middle school focused on the truth of that statement we could avoid such questions in the future.
But instead of using public education to enhance our democracy by giving all of our citizens the equal opportunity to succeed, a powerful cultural faction is taking that education and turning it into a political crucible.
“Prayer in schools! Teach creationism! Abstinence-only education! Moment of silence!”
These battle cries are dividing students, parents, administrators, teachers and the public over what should be a non-issue.
Why can’t religion stay a personal choice? Why can’t a student of any religion enroll in a public school and expect to have his or her beliefs respected? Why must God, Christmas and Easter be imposed on everyone?
If these radicals were really touting their beliefs for the benefit of the children, as many say they are, why can’t they see that far more children would be benefited by feeling safe and respected in school no matter their beliefs?
Maybe a group on campus should sponsor an awareness week about these extremist anti-democracy theocrats who call themselves supporters of America, for they are undermining religious freedom by trying to institutionalize and impose their own God and holidays unto others.