It seems that predicting the future is a thriving industry. Forecasters of doomsdays, fiscal cliffs, etc. as well as numerous seers who can predict one's love life, financial success, you name it, are a dime a dozen. I wish I had the ability to write one's horoscope; my financial future would be assured. Oh wait, that requires the gift of BS - not ESP.
But I digress. The industry goes back thousands of years; the magi who sought the Christ child were astrologers. (Traditionally there were three of them, but the Bible doesn't mention the actual number.) And that was the start of the segment of “prophets” that I am getting very tired of hearing from: those who predict the complete disintegration of society because we have “kicked God out of our schools.”
Face it, folks, we did not kick God out of our schools. As I understand it, God is everywhere that we are. According to Psalm 139, “. . . if I descend into hell, thou art present.”
As the Newtown incident demonstrated, in some cases descending into hell would be preferable to going to school, but the point is, the Supreme Court not withstanding, God is present even in school.
There is not, nor can there be, any prohibition against anyone's praying anywhere, anytime, for any reason. And that applies no matter to whom the prayer is directed, whether it be to God, Allah, Zeus or the Wicked Witch of the West. Nor may the school suggest to someone who doesn't believe in prayer that perhaps the acquisition of religious belief would be beneficial.
What is prohibited is the school's giving any suggestion, blatant or subtle, as to whom or to what the prayer should be directed.
It is more likely that our society will disintegrate because of the tendency of religions to separate people into “us” vs. “them” groups, than that kids will not be force-fed prayers over the school intercom system.
But I digress. The industry goes back thousands of years; the magi who sought the Christ child were astrologers. (Traditionally there were three of them, but the Bible doesn't mention the actual number.) And that was the start of the segment of “prophets” that I am getting very tired of hearing from: those who predict the complete disintegration of society because we have “kicked God out of our schools.”
Face it, folks, we did not kick God out of our schools. As I understand it, God is everywhere that we are. According to Psalm 139, “. . . if I descend into hell, thou art present.”
As the Newtown incident demonstrated, in some cases descending into hell would be preferable to going to school, but the point is, the Supreme Court not withstanding, God is present even in school.
There is not, nor can there be, any prohibition against anyone's praying anywhere, anytime, for any reason. And that applies no matter to whom the prayer is directed, whether it be to God, Allah, Zeus or the Wicked Witch of the West. Nor may the school suggest to someone who doesn't believe in prayer that perhaps the acquisition of religious belief would be beneficial.
What is prohibited is the school's giving any suggestion, blatant or subtle, as to whom or to what the prayer should be directed.
It is more likely that our society will disintegrate because of the tendency of religions to separate people into “us” vs. “them” groups, than that kids will not be force-fed prayers over the school intercom system.
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My books, "There Are Only Seven Jokes" and "The Spirit Runs Through It" are available in paperback or Kindle at Amazon.
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