Tell Me What You Want - What You Really, Really
Want!
by Marsha Abelman
A few weeks ago, I watched a panel discussion show
on PBS. It's a weekly show that covers a wide range of current events
and topics. This topic was: "Should faith-based groups exert
political influence?" |
One of the panelists, whose vociferous opinions dominated
the evening, stated, "I'm offended that we would even discuss
this topic within society." She continued, "I tell you what:
Christians were silent for 50 years and they allowed prayer to be
taken out of schools, the Ten Commandments to be taken out of schools.
We have been shot down and shot down and shot down, and I'll tell
you, we have learned to mobilize
we are impacting the communities,
we are impacting the government on every single level..."
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If only she could relive with me my elementary school
days, when each Monday morning, the teacher asked, "Who went
to Sunday school and church yesterday?" The classroom monitor
counted our raised hands and took the class attendance and the church
attendance numbers to the office. We re-learned the Pledge of Allegiance
after they added "under God," a loyalty vow turned into
a religious declaration. |
First grade through twelfth grade - all our days began
with a Bible reading and a Christian prayer. Football games were kicked
off with Christian prayers. We sang Christmas carols in programs and
assemblies. A Christian minister conducted the baccalaureate service
before graduation. The large Jewish population in my schools sat quietly
through twelve years of Christian evangelizing in school, at sports,
at assemblies, and at graduation. |
Would the talk show panelist believe this? Near the
end of the discussion show, she said, "they are inherently anti-religious,
anti-Christian
liberals are re-writing history
they're making
stuff up." |
Hey, I'm not making this stuff up. Those Christians
in my hometown were inherently anti-Jewish, anti-atheist, and they
believed it was right for their religion to dominate all public events.
It was a time of hats and gloves, of "please" and "thank
you, ma'am," but it wasn't really a civil society. |
More recently, student clubs in a local high school
were re-evaluated because Christians wouldn't tolerate a club that
didn't fit their Biblical worldview. Christian clubs at schools, however,
have always been welcome - Fellowship of Christian Athletes, for example,
uses school buildings and districts' employees sponsor those clubs.
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I, too, am offended that we are even discussing this.
While it is reasonable that one's beliefs influence the kind of citizen
one is and the way one votes, why is there such a huge push to evangelize
the world en masse? Why do Christians need the weight of their large
groups to make government cater to their religion? Are the Ten Commandments
only significant to Christians if they're on the courthouse lawn?
Why can't we just agree to practice religion in private and practice
civility in public? |
I wonder if the strident panelist would like to return
to the intolerant past. Would she be happy if America were one gigantic
tent meeting: "all Christian, all the time?" If she's considered
that future, I wonder if she can then visualize America changing,
another religion becoming dominant, and her grandchildren sitting
quietly as another religion conducts its prayers and readings at school,
at sporting events, and at graduations. |
I wonder if that's what she really, really wants.
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Phone: 719-594-4506
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