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..."

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.

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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