Just As Empty As Nirvana

Maybe I am just a bit rusty, but I cannot find a good way to begin today's blog, so I will give it the "cold swimming pool" treatment and just jump right in:

Has anyone heard much about a case in Florida where a teacher and someone from a church are facing criminal charges for a lunch time prayer? And no, this is not one of those, " two Jews, a Baptist, and a priest walk into a bar" kind of thing. There is a real case that will go to trial sometime in September. I have to admit that I have not read much about the case, and have seen very little coverage on the news. So I am not an expert on what has happened and why it is a criminal offense. I have also read that the ACLU is involved, so nothing would surprise me , and frankly I cannot stomach it right now. There are too many people with real struggles around all of us these days. My heart breaks when I hear that prayer, Christian prayer, is on trial; but know that this is pretty typical of the ACLU and going back to school. The pushing of a wacko agenda, and the timidness of those who call themselves Christians, always flare up and clash about now. And there will be another flare up and clash around Christmas. It is much more political than it is personal.

But it does have me thinking about the whole prayer in school thing. And I must admit, that it is an issue that has caused me to struggle, at least struggle for the best solution without compromising my duties as a Christian. Maybe it causes alot of people to struggle, and what I see as timidness or fear is really confusion. Either way, it is a subject that is difficult to express, so like I usually do, I have decided to be aggressive instead of passive, and tackle the subject in my blog.

While I have little desire to have this become and in-depth article on prayer and school, church and state, I do think that we need to touch base on a few areas that relate to prayer in our schools. There are some things that may cause us to think about and better relate our feelings, so that maybe we will be inspired to help bring about a change or betterment.

The first thing we must address is the separation of church and state. And the first thing we must get straight is that separation does not mean absence of. While it is in no one's best interest to have a National religion or a State run church, it is in eberyone's best interest to allow individual religion to exist hand in hand with things of the State. Separation does not imply lack of existence. And how some judges that supposedly have so many degrees cannot understand this is way beyond me. If something is separate, there is an implication and understood knowledge that there must be at least two entities, in this case church and state, and that they shall remain as two entities. That is separation. To rid the nation of religion in schools is a philosophical genocide, something that the ACLU is trying to attempt. Their desire is to rid our society of all things Christian. They hide behind phrases like "separation of church and state" or "freedom of choice" when they really intend to push an agenda that would only benefit those who wish to rid the nation of Christians and all things Christ-like. There are no defense of freedoms here, just the diminishing rights of those who believe what they do not. This is the means and manners of most liberal organizations such as the ACLU. And it is time they are called out on it. And consider this, When is the last time that a Buddhist or a Muslim were on trial for their religious belief? Or how groups such as the ACLU want to remove the ten commandments from public buildings and quiet Christian prayer, but then complain about the lack of religious freedom for prisoners in Guantanamo Bay? Complain about the treatment of prisoners so much that they are now given a copy of the Koran and that the direction to Mecca is mapped out all over the prison floors. You try to give a Bible away and see what happens. You can't put crosses on the prison floors. So it's better to side with a criminal who is Muslim and has planned the death of thousands of people, than an innocent American who wishes to pray or read a Bible. Seems like strange bed fellows to me; and that maybe they should drop the A from the ACLU...

...and I have gotten off subject somewhat. But I do want us to consider the logic and the inconsistency in the argument of separation of church and state. Our constitution gives us freedom to worship and that freedom is not limited to where and when. Regardless of the amendments and laws and opinions, it was written to guarantee freedom; judges and eggheads have placed the limits on our religious freedom, not our forefathers.

So with that being said, why isn't there a time that would be allowed for prayer in our school? Why allot the first five or ten minutes of a school day for individual prayer? Why not take a prayer break in the afternoon? And why would the ACLU or atheists object? If they don't believe in God, then what is the harm? And if there is no God then their ears should not bleed from hearing the word God, or witnessing some people praying or meditating. Why act like there is a threat, when there is clearly none if they believe that we all came from nothing and return to nothing. Maybe the conviction is more than they can bear. I do not know. But I do not understand why anyone or any group can be threatened by something they do not believe exists. Not even logical. So maybe they should just let people of religion practice their faith while they walk smugly away thinking that we are all fools. If I weren't afraid of something, I would care less if I were exposed to it. And I think that if they are so thin-skinned, soft, and weak of heart,that they are offended by such practice of faith and religion, then they have more problems than someone giving a "rub a dub dub, thanks for the grub" over a ham sandwich.

And now for the tricky part of allowing religion in school but not being a state religion. Maybe I didn't say that correctly, but my point is that there is a side to this that can be a slippery slope if it were allowed, or let run amok. I want to first say that I do wish prayer were allowed in school but I do not think it would be best to be mandatory or part of a curriculum, so to speak. And this is the part that I struggle with as a Christian. But we cannot force Christianity on the schools or our society. We must allow Muslim prayers and Buddhists chants in our schools if we want to have a separate and free religious society. We cannot want freedoms for Christianity, then impose restrictions on other belief systems. If we desire to do so, then maybe we should join the ACLU. And this is difficult to say, as a Christian. I wish we were all Christians, not just people who went to church, and that we didn't even need to discuss this subject. But we are not.

I think of God having the Jews kill all of the pagans in Canaan and I realize that God does not play. I understand why he ordered their death and I understand that God is the only Truth. I believe the Bible to be infallible and inspired and that anything other than a relationship with Jesus Christ is just a belief system with no merit and no substance. I can and will gladly debate these issues with anyone at anytime. I am not a close-minded person, and do not intend to sound arrogant, but I want you to be certain of where I stand personally.

Because it is at this point that I have struggled in the past, in allowing all faiths to be practiced in school. Because God does not accept all faiths, and as a Christian I should not either. But the law has been fulfilled and we are now under grace; and God no longer orders us to kill pagans. Jesus changes all of that. Just as the crusades were not of God, I feel that intolerance in the instance of beliefs are not of God. But how can I say that if I just stated that I believe God is intolerant of other religions? Because I see a difference between tolerance and acceptance; not to mention it is apples to oranges in the discussion of what God tolerates and what we tolerate. The word means close to the same thing, but our natures change this...

...and now to get back on track. We must allow all religions to practice their faith in our society and in our school rooms. And remember that we are talking about a separation that is tied together by a spiritual means. But none the less, freedom is freedom; and a free society is the best society for worshipping God, praying to God, and performing ministries in God's name. Social freedom can nurture spiritual freedom, God is the only Truth, and I think like all roads leading to Rome, if a person is truly searching for the Truth, it will lead to God.

May faith hasn't always been strong enough to say all of this. My arrogance lead me to believe that I must defend God. But my growing relationship has showed me that God can handle His own and that the Truth really will set you free.

And I also believe that the "Christians" who have been intolerant and shallow in their faith, have hurt the progression of prayer in school. By being stiff-necked, arrogant, pious, and hiding behind God's word instead of living it, they have caused many a set back. As Christians we should know why we believe and what we believe, and not just because the preacher or the priest has told us so. Just because Grandma or mom were afraid of Muslim or Buddhist philosophy rubbing off on good Christian kids, we should not share the same fear. as the illogical reaction of the atheist in this manner, how illogical is is for us as Christians, to be afraid of something that is only words and a mere belief system. If we do not believe in Allah, than why be so threatened by him? If the Holy Spirit is real, and convicts, and counsels; then why are concerned about a god who isn't? Can Allah or Brahma convict, guide, counsel, or save our soul? And think of the story of Elijah and the 300 prophets of Baal. He welcomed the challenge of proving God is real and all others are false. Elijah encouraged the prophets to pray more and pray louder. Maybe Baal is using the bathroom, so to speak and that we should be more like Elijah and have more faith in God and less in gods.

And the separation of church and state, it also comes down to the matter of legislating morality and ethics; and neither can be done. Nor should it be done. Our faith cannot come from a school system, but from our homes. If we are concerned about little Johnny becoming a Muslim, then we should teach him why it is not the truth. And not just because someone says it's the truth. We have to know why it is the truth to be able to teach it, and we must live in accordance to the truth if others are to see it in us. The responsibility is that of our own, not societies. All we need from society is the framework that will allow us the freedom to teach and live. we must do the work that is needed inside that framework.

And I have gone on much longer than I had planned. I didn't even get to the teaching of religion in school; but will save that for another day. I do hope that my words give us all something to think about and inspire us to read our Bibles, pray, as well as write letters to our congress people. We must act on our convictions, or they are just as empty as Nirvana.