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On 08 Nov 2004 03:29:38 GMT, (Gould 0738) wrote:

No. When you were 7 or 8 years old in the fifties you were able to grasp
the rudiments of a simplistic explanation. Apparently, you haven't given
the matter much observation or thought since.

You may think you live in an "overwhelmingly Christian nation." Even if you do,
one of the reasons generations of immigrants came to this country was a freedom
to practice the religion of their choice. Forcing kids to recite a "Christian
prayer" at the beginning of a school day has no place in a school that exists
to serve the interests of all students. Why should devout Jewish families pay
taxes to support public schools where their kids will be compelled, (at a
minimum through peer pressure), to pray to Jesus, or Virgin Mary, and/or a host
of Christian saints? Are Buddhist, Muslim, Wiccan, or Hindu taxpayers less
entitled to respect for their beliefs in the education system than Christian
taxpayers? Should we give the non-Christian taxpayers a discount, if we ask the
kids to recite a Christian prayer at the beginning of a school day?

Is it the proper role of the public schools to teach the children of atheists
that their parents are "wrong"?

Many of our ancestors came to this country because they found being forced to
worship God in a manner dictated by the numerical majority in a society, rather
than by faith and sincere conscious, unacceptable.

It is just as unacceptable in 21st Century America as it was in 18th Century
Britain.

Did you kid ever come to you and say, "But, Dad, most of the other kids are
doing....(insert stupid thing here)..."?

Your answer then still applies. "Just because a majority does something, that
does not make it right."

You want your kids to recite a Christian prayer at the beginning of a school
day?
There are dozens of schools just like that in most communities- they aren't
supported by tax dollars nor should they be.

Agreed - even in the boonies where I live, there are Muslim, Jewish,
Catholic, Evangelical Christian and I believe, although I can't
remember the particular sub-faith, a Wiccan deal.

My kids all went to private school for elementary and public high
schools. The reason was that my wife teaches in the system and it's
not a lot of fun to be the daughter/son of a school teacher.

I don't believe we need school prayer to make things better - seems a
little silly to me. I'd much rather start teaching readin', writin'
and 'rithmetic than all the touchy feely stuff, learn through play
crap they do now. Socialization my butt. Sit down, shut up and
learn. :)

Take care.

Tom

"The beatings will stop when morale improves."
E. Teach, 1717