A letter to the editor in today's daily newspaper just
leapt off the page at me because it was
another case of having a conclusion in mind and making all sorts of groundless
statements in support of the predetermined thesis. We seem to get a lot of this
these days, in all media, not just here in The Villages. we hear that certain segments of the populace
oppose HPV vaccinations for younger girls, because apparently it would
"encourage pre-marital sex," (like it needs encouragement!) One is left with the conclusion that some
parents would rather see their daughters ill, than take the chance. The same is
ascribed to the "morning after" pill; which does not induce abortion,
but "who knows what kids will do if it's available?"
Today's leap of illogic was a
letter that blames every ill of society (violence, murder, lawlessness) on the
Supreme Court "removing God from our schools." This is ridiculous for a host of reasons which
I shall attempt to state sensibly.
First, if "God"
is anywhere close to the standard model
espoused by most mainstream Christian sects, the Supreme Court would be hard pressed to
"remove Him" from anyplace he chose to be. The two principal USSC
decisions regarding religion and public schools, Engel v Vitale and Abingdon Township
v Schempp, related to public prayer, and the general
premise was that even if the majority of the students agree, it still has the
effect of establishing religion to the minority who are in the classroom,
assembly, etc. (see the "Lemon Test") What would be the reaction in most districts
if Suras from the Kuran were posted on classroom walls or selections from the Bhagavad
Gita read in class? In California, there was parental unrest because in one
public school, meditation was taught as a way to relieve stress. Even though
meditation is not per se a religious exercise and was probably beneficial, due
to ignorance it was out. If parents wish
to have their children bring God to school, then let them do so. If they would
have their children pray, then let them do so. Public ostentatious prayer (the kind radical evangelicals. et al. want in
schools ) is exactly what Jesus inveighed against when he chastised the
Pharisees for their religiosity, as opposed to their religion.
Second,
blaming lack of school prayer for societal ills reflects a monumental ignorance regarding History,
Sociology, and Technology. Let's begin with history. Mass murder isn't new, and
as horrific as recent events of the past year seem, none of these were products
of the school. Loughner, Holmes, Seung-Hui Cho, all were emotionally disturbed
adults. Adam Lanza was not a student in any school, but like the rest was
emotionally disturbed. But, the writer says , all this is a new high in violence.
Really? On July 26, 1764, a teacher and
10 students were shot dead by four Lenape American Indians in Greencastle,
Penn., in what is considered the earliest known U.S. mass school shooting .
Herman
Webster Mudgett, alias Dr. Henry
Howard Holmes, was one of the first documented American serial killers in the
modern sense of the term. In Chicago at the time of the 1893 World's Fair, Holmes
opened a hotel which he had designed and built for himself specifically with
murder in mind, and which was the location of many of his murders. While he
confessed to 27 murders, his actual body
count was probably over 200. As a child
his mother, a devout Methodist, read the
Bible to him every day, and I am sure prayer and Bible reading were a part of
every school day as well. You can learn
more about the good doctor in "The Devil in The White City." Howard
Barton Unruh was another American mass murderer who killed 13 people
(including three children) on September 6, 1949, in Camden, New Jersey. The
schools still had prayers and Bible reading then, too. Charles Starkweather was an American teenager
who murdered eleven people, all but one
during a two-month road trip with his 14-year-old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate,
in Nebraska and Wyoming. Prayer and Bible reading were still in schools then,
too.
Ok, so why so
much more in the news these days? You just answered it - The News. Few outside
of Chicago ever heard of Dr, Holmes, but
imagine if he committed the same crimes today! First, Forensics would probably
have caught him much sooner, and TV and Internet sources would alert the entire nation in 5 minutes. We hear more, we see more and in is almost
impossible not to be exposed to it. Evil has always been around, and
emotionally ill persons have always done heinous things, but what was local or
regional is now international. The Norwegian Police arrested Anders Behring
Breivik, a then 32-year-old Norwegian right-wing extremist, in late July, 2011 ]
and charged him with the shooting deaths of 69 youths. Breivik admitted to having
carried out the actions he was accused of and claimed the defence of necessity (jus
necessitatis) He described himself as a "Cultural Christian."
Americans followed this story from the onset.
In many ways
this is the same pattern as child abuse, in that there is now no doubt that
child abuse in the past was a well established pattern in entire families and
cultures, but few spoke of it because of social pressures. Has child abuse
increased due to "removing God from schools?" - assuredly not, since
teachers and other adults are more vigilant than in the past. Do we hear of
"more" child abuse? Probably, due to media, but the actual incidence is down
markedly. Today sex offenders are prosecuted and identified, not so 40 years ago,
they lived and predated in the same neighborhoods for decades.
So, if the
theory holds that a secular society is far worse than a religious one, there
should be plenty of historical and present day examples to prove it, no? NO!
Let's start from an historical perspective. A prime example of a religious
society is 10th and 11th century Western
Europe. Religion was the focus of life throughout the region. What did this
produce? 200,000 deaths in the Crusades, a conservative estimate, to be sure,
but no need to inflate numbers. The Spanish Inquisition killed close to 5,000
individuals. Their crimes? being Jews or Muslims. Of course during the period
all learning was firmly in the hands of the Church. Once the Spanish
rediscovered the "new" World, they showed the same compassion for the
Indians that they showed Jews at home. Spanish commanders read a document known
as the Requerimiento to native American populations, in Spanish of course,
which required them to convert and acknowledge the Pope as supreme, and Ferdinand
and Isabella and their heirs as their sovereigns. This was sometimes read
aboard ship, as a formality and of course no Indian heard it. If Indians were
foolish enough to believe that their own customs traditions and religions were
fine the results are described here "But, if you do not do this, and
maliciously make delay in it, I certify to you that, with the help of God, we
shall powerfully enter into your country, and shall make war against you in all
ways and manners that we can, and shall subject you to the yoke and obedience
of the Church and of their Highnesses; we shall take you and your wives and
your children, and shall make slaves of them, and as such shall sell and
dispose of them as their Highnesses may command; and we shall take away your
goods, and shall do you all the mischief and damage that we can, as to vassals
who do not obey, and refuse to receive their lord, and resist and contradict
him; and we protest that the deaths and losses which shall accrue from this are
your fault, and not that of their Highnesses, or ours, nor of these cavaliers
who come with us." (And our God Loves You!!) Nice,
huh? But, you say that was long ago, we
Americans aren't like that! Wanna bet?
Setting out
from Fort Lyon, Colonel John Chivington
(a Methodist preacher and freemason ) and his 700 troops of the First
Colorado Cavalry, Third Colorado Cavalry and a company of First New Mexico
Volunteers marched to Black Kettle's campsite along the Washita River. Black
Kettle was a southern Cheyenne Chief who flew an American flag over his tent
and was abiding by reservation boundaries, while some younger males had infrequently raided neighboring
white ranches taking cattle for food. The night of November 28, soldiers and militia
drank heavily and celebrated their anticipated victory. On the morning of November 29, 1864,
Chivington ordered his troops to attack, sparing no one. Two officers, refused to follow Chivington's order and told
their men to hold fire. Other soldiers in Chivington's force, however,
immediately attacked the village. Disregarding the American flag, and a white
flag that was run up shortly after the soldiers commenced firing, Chivington's
soldiers massacred many of its inhabitants. An eyewitness description says it
all: "I saw the bodies of those lying there cut all to pieces, worse
mutilated than any I ever saw before; the women cut all to pieces ... With
knives; scalped; their brains knocked out; children two or three months old;
all ages lying there, from sucking infants up to warriors ... By whom were they
mutilated? By the United States troops.". Yes, under the command of a Christian minister!
Here's an excerpt
from an "Oath of Allegiance": "I
swear that I will most zealously and valiantly shield and preserve by any and
all justifiable means and methods the sacred constitutional rights and
privileges of free public schools, free speech, free press, separation of
church and state, liberty, white supremacy, just laws and the pursuit of
happiness" This was an oath
administered by several KKK branches in the 20th century in America, of course,
their "Christian" (Protestant, of course) ethic did not support any
of these lofty ideals for Jews, Roman Catholics, or persons of color. Again, the Bible and prayer were still firmly
ensconce nationwide. It is estimated that these fine Christian folk, all
charged up with their daily dose of the scripture and prayer, lynched 3,446 blacks and 1,297 whites in the name of
God and country. These numbers do not
include more recent murders, maiming, and beatings of blacks and whites during the
Civil right movement. Where were southern Christians? (I mean , they had Bible
reading and prayer in schools everyday) Well, in Birmingham, Alabama, they probably attended churches pastored by the white ministers who chastised and chided Dr.
King for "stirring up trouble."
In
conclusion, it makes little sense to tie violence on today's society with
advocating Christianity in schools, since Christians and/or followers of the Christian
faith have so frequently been the cause of such violence. If one actually wishes to live in a country
where one religion dominates daily life
and prayer is mandatory in schools and students pray every day, here's an idea. Move to Iran,
Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia. If Islam ain't your thing, move to India, where
the wrong move by a woman can get her gang raped and the rapists get a pass. If
that won't work, go to Ireland, but don't get pregnant and have septic
complications, because the vestiges of Roman Catholic fundamentalism still
exist in their arcane approach to abortion for any cause. Move to El Salvador,
whose laws on abortion are worse than Ireland. Most of the most brutal regimes in the world have been
those established and governed by religious fundamentalism. Most of the really
hideous atrocities of war have their roots in religion, and the list is long.
Muslim/Hindu, Muslim/Christian, Christian Germany/European Jews, Serb/Bosnian (
Orthodox/Muslim) , Turks/Armenians, England/Ireland, which just skims the surface.
Blaming today's
violence for the lack of school prayer shows a total lack of common sense and
critical thinking skills. There is no statistical linkage, and upon inspection
it becomes obvious that the discontent really is the offence taken by those who
have the supreme arrogance of the true believer, i.e. "I'm right and everyone
who disagrees with me is wrong." I'm a believer in the John Lennon school
of philosophy: "Whatever gets you through the Night" but I place the
accent on the "You." If it works for you, I'm happy for you, but
don't ritually slaughter my
chickens a la Santeria or make me or mine mindlessly recite your rote
memorized prayer in school.
