In response to “America was founded on religion and the Bible” (Jan. 15 Times-News):
Norm Fitzgerald has, I believe, a valid point in his statement, “It’s said we are what we eat, same goes for watching violence on TV and movies. Our young people are conditioned to violence.”
However, I do not agree with his statement that we (America) took Jesus out of everything. According to a National Public Radio report I heard a couple of days ago.
America is still a religious nation, more so than other free societies.
True, we do not allow government institutions to teach religion. But the last I looked, parents and churches are free to teach religion according to their beliefs.
And of course, private religious schools are quite free to teach religion, so if that is what a parent wants from a school, send your children there.
The failure is not, as Mr. Fitzgerald would have us believe, the removal of prayer from our public schools and other public venues but rather the failure of parents and religious institutions to teach and instill a moral foundation in our children.
I do agree with what Proverbs says, “Train us a child in the ways he should go, and when he’s older, he will not depart from it.” I would have no problem with schools teaching basic morality but to wrap it in religion, any religion, I cannot support.
Mr. Fitzgerald specifically mentions the 10 Commandments. A few of these would certainly be incorporated into the teaching of morality: You shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not lie (good luck with that one), you shall not covet.
Mr. Fitzgerald, how would you feel if the schools were teaching Islam or some other religion than the Christian religion?
There is a good reason why church and state are separate. Remove that wall and it is certain that a strong leader will push their religion (or even one they create) upon us all.
Is that what you want? I certainly do not!
Rodney Horning
Cumberland
Opinion
Failure lies in the lack of teaching moral foundation
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‘Forgotten warrior’ not forgotten
