Sunday, March 18, 2012 "Read the Bible at School?"

Sunday, March 18, 2012

"Read the Bible at School?"

First From Julie's Keyboard:

It’s Spring Again…

How refreshing to once again enjoy the beauty that comes with the Spring Season! Even with the all the concerns of such an early entry this year, surely no one is unhappy at its arrival.

With every Spring time, I’m reminded of the New Life we’ve received through Christ. All of the colors of green about us, remind us of the new life that only He, could make available to us. The miracle of old things passing away and all things becoming new, is indeed, priceless.

How thankful we must be day by day for the provision of life in Christ. Just as it is inevitable that all mankind must die, it’s just as true that every man that will receive the gift of salvation through Christ will live eternally.

What a price He paid, bearing the sin, death, sickness, and the ugly of the whole world in our place. Yes, He paid the great price. How well do we value this precious gift today? New life has been granted to us simply for the receiving of His gift. Shouldn’t the way we carry this gift exemplify our great gratitude?

Maybe, my friend, you have not received this New Life gift of which we speak. If not, it’s available for the asking. Call upon Him today. He’s ready and waiting. But, one day, it will be to late for this New Life. Spring will then be past and offered no more. Do you know Him today?

Someone said, “The Springtime of our lives decide what we’ll become.” He came to give us abundant life. Surely, we wouldn’t want to miss out on this.

Scripture References:

I Corinthians 15:22 “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Have a blessed week,

Julie
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"Read the Bible at School?"

We here in America have of lately been told that it is unconstitutional for us as public teachers and students to read our Bibles or pray at School.  I can only imagine what would be said if we were to ask for the Bible to be consider a school book!  Recently I had the privilege of speaking with some of our Founders about this issue.  I'll let you in on the conversation below.

Mr. Rush Sir, could I trouble you just a moment? In our country now, our experts are telling us according to the Constitution and the phraseology of "Separation of Church State"; we cannot read our Bibles in our schools.  In a brief statement, what are your views concerning this?

"The great enemy of the salvation of man, in my opinion, never invented a more effectual means of extirpating Christianity from the world than by persuading mankind that it was improper to read the Bible at schools. " ~ Benjamin Rush, Signer of the Declaration: Rush, letters, Vol. I, p. 521, to Jeremy Belknap on July 13, 1789

"The Bible when not read in schools, is seldom read in any subsequent period of life. . . . It should be read in our schools in preference to all other books from its containing the greatest portion of that kind of knowledge which is calculated to produce private and public temporal happiness." ~ Benjamin Rush, Signer of the Declaration: Essays, pp. 94, 100, "A Defence of the Use of the Bible as a School Book."

Thank you Mr. Rush for you time, I can take that according to your understanding, by not reading our Bibles we are denying our children the great tool of knowledge that will provide them with private and public happiness.  Our children could become depressed with life, confused, and dissatisfied with their lives in general without it.

Excuse me Mr. Ames, I was just talking with Dr. Rush about the Bible in our schools, they have been removed in our time under Constitutional restraints.  I know since you authored the house language for the First Amendment of the Constitution, you would have a true understanding of its meaning.  So I will pose to you the question, "Should Bibles be allowed in our public schools?"

"Why should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school book? It's morals are pure, its examples captivating and noble.  The reverence for the Sacred Book that is thus early impressed last long; and probably if not impressed in infancy, never takes firm hold of the mind." ~ Fisher Ames, Author of the house language for the First Amendment. Works of Fisher Ames (Boston: T.B. Wait & Co., 1809), pp. 134-135.

Thank you so much for taking a moment to speak us Mr. Ames.  I understand now, without the Bible, our children will be denied a very great tool for establishing their morals early, the lack thereof could lead to a morality that is not so  pure as our children mature.

Excuse me Mr. Morris, if I could have be a moment of your time it would be very valuable to us.  I have just spoken to Dr. Rush and Mr. Ames, they both feel that the reading of the Bible in our schools is imperative to our happiness and to the moral structure of our children.  If you please, would you give us a quick statement as to you Constitutional views on the subject.  You being the Penman and a Signer of the Constitution, can truly give us true insight to its intent concerning this controversial issue that has arisen in our time.

"The reflection and experience of many years have led me to consider the holy writings no only as the most authentic and instructive in themselves, but as the clue to all other history.  They tell us what man is, and they alone tell us why he is what he is: a contradictory creature that seeing and approving of what is good, pursues and performs what is evil.  All of private and of public life is there displayed. . . . From the same pure fountain of wisdom we learn that vice destroys freedom; that arbitrary power is founded on public immorality." ~ Gouverneur Morris, Penman and Signer of the Constitution.  Collections of the New York Historical Society for the Year 1821 (New York: E. Bliss and E. White, 1821), p. 30, from "An Inaugural Discourse Delivered Before the New York Historical Society by the Honorable Gouverneur Morris on September 4, 1816."

Now I understand a very large majority today disagree with all the above statements, a large portion because they have been taught other views throughout the years.  It is not my objection that if we as a people want to disregard our foundation and through our religious heritage under the bus for what we deem a better and brighter way. 

But it is my objection that we do so all the while claiming the intent and purpose of those before us, who laid the foundation of the great nation we have but inherited.  To do so claiming their blessing and their Constitution as our support, does disgrace to their contribution and shreds and destroys the Constitution they gave us. 

If we want another America than the one they gave us, another Constitution with different views of freedom, then let us do so boldly on our own!  Let us do it in a manner that will lay the consequences solely at our feet, that world may know that the America that now is, is an America of our own making and not that of our Founders!

May God bless each of you,

David