Dad was never afraid to take on controversial issues. I remember hearing him talk about politics and religion with friends, always playing ‘devil’s advocate’ and taking on the minority or oppressed person’s cause, sometimes just to see the reactions he could stir up. Dad, sometimes. would ask friends to email him their thoughts on subjects to be used as comments and concepts for his stories. I believe this story was one of those. Always the reporter, dad wanted to have different viewpoints to highlight his stories. Dad showed wonderful restraint in keeping his own viewpoints out of the story for the most part. Occasionally, you can guess dad’s viewpoint being stressed in a story but, for the most part, like in many written and spoken news and stories, a person can read and interpret the words anyway they want. It’s kind of funny how people can do that no matter how clearly or carefully a writer crafts his words.
I hope you enjoy this latest installment in the serialized “It’s a Wonderful World”,
David T
Religion Issues Boil
From “It’s A Wonderful World; A Retired Reporter Looks At Life”
By Don Tschirhart
“Can you imagine the NEA (National Education Association) telling the (U.S.) Supreme Court it favored “under God” be included in the Pledge of Allegiance?”
We were walking around the track at the Lapeer Recreation Center when Ron, a retired teacher friend, spoke up.
“I don’t mind ‘under God’ in the pledge, but I don’t want the NEA speaking for me on the issue.”
I’ve talked with many people about the “under God” phrase and public school prayer in general.
The issues of religion or lack of religion, faith and lack of faith, have become hot-button topics in the last year or so. This is true in Lapeer, where more people than not believe in God, but say they don’t attend church. This is probably true all over the country.
There are several reasons why religion/atheism has become the topic of every day conversation among friends and relatives recently.
First, the terror attack by Islāmic fundamentalists on the World Trade Center and Pentagon buildings made Americans understand they are as vulnerable at home as the people in Israel. They think about the people on the 90th floor of Tower 1 laughing one moment around the office coffee pot and the next moment being engulfed in flames.
Second, Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts and terrorist attacks in Israel, while undeclared wars, touch again on religion. At times like these many people become radicals, either extremely in favor or against with little in between.
Third, the controversial marriages of homosexual couples has brought to the fore the problem of American heterosexual marriages. More than 50 percent end in divorce. Over 70 percent who live together before getting married get divorced within 10 years.
Fourth, there is no question that the movie, Passion of Jesus Christ, has many people talking about religion. People have said it has reinforced their faith or it has given them a swift kick in the pants. The problem with sudden conversion based on a one-night stand usually is that the story is forgotten as time goes on. Any news person will tell you that old news makes way for new news. In a year or two the “Passion” will be among the almost forgotten other religion movies gathering dust on a shelf.
Getting back to the pledge and the words “under God,” I have received many emails from friends and relatives — most of them forwarded from others — campaigning for the “God” word and for a constitutional amendment allowing public school prayer.
Many messages have said, “This is a Christian country,” or “the majority want school prayer.”
Answering the first is obvious. Any historian and lawyer will tell you this is not a Christian country. Just because most of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were Christians does not make this a Christian nation.
As for the second, where in the Constitution does it say that minority people including religions do not have American rights?
Some years ago Madelyn Murray O’Hair’s demand to stop prayer in public school was affirmed by the Supreme Court setting off a fire storm of protest that has continued to this day.
Demagogues in Congress and state legislatures play to their constituents’ votes by demanding school prayer knowing full well they cannot make a change in that decision
Lay people have heated discussions. Ministers of many faiths, especially fundamentalists, whip up the issue to gain new members among unthinking people.
I would like all those people who want prayer in public schools to answer one question:
Would a general national law allowing prayer in public schools permit Hare Krishna’s to dance, jingle their bells and sing in the hallways? How about Buddhists’ rights to light candles in front of a Buddha statue or Muslims to kneel, face east and pray five times a day as the Koran demands?
My feeling is that school should start each morning with the Pledge followed by a minute of silent reflection.
Then I received an email that showed imaginative Americans can usually find their way around the law.
The message said, high school graduates were told there would be no prayer at their formal graduation.
The valedictorian finished his talk and then sneezed loudly into the mike. The audience in unison declared loudly, “God bless.”
My delightful mom always said, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Mom was usually right. * * *
