LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Leave the voice who would take God’s blessing away out in the cold
Humility. Courage. Even faith. What if students never listened to the teachers? What if teachers never listened to principals, or principals to superintendents? What if no one ever held themselves accountable to greater oversight? President Lincoln once said, “It is the duty of nations as well as men to owe their dependence on the overruling power of God.” One only needs to look at industry and governments to see what happens when people think in pride and fear that they are self-sufficient. Praise God for a school district that, in its tradition, starts out its meeting with a simple, short and profound prayer. When you recognize God, you also recognize you are not God. Such a prayer invites help and humility as does the money the district uses to purchase books — money inked with the words “In God We Trust” — Money that comes from government — money that came all the way from Congress which begins its sessions with prayer. And the school policies and programs are supported by the executive branch which starts its tenure with a hand on the Bible and a hearty “so help me God”. This all is done in a country that pulled itself away from Britain with a declaration declaring that we are all created equal — this idea presupposing a Divine Creator.
The Bible states that the fool says in his heart that there is no God. We historically have not been a nation of fools: on the contrary, this nation’s been blessed from its very inception because we did not bow to tyrants or threats, but instead entrusted ourselves to God. Presidents have called for prayer and fasting in times of struggle. With violence, broken families and abuse of all sorts plaguing so many a campus, is it not also time to firm our resolve in asking for help and in reminding both teacher and student of humble accountability before the Divine?
It’s interesting that the persons can walk around like terrorists (with only anonymous support) threatening trouble if they don’t eventually get God out of every corner. They cry about “separation of church and state” even though those words never appear in the Constitution. The establishment clause is used as a club even though its purpose was to protect against “a government denomination” and not to eradicate Christian prayers and presence. Otherwise the free exercise of religion would be hindered and eventually forced from every venue and there would be no National Day of Prayer. If any purveyors of spiritual poverty are bowed to, it means we have forgotten who we are and caved to the pressure of angry men who seem to have a grudge against our good God.
One wonders why he didn’t also complain that the school mascot is an evil spiritual being also mentioned in the Bible as an albeit very much weaker personage. I never liked the mascot but it seems people have upheld it on the ground of tradition. I just think, well, at least it’s a “blue” devil and figure he’s “blue” because he knows his time is short or because he’s been left out in the cold. I pray our school district leaves out in the cold, not God Almighty, but any voice that would take our Heavenly Father God’s blessing away. We have a decent school. Hang on to it for dear life. Let us raise and buttress those pillars to excellence by making sure we keep their foundation solid. “Fear of man can be a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”
In prayer for all,
Pastor Stacy Crawford
First UMC, Greencastle