Public Schools?

"To be silent about religion and the contributions of God-centered religious thought to the growth and development of our nation may be, in effect, to make the public schools an anti-religious factor in the community.
Silence creates the impression in the minds of the young that religion is unimportant and has nothing to contribute to the solution of the perennial and ultimate problems of human life. The negative consequences are all the more important when society is asking the public schools to assume more and more responsibility for dealing with the culktural problems of growth and development."
".......The school must never supplant the church and the home in their responsibility of teaching children to "believe". The school can, however, reinforce the church and the home by cultivating in the children an appreciation and understanding of the moral and spiritual foundations which undergird our American Way of Life."

The aforementioned words were written by Mr. Thomas D. Bailey, Superintendent of Public instruction for the State of Florida in 1962. These words compiled the Foreword for the State Teachers Guide titled "Teaching Moral and Spiritual Values in Florida Schools".

It is incredibly sad to see how far our Public Education System has moved away from this once promoted standard. Today prayers are forbidden in the classroom and before events. Valedectorians are being reprimanded for using their faith in their remarks at graduation ceremonies. Schools have been sued over displaying a cross, utilizing scripture in the classroom, having local preachers lead the football team in prayer, etc...

In 1953 The Miami Senior High School students produced a play titled "This is America". They began their play by quoting Genesis 1-3. The narration continued with: "God created man in His own image..." Today Miami-Dade schools proclaim life began with a "big bang". The days of the routine quoting of scripture and God created man narrations in public school plays may be gone, but it should never be gone from the christians routine.

The Public School model is bankrupt and backwards. They have forgotten the History of our great Nation and the God who was such an integral part of that History. May we as Christians "shout it from the housetops" may we never grow complacent and silent.We must strive to be "blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke,in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world." (Phil. 2:15)

"Righteousness exalteth a nation but sin is a reproach to any people" Pr. 14:34
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord....." Ps. 33:12