A Case for Separation of Church & State

A Christian rethinks religion’s presence in public schools

I have many fond memories of growing up in the 60’s and 70’s.  Like most people, we tend

Me at a very awkward 11 or 12

to romanticize our childhood memories as being a more simple way of living. 

It was a time where lines were blurred when it came to religion’s presence in education.  Having been raised Southern Baptist in the upper part of the Bible Belt, it was a normal part of everyday life to pray in school, sing of Baby Jesus in the Christmas Pageant sponsored by the school, and to celebrate Easter by coloring Biblical scenes that would adorn our hallways and classrooms. 

The public school I attended for elementary and junior high was predominantly Catholic.  On days like Ash Wednesday, most of the student body and teachers attended mass, while I and a few of my fellow protestant classmates remained in study hall.  When the local mass ended, attendees returned with their foreheads marked with the symbolic charcoal colored cross.  Then classes resumed, and classroom life returned to normal.

It never occurred to me that religion had the potential to divide and condemn, until the day it did just that to me.  It was during science class with one of my favorite teachers, meaning she was my educational rock star.  Her opinion mattered, as well as her praise, and she would prove to be pivotal in the discussion that arose between me and some fellow classmates.  While I do not recall the circumstances which led to our discussing baptism, I do recall stating, rather nonchalantly, that I had not been baptized.  The manner in which I had delivered this news to my classmates did not match their reaction.  In fact, to call it a tizzy would be putting it mildly.

It was quickly, and unanimously, declared that the fate of my soul was in jeopardy, and I had somehow missed out on some serious chances that were reserved only for those who had been baptized as infants.   The exact words used escapes me, as I was 11 or 12 when this occurred, but I do recall something about limbo, and it sounded like not a very cool place. 

Well, I come from a long line of Southern Baptists who also hold strong opinions about religion, baptism, and salvation.  In other words, I did not take this condemnation on my soul lying down, and I challenged their assertion that something was wrong with my understanding of how heaven works.

That, of course, led to a group of us marching up to our teacher’s desk, where we hoped this matter would be settled once and for all.  It speaks highly of a teacher who is held in such regard that students intuitively understand that his or her insight can settle a dispute among students, and I am blessed to have had many such teachers in my educational history.  Unfortunately for me on this one occasion, this teacher let me down by agreeing with my classmates that I was sadly mistaken, and I should have been baptized as an infant.

In my 11 or 12 year old brain, thoughts of hell, darkness and isolation quickly flooded me with fear and regret for having the unfortunate lot in life of being born into a Southern Baptist family.  After days of pondering my fate, however, I used my gift of questioning everything and took my new insight into the dividing lines of religion to my grandmother, who assured me my soul was safe and my season to be baptized would soon be upon me (that’s a story for another blog post).

That experience taught me at a formative age that some things should not be discussed in the classroom. Because I adored my fellow classmates but did not agree with their theology, I learned to avoid conversations about religion for the greater good of our social community and education.  They, in turn, did the same, and I certainly never recall a time where I was made to feel inferior because of that one incident in the classroom.

However, in that one instance, a young, impressionable girl’s eyes were opened to how religion can be used to judge, condemn and divide believers.  It didn’t feel good, and had I not had the religious support in my own family, it could have changed the educational landscape for me at a time when I needed my educators to be a positive role model for all the changes going on in my young life.

Of course, my experience can be dismissed as one teacher’s mistake, and I would agree.  But who among us is qualified to decide what theology is used, how teachers are educated, and what liberty teachers have to discuss their own beliefs?  The truth of the matter is that any religious teachings in a public school will lead to the exclusion of someone’s beliefs.

If our children are missing opportunities to learn about God and how religion can be a positive attribute to mold and shape young minds, it is because we as parents and grandparents are failing at our job to educate, inspire and love the children God has entrusted in our care. 

No child should experience the condemnation I felt that day, and every child, regardless of faith origin, should feel welcomed into the public educational system.  Christian educators, as well as others from different faiths, can positively impact these students and plant seeds of love, tolerance, a sense of community and compassion that will do much more for religion than forcing one ideology when, in my opinion, not one comes close to holding the complete truth of God.

I will continue to support separation of church and state.

#Religion #God #Seeking