NEW YORK City Mayoral Candidate Michael Bloomberg (R) has joined the ranks of those who want to put religion in public schools. Last week he came out in full support of posting the Ten Commandments in schools, and declared that organized prayer in public schools is "an excellent idea."
There are enough ultra-liberal nutcases complaining that we need that pesky "separation of church and state." Mandating prayer and posting the Ten Commandments undoubtedly will solve all the problems we now face in public schools, by "instilling" values in our children.
Here's the fable of Nicewell High, an inner-city school that implemented school prayer and posted the Ten Commandments a year ago. While none of this is true or documented, conservatives would like you to believe that this is what happens when you mandate prayer and post the Ten Commandments in schools.
Before these steps were taken at Nicewell, the school was victim to drug dealers, gangs and apathetic teachers who left our children in an academic rut. It looked hopeless for Nicewell High.
But then some thoughtful legislators realized there was a fix to all of these problems. They placed prayer and the Ten Commandments in the school, and thus solved all of Nicewell's problems.
Teachers suddenly regained their passion for teaching! The children immediately stopped horsing around and starting learning! And suddenly a huge breeze filled the school as the gangs and the drugs and the weapons quickly were swept out.
Bobby McPleasant points to the Ten Commandments as the source of his salvation. "I had no idea that moral rules like 'Thou shalt not kill' even existed until those wonderful conservatives showed up," said the 18 year-old, who is on probation for shooting a police officer. "Thank goodness someone had the common sense to tell me how to behave."
But others disagree. Barbara DeWonderful claims that she was saved by the moment of prayer. "I was just sitting at my desk, praying, when all of a sudden God came to me and said, 'You need to stop having sex with dozens and dozens of older men.' I immediately saw the folly of my ways," said the 16-year old. "Now instead of prostituting myself, I volunteer at a retirement home and a homeless shelter."
But students don't need to use the moment of silence for prayer, either. "In my moment of silence, I like to think about how much I love doing good deeds," said 17 year-old Jason Goodhappy, who just two years ago was a gang leader and heroin pusher.
Religious conservatives would like to have you think this is what happens. "Instill morals in our children!" is a common rallying cry for instituting these measures. Instead of debating meaningful education reform or finding real solutions for failing schools, they want to blur the line between church and state to advance their political agenda.
Christian advocates of school prayer and posting the Ten Commandments are quick to claim that they are being discriminated against. Rep. Ernest Istook (R-OK) claims, "Under the pretense of promoting tolerance, religious expression is being singled out for censorship."
What about the atheist girl who doesn't pray? What about the Muslim boy who is mocked because of the different way that he prays? In fact, in the Bible, (Matthew 6:5-6), Jesus himself says that one should pray in private. What about Christians who don't feel comfortable praying in public?
There's nothing wrong with just having a moment of silence in schools. But religious conservatives always want to stick in religious undertones to get their message across. Last year, they stuck the word "prayer" in a law that mandates a moment of silence in Virginia schools.
The proposal to place the Ten Commandments in schools is flawed as well. Bloomberg argues, "I don't see how you can study history without reading the Ten Commandments."
But studying the Ten Commandments and preaching them are two different things. Using religion as a way to implant values in children, no matter how noble it may seem, is just plain unconstitutional.
Also, Jews, Catholics, and Protestants all use different versions of the Ten Commandments, not only in wordage but also in structure. The Protestants' first two commandments are just one for the Jews. Catholics split up the Protestants' last commandment into two.
So which version should we use? The confusion surrounding that will create divisions, rather than promote understanding and tolerance of all religions.
The proposals for mandating prayer in schools and posting the Ten Commandments are ludicrous. Religious conservatives aren't trying to improve schools or protect their religious freedoms. They're simply trying to force their morals and beliefs into public schools.
(Brian Cook is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. He can be reached at bcook@cavalierdaily.com.)
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