One historian starts his course on the history of freedom with the battle of Marathon in 409 BC. I think it began with the Exodus from Egypt. Or perhaps it was when Moses picked up his pen and began to write Genesis.
That was the beginning of American freedom if we believe the words of the Declaration of Independence – “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…”
In between was the most important event of all. It is agreed by almost all Bible scholars – liberal as well as conservative – that Paul is restating an early creed that can be dated to within months of the Resurrection of Christ itself.“
1Co 15:3-7: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
Lawyers and judges have argued for the historical reliability of the Resurrection. Here is an excerpt from Sir Lionel Luckhoo:
“I have spent more than forty-two years as a defence trial lawyer appearing in many parts of the world and am still in active practice. I have been fortunate to secure a number of successes in jury trials and I say unequivocally the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves absolutely not room for doubt..”
To me, nothing speaks of the worth and dignity of persons more than that God Himself in the person of Christ should die for us.
I think I know the day American freedom died too.
It was the day the Supreme Court passed Roe v. Wade and thus negated the Judeo-Christian tradition as the underpinning for law and government. On that day, the basis of law and government shifted from the only thing that could give it a sure footing to the shifting sands of atheistic humanism.
These two belief systems are irreconcilable. Eventually, America must choose one or the other. There cannot be two bases for law and government. The schools cannot teach two radically different philosophical assumptions at the same time.
The idea of religiously neutral schools has become a myth. That idea worked when there was a consensus that the Bible is true but that no one denomination should enjoy governmental support over the others.
It cannot work when there are two opposing sets of basic philosophic/theological assumptions.
In his wall of separation letter, Jefferson taught that the legitimate actions of government extend to acts only, not to thought. That one idea cannot be honored if there are two irreconcilable competing systems of thought.
Make no mistake. The educational establishment has made its choice.
As Dean Gotcher, a Christian expert in education and psychology, states, “Children are being indoctrinated with secular [humanistic and socialist] values in the public schools.”
This was to be expected if humanists were taken at their word.
“While this age does owe a vast debt to the traditional religions, it is nonetheless obvious that any religion that can hope to be a synthesizing and dynamic force for today must be shaped for the needs of this age. Establishing such a religion is a major necessity of the present. It is a responsibility which rests upon this generation.”
That this has gone on in the schools for decades is, of course, a violation of the founding principle of nonestablishment. The Supreme Court has paid lip service to the idea that an establishment of secularism would be a violation of First Amendment principles. But it has been done and is being done.
Now Bible-believing Christians need to follow in the wake of other people who have felt the need to create their educational venues. Who felt the need to control the content of the curriculum that determines the lens through which their children learn to understand the events and issues of the world they live in.
Where does this leave parents who believe the eyewitness testimony that constitutes our faith? There are a few options they can choose from but they are discussed here at Public School Exit.com.
Lawrence Andrade
Hollis NH 03049
