March 8, 1948 will go down in history as a turning point toward removing God from the life of young people in our nation. Here is the fact of the matter:
On this date in 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that religious instruction in public schools was unconstitutional.
I am going to be bold and stand up and share my personal belief that on this day in 1948, the U.S. arrogantly invited the shadows of the darkness of sin to openly begin to creep into the fabric of our society. With no moral boundaries, a nation will decline and fall from within.
I am deeply troubled and have a righteous anger whelming up within my heart of how destructive the enemy’s seemingly insignificant influences upon the hearts of men and women continues to lead our nation down a path that has divided our nation, turned brother against brother and almost stapled the mouths of Christians to the point of embarrassment to even mention the name of Jesus to family members, friends, co-workers and humanity at large.
I will argue the 1948 decision was effectively the first step leading to the removal of the Ten Commandments from the life of our youth and further rulings have removed even the posting of the Ten Commandments within schools and other public venues.
In 1962, the US Supreme Court removed prayer from our public schools, if lead by adults or in the context of a required class. In 1963, Bibles were removed. In 1980, the US Supreme Court said the Ten Commandments had to be removed from our public schools.
What is appalling is that a significant number of the Christians in the U.S. today do not speak about or teach their children the Ten Commandments; even fewer require their children to memorize the Ten Commandments. The 1948 U.S. Supreme Court decision has significantly impacted this nation and derailed many lives. It has slowly drifted down from the highest court in the nation to the courtroom of our hearts.
It has taken decades, but we are reaping the consequences of this sad decision in the history of this country which at one time was known as a nation with Judeo-Christian principles deeply planted into the moral foundation of our society. We are no longer a Christian nation; we are approaching the threshold of becoming a nation without a conscience. Pride, arrogance and covetousness flow like rivers across our nation and continue to erode the foundations established by our forefathers. Sin is openly practiced and rarely rebuked.
We Must Prepare Our Youth
Below are the facts about teaching about religion in the classroom. Public school districts have adopted the policy and practice of not allowing the teaching of Christianity in the classroom because of fear of civil action against the school district. Religions may be mentioned, but the differing distinctive demarcation of Christianity is Jesus Christ is mitigated. As we know, assaults against Christianity continue and the demand of one person can lead to a court decision requiring the removal of Christian symbols including the Ten Commandments in public buildings.
On June, 17, 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for public schools to mandate religious activities. In that case – School District of Abington Township v. Schempp – the activity at issue was reading the Bible. The ruling goes for all religions.
In the opinion, Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark wrote that the subject of religion could still be taught in schools. He wrote: “It might well be said that one’s education is not complete without a study of comparative religion or the history of religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization. It certainly may be said that the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities. Nothing we have said here indicates that such study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education, may not be affected consistently with the First Amendment.”
No Supreme Court ruling has ever totally banned prayer or the Bible from public schools. As legal guidelines issued in both the Clinton and Bush administrations make clear, students have a First Amendment right to pray alone or in groups, bring their scriptures to school, share their beliefs with classmates, form religious clubs in secondary schools and in other ways express their faith during the school day – as long as they don’t disrupt the school or interfere with the rights of others.
That last sentence is the snake of the devil dangling in the face of our youth: “as long as you do not interfere with the rights of others.” Everywhere we turn today, someone is shouting their rights are being violated. Gender identity has made mockery of common sense. Use of public restrooms by the foolish idea of which sex I identify with in my mind determines my choice, not male or female anatomy, is laughable.
It takes a strong constitution and a stiff spine to stand up and speak up for adults. We are often silent when we should be sharing Jesus with others or confronting sin. Our youth are not prepared nor are they being prepared with a strong foundation of faith to stand up for their God given rights and protection under the laws of this nation.
If you go to the internet and search for the top 50 or 100 books every child should read, the Bible will be not be on most published lists. The Book of Truth is not worthy of mention in the notable publications for the training of a young mind. This is why many of humanity in the world are lost and have no knowledge of God; unfortunately, many Christians have a Bible within their home but the pages contained therein are rarely read or used as moral instruction in the training of their own children. If you are a parent and reading this and have not been giving daily biblical instructions to your children, I encourage you to run and not walk to pick up the Bible and begin to train your child or children that it is the most important book in the world – it is invaluable and the words on its pages will determine their destiny.
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