God in Schools
This could be a whole series of posts and maybe it will be one day or a book or 25 volume set or something that would allow me all the room I need to rant, but for now I have a full time job that must at times take precedent over my desire to rant and rave.
So, I’m going to keep this short. Really. I mean it.
Several people recently directed me to a youtube clip that I have to comment on. I’m not going to direct you to the clip, because I found it offensive, but I’m sure you can find it easily enough if so inclined. It is a clip that describes the recent evil in America as “The day they kicked God out of Schools.
First, a disclaimer.
The friends who sent me this clip, did not find it offensive and in fact they found it informative, inspirational and just generally true. They are good well meaning people all and no less qualified to form reasonable opinions that I am to be sure. We just happen to disagree. This doesn’t mean I think they are fools or that they or anyone else should never send me youtube links or internet jokes or whatever. It just happens that this struck a nerve and like I said, we disagree. So I apologize if my sometimes harsh language is hurtful. That is not my intent.
The gist of the clip is that “we” as a society, have told God that we do not want Him in our schools. So, feeling uninvited, God was not in our schools to protect our kids in Columbine, Eugene, and the awful list of places where kids have been murdered while at school, including the recent murders at Virginia Tech. The clip, in my opinion, is a shameless attempt to exploit the suffering in Virginia to forward someone’s questionable agenda and mostly to claim a giant “I told you so” for Christians everywhere. It literally turned my stomach.
The clip starts by asking the rhetorical question to God: Where were you when our kids were killed in (fill in the schools)? Then it has God answering by saying something like, “you didn’t want me in your schools so I stayed away.” It is honestly difficult for me to conceive of a depiction of God that is more wrong or harmful than that one. Not only does it misrepresent everything the Bible teaches about God, but suggests that politicians have the ability to control God and His will and paints a horrible picture of God.
The clip goes on to say that the shootings are the result of a series of bad decisions including: “taking prayer out of schools” (one of the most nonsensical ideas ever expressed); stopping corporal punishment in schools; outlawing the reading of the Bible in schools; legalizing abortion; passing out condoms at schools; and there may have been a few others, but I don’t want to go back and watch it again.
I’m not going to address each of those things here, though as won’t surprise anyone who knows me, I happen to have opinions on all of them. Just the way I am I guess. But I wanted say just a word about this clip.
First, I think it is sickening when people exploit a tragedy like the one at Va Tech to push a political agenda, especially in the days following the tragedy. Sometimes, the political agenda is an actual solution to the problem or the problem demands immediate action which is political, but in general, I think it an amazingly insensitive approach. This clip had that feel to me.
Second, people can not take God out of schools. God is wherever He desires to be whether we desire it or not with the exception of our hearts where He anxiously awaits our invitation. You can’t stop a student from praying in school any more than you can stop them from daydreaming or thinking about basketball tryouts.
Third, our school children are not dying because their teacher won’t lead them in prayer or because our teen boys have free access to condoms. Our children are dying because there are people in this world who embrace evil or choose not to fight it or are mentally ill and untreated and unfortunately have access to firearms, automobiles, etc. those kids in Virginia and elsewhere were not being punished for their sins or the sins of school administrators. They were the tragic victims of the evil of their killers. We can save a discussion about how all evil is the consequence of sin in a global way, but let’s not try to pin some specific act on the global sin of mankind.
God is love. The God I know aches when evil takes the life of his Children or those who He seeks to adopt. He takes no smug pleasure in the consequences of sin and neither should we.
Personally, I would rather teach my kids about God than have them taught by a teacher I barely know and did not get to choose. I would rather read the Bible to my kids than have them reading it in English class (though as literature alone, I don’t know how you can leave it out). But maybe you believe our kids have lost their moral compass without their teachers praying with them. And I may disagree, but it seems that reasonable minds can differ on these points.
What prompts me to speak now is that it makes me ashamed when other Christians exploit tragedy to paint a picture of God as a cruel, sadistic overseer who gloats when our children are murdered. That is what this clip does whether or not its makers or senders intended or even realize it. And it paints Christians as merciless judges waiting for evil to strike so they can support their own branch of theology and public policy. That is not how I want to be or be known.
I know this isn’t exactly a thorough treatment of the subject with reference to Scripture and well reasoned arguments. Someday, perhaps I will get to that. But there are times when I feel compelled to speak up, like when I see or hear God being slandered like He was in this clip. I trust it wasn’t intentional, especially by those friends of mine who are very good people, but I still felt moved to speak…or write…
Sorry to get so heavy. A nerve was struck.
So, I’m going to keep this short. Really. I mean it.
Several people recently directed me to a youtube clip that I have to comment on. I’m not going to direct you to the clip, because I found it offensive, but I’m sure you can find it easily enough if so inclined. It is a clip that describes the recent evil in America as “The day they kicked God out of Schools.
First, a disclaimer.
The friends who sent me this clip, did not find it offensive and in fact they found it informative, inspirational and just generally true. They are good well meaning people all and no less qualified to form reasonable opinions that I am to be sure. We just happen to disagree. This doesn’t mean I think they are fools or that they or anyone else should never send me youtube links or internet jokes or whatever. It just happens that this struck a nerve and like I said, we disagree. So I apologize if my sometimes harsh language is hurtful. That is not my intent.
The gist of the clip is that “we” as a society, have told God that we do not want Him in our schools. So, feeling uninvited, God was not in our schools to protect our kids in Columbine, Eugene, and the awful list of places where kids have been murdered while at school, including the recent murders at Virginia Tech. The clip, in my opinion, is a shameless attempt to exploit the suffering in Virginia to forward someone’s questionable agenda and mostly to claim a giant “I told you so” for Christians everywhere. It literally turned my stomach.
The clip starts by asking the rhetorical question to God: Where were you when our kids were killed in (fill in the schools)? Then it has God answering by saying something like, “you didn’t want me in your schools so I stayed away.” It is honestly difficult for me to conceive of a depiction of God that is more wrong or harmful than that one. Not only does it misrepresent everything the Bible teaches about God, but suggests that politicians have the ability to control God and His will and paints a horrible picture of God.
The clip goes on to say that the shootings are the result of a series of bad decisions including: “taking prayer out of schools” (one of the most nonsensical ideas ever expressed); stopping corporal punishment in schools; outlawing the reading of the Bible in schools; legalizing abortion; passing out condoms at schools; and there may have been a few others, but I don’t want to go back and watch it again.
I’m not going to address each of those things here, though as won’t surprise anyone who knows me, I happen to have opinions on all of them. Just the way I am I guess. But I wanted say just a word about this clip.
First, I think it is sickening when people exploit a tragedy like the one at Va Tech to push a political agenda, especially in the days following the tragedy. Sometimes, the political agenda is an actual solution to the problem or the problem demands immediate action which is political, but in general, I think it an amazingly insensitive approach. This clip had that feel to me.
Second, people can not take God out of schools. God is wherever He desires to be whether we desire it or not with the exception of our hearts where He anxiously awaits our invitation. You can’t stop a student from praying in school any more than you can stop them from daydreaming or thinking about basketball tryouts.
Third, our school children are not dying because their teacher won’t lead them in prayer or because our teen boys have free access to condoms. Our children are dying because there are people in this world who embrace evil or choose not to fight it or are mentally ill and untreated and unfortunately have access to firearms, automobiles, etc. those kids in Virginia and elsewhere were not being punished for their sins or the sins of school administrators. They were the tragic victims of the evil of their killers. We can save a discussion about how all evil is the consequence of sin in a global way, but let’s not try to pin some specific act on the global sin of mankind.
God is love. The God I know aches when evil takes the life of his Children or those who He seeks to adopt. He takes no smug pleasure in the consequences of sin and neither should we.
Personally, I would rather teach my kids about God than have them taught by a teacher I barely know and did not get to choose. I would rather read the Bible to my kids than have them reading it in English class (though as literature alone, I don’t know how you can leave it out). But maybe you believe our kids have lost their moral compass without their teachers praying with them. And I may disagree, but it seems that reasonable minds can differ on these points.
What prompts me to speak now is that it makes me ashamed when other Christians exploit tragedy to paint a picture of God as a cruel, sadistic overseer who gloats when our children are murdered. That is what this clip does whether or not its makers or senders intended or even realize it. And it paints Christians as merciless judges waiting for evil to strike so they can support their own branch of theology and public policy. That is not how I want to be or be known.
I know this isn’t exactly a thorough treatment of the subject with reference to Scripture and well reasoned arguments. Someday, perhaps I will get to that. But there are times when I feel compelled to speak up, like when I see or hear God being slandered like He was in this clip. I trust it wasn’t intentional, especially by those friends of mine who are very good people, but I still felt moved to speak…or write…
Sorry to get so heavy. A nerve was struck.
Comments
To imply, even in the smallest sense that this tragedy or any other was directly caused by kicking God out of the schools is whacked out thinking.
Maybe you said it better.
But yeah, its just whacked.
Sharie, thank you.
Randy, a much better way of thinking about it, but as to each of the school shootings I think it more a matter of those individuals thoroughly rejecting God than some collective, societal rejection.
i haven't seen the clip but i've heard similar comments and it turns my stomach. i'm glad you posted something on this.