It Did Not Happen Overnight...

[BTs_GhostSniper]

      Dear Concerned Student:
      I am not allowed in schools.
     
      Sincerely,
      God
 
      How Did This Get Started....?
      -----------------
      Let's see, I think it started when Madeline Murray
      O'Hare complained she didn't want any prayer in
      our schools.
      And we said, OK...
      ------------------
      Then, someone said you better not read the Bible
      in school, the Bible that says "Thou shalt not kill,
      Thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbors
      as yourself,"
      And we said, OK...
      -----------------
      Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our
      children when they misbehave because their little personalities would
      be warped and we might
      damage their self-esteem. And we said, an expert should know what he's
      talking about so we won't spank them anymore...
      ------------------
      Then someone said teachers and principals better
      not discipline our children when they misbehave.
      And the school administrators said no faculty member
      in this school better touch a student when they
      misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity,
      and we surely don't want to be sued.
      And we accepted their reasoning...
      ------------------
      Then someone said, let's let our daughters have
      abortions if they want, and they won't even have
      to tell their parents.
      And we said, that's a grand idea...
      ------------------
      Then some wise school board member said, since
      boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway,
      let's give our sons all the condoms they want, so they
      can have all the fun they desire, and we won't have to
      tell their parents they got them at school.
      And we said, that's another great idea...
      ------------------
      Then some of our top elected officials said it doesn't
      matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs.
      And we said, it doesn't matter what anybody, including the President,
      does in private as long as we have jobs
      and the economy is good...
      ------------------
      And someone else took that appreciation a step further
      & published pictures of nude children & then stepped further still by
      making them available on the Internet.
      And we said, everyone's entitled to free speech....
      ------------------
      And the entertainment industry said, let's make TV shows and movies that
      promote profanity, violence and illicit sex... And let's record music that
      encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes...
      And we said, it's just entertainment and it has no adverse effect and
      nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead...
      ------------------
      Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they
      don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers,
      classmates or even themselves.
      ------------------
      Undoubtedly, if we thought about it long and hard enough, we could figure
      it out. I'm sure it has a great deal to do with...
     
      "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW"

[Supernatural Pie]

          Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they
      don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers,
      classmates or even themselves.
   

Ummm....


I have a conscience.

I know right from wrong.

It bothers me when any decent human being is killed, whether that be a stranger or classmate.

I'm about as far from suicidal as someone can possibly be.




Hooray for this country making stupid generalizations about today's youth. These four statements represent a hell of a lot of my friends, too, not just myself.

I'm 17, if you were wondering.

[*DAMN Bondo]

Oh man, I don't know where to start with the logical fallacies in that one.

Of course nearly every point assumes causation. That is a big problem with conservatives. They think that having abortion be legal causes abortions so they feel if you ban abortion they won't happen. But in reality, poverty and lack of sex education have a greater negative correlation with abortions. It is the case on many things.

Of course your conclusion is ridiculous, "Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, classmates or even themselves." This isn't actually true presently or even close to true...it still remains the very small segment that has any of these problems, just as it always has been.

Oh, and since it was the first point, neither prayer nor the Bible is banned from school. Individual students have the right to both, the administration of the school simply can't force religion. Besides, the Bible can actually be taught in school if it is taught as literature. But I suppose such insignificant things as the establishment clause of the First Amendment isn't important to you?

[BFG]

Blimey i found that all so confusing i don't know quite how to respond but...

Well there is a great mix of Politics and Religeon here which i never know how to address. I think this is what so many people find scarey and difficult to comprehend with American Politics - the mix with Religion.

• I belive Children should be able to make their own choices regarding Religion. They should be able to have access to all beliefs, and they should learn to be open minded and tolerant of those religions. Religion should not be forced or pressured on children but nor must it be denied.

• The issue of Abortions is obvoiusly a very sensitive one. For some Christians abotion goes against their faith. However that should not be forced among those who are not Christian. Many young girls who get accidently pregnant are not capable or able to support a baby. They do not have the means or the maturity. For me i belive that it is both cruel to the Child to force them tobecome a mother at such a young age, but also to the potential baby to have such a yong and inexperienced and immature mother.

• 

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers,  classmates or even themselves.

we learn from our elders. We learn by copying. by mimicing. Who do we have to blame but ourselves? What example is set by the wars and violence, the corruption and greed and lack of respect for human life that is shown in theis world?


Undoubtedly, if we thought about it long and hard enough, we could figur  it out. I'm sure it has a great deal to do with...
 "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW"

Well i couldn't agre more. Look at Israel and Palestine. Look at Iraq... look at Africa. Look at Afganistan. Look at all the countries and the millions of people who are the victims of conflict, of famine, of human greed and senslesness. We do indeed reap what we sow. And so often these days we seem to be sowing violence and greed.

But what happens when these conflict with the "American way of  Life" ??

[SanitarySal]

I just want to point out to you GhostSniper that we are not alwys that far off in thought.   You are most onto something right here:

      And the entertainment industry said, let's make TV shows and movies that
      promote profanity, violence and illicit sex... And let's record music that
      encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes...
      And we said, it's just entertainment and it has no adverse effect and
      nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead...
      ------------------
      Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they
      don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers,
      classmates or even themselves.
     

The media is responsible, and switching from fox to cnn, or from cnn to NBC or pretty much any other emdia isnt going to help.   Everything from Fox to CNN to Disney to NYT, to GTA, to Tom Clancy have hidden agendas which corrupt the minds of Americans.  Glorifynig violence, teen sex, marital, infidelity,  hate,  and just a general dumbing down of the American mind.

I do completely disagree with the coporal punishment idea.   The idea of committing felony assault on a child to teach them 'disicpline'.   That is outright neanderthal.   May God help ANY person who makes the mistake of laying a hand on my child.

[c| Spetsnaz.]

   
      Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they
      don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers,
      classmates or even themselves.
    

Unless it's under the guise of freedom and democracy, then we offer them college money and reassure ourselves by placing plastic yellow ribbons on the back of our oil gulping SUV's.

[BFG]

plastic yellow ribbon

Can you explain the significance of this for me?

[BTs_GhostSniper]

plastic yellow ribbon

Can you explain the significance of this for me?

In the United States people sometimes put magnetic yellow ribbons on their vehicles to show support for our troops in war.  It's a tradition that goes back at least to World War II.  I have a red, white, and blue ribbon on my truck that says "Support Our Troops".  There are several variations of them.

[BTs_Mysterio]

Did you write this yourself GS?

[BTs_GhostSniper]

Did you write this yourself GS?

No, my father sent it to me by way of an old family friend....Oliver North, whom I very much respect and admire.

[BTs_Mysterio]

Now that raises the question, what's worse:

Writing this stuff, or believing in it?

[BTs_GhostSniper]

Now that raises the question, what's worse:

Writing this stuff, or believing in it?

If I didn't believe in it, I wouldn't have posted it.  This country is going to hell in a handbasket, and nobody can see past their "civil liberties".  Why was saying the Pledge of Allegiance and having the Bible publicly read in school not a "bad" thing until fairly recently (say in the last 20 to 30 years or so)?

[BTs_Mysterio]

Democracy is not forcing your religion and beliefs on others. Would you allow your children to be forced to read poems from every religion or your daughters forced to wear headscarves. There are freedoms everyone get and that should be respected, without forcing your beliefs on others.

[*DAMN Hazard]

I find this extremely wrong because none of these have caused any normal child to experience a lack of morals.

1. Half of these reasons are religiously motivated close minded statements and I would be very upset if you were to argue that lack of religion or more importantly your religion is the reason for all the world's woes because you are horribly wrong.

2. Hitting children is not an option and maybe you do hit your kids in moderation which is acceptable to you but not everyone is like you and not everyone can discipline their children in moderation. Personally I think you shouldn't abuse your children at all.

3. God forbid we don't force our religion on other people. Worry about your own children because God knows I wouldn't want you near mine.

3. Don't fucking judge me

I am disgusted with the lack of intelligence invested in this

Fixed your text color, so that it's red now.  I assumed that's what you wanted, since you had the start color tag at the beginning of your post.  -Lone

Thx cutie - Haz

[BTs_GhostSniper]

Democracy is not forcing your religion and beliefs on others. Would you allow your children to be forced to read poems from every religion or your daughters forced to wear headscarves. There are freedoms everyone get and that should be respected, without forcing your beliefs on others.

It isn't forcing anything on anyone.  It's called values.  You can have the values set out in the Bible without believing in the Bible, or being a Christian.  I would venture to say that most of you don't condone murder, which is a value laid out in the Bible.  Yet many of you find lying, cheating, stealing, pre-marital sex, adultery, and other things as okay because society has stopped allowing the values laid out in the Bible to be taught in school.  Now you are violating someone's civil liberties if you tell them that committing adultery is wrong, or telling kids that having pre-marital sex is wrong.  So instead of this, you want to start handing out condoms and condoning a lifestyle that is just plain wrong.  Of course the liberals love this, because deep down inside they want the world to be a filthy place with no morals and even less values.

[BTs_Mysterio]

Once again GS, you simply close your mind and restate you opinion. Something to consider, there are many other books with much better values than the bible.

[*DAMN Hazard]

Yet many of you find lying, cheating, stealing, pre-marital sex, adultery, and other things as okay because society has stopped allowing the values laid out in the Bible to be taught in school.  

DO WE? REALLY? THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW WHAT I THINK. This is about 1/4 amusing and 3/4 sickening that you can be so ignorant. Have you met me? Have you ever set foot in my neighborhood? Has it ever occurred to you that not everything your minister tells you before mass about the world is true? I'm an Italian catholic and I realized that a long time ago. Don't ever tell me what I believe and I hope you get exactly what you need a very big reality check because this isn't your country it's ours, the people your so quick to judge. Instead of uniting people you divide them you put up another barrier another step for you to stand on and look down at us with and I'm tired of it. A catholic person has as much capacity for evil as anyone else.

[Brutha]

I just want to say something here since I come from a country where Lutherism is a state religion.

1. Christianity in any form is NOT only a belief, but also a set of moral standards which actually apply in most situations

2. Christianity is teached in the schools, but so is most major religions and humanism. Humanism and Christianity are the two that are focused on...equally.

3. Prayers are not required in public schools

4. You don't get critisised by teachers if you choose not to believe, but you are required to know about the religion.

5. There is freedom of religion in Norway, and we have a beautiful mosque here in Oslo.

Either you want it or not, religion is a part of our everyday life and is also a part of our cultural heritage. Most religions also share a common set of ethical standars, unless you are a fundamentalist..but that goes all ways. I am currently a student of the history of religion(both ancient and modern) with a goal of teaching this in our equivalent of the American high school. I do not believe in the mythical parts of any religion, but I find the moral standards and their philosophies interesting. I do believe that children of any religion and race should be tought about religion and not led to believe that religion is a bad thing. Religion is only a bad thing when ppl stop believing and start knowing. Thats when they take it too far.

p.s. Our prime minister is a priest, and the leader of the Christian peoples party, but he still isn't preaching, and neither is his party.

[BTs_Mysterio]

Brutha, all you said there as positives do not rely on religion to be obtained.

[Brutha]

It dosn't? How cool. The thing is, this is what kids are teached in our schools, and is it really that bad that children learn these things?