Cheating. Bullying. Cybersexting. Hazing. Molestation. Suicide. Drug abuse. Murder. Scanning the headlines of the latest scandals in America’s schools, it’s quite clear that the problem is not that there’s too much God in students’ lives.
The problem is that there isn’t nearly enough of Him.
With the malfunction of moral seatbelts and the erosion of moral guardrails, too many kids have turned to a pantheon of false gods, crutches and palliatives. They’re obsessed with “Slender Man” and “Vampire Diaries.” Alex from Target’s hair and Rihanna’s tattoos. Overpriced basketball sneakers and underdressed reality stars. Choking games and YouTube games. Gossip and hookups. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat.
It’s all about selfies over self-control, blurred lines over bright lines.
In a metastatic youth culture of soullessness and rootlessness, the idea of high school teens voluntarily using their free time to pray and sing hymns is not just a breath of fresh air. It’s salvation.
But leave it to secularists run amok to punish faithful young followers of Christ.
Last week, the Alliance Defending Freedom filed a religious freedom lawsuit against Pine Creek High School here in my adopted hometown of Colorado Springs. Chase Windebank, a senior at the District 20 school, had been convening an informal prayer group for the past three years “in a quiet area to sing Christian religious songs, pray, and to discuss issues of the day from a religious perspective.”
Windebank and his friends weren’t disrupting classroom time. They shared their Christian faith during an open period earned by high-achieving students. Other kids used the time to play on their phones, eat snacks, get fresh air outside, or schedule meetings for a wide variety of both official and unofficial school clubs.
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1 comment:
The opening premise of this article is overwhelmingly flawed. When the nation is 75% Self identified as Christian, how can you possibly argue "Godlessness" and still have a shred of credibility? Only 10% of of population identifies as "no faith", that still leaves another 15% believing in some sort of Deity. So 90% of the country believes in a God... How can you possibly start a premise, with any sort of seriousness or legitimacy, as "Godlessness"?
That out of the way, this worship/study/prayer group is certainly well within their rights to meet, as long as the school does not forbid other faiths from doing so. This is part of our religious liberties. The school is not hosting or sanctioning it, and it is completely voluntary, non compulsory.
I am an atheist, and I support these kids and faculty, and would condemn any sort of the squelching of their freedom. What they do on their free time is their business, as long as it is not disruptive to the rest of the school day.
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