You’d Have To Have Been There
Introduction:
I’m Pete. God loves you!
The topic today: Societal mistakes you’d have to be old and discerning to notice.
This Old Fart In Grade School:
I’m in my 70’s. When I was in grade school, most of America followed what has come to be known as the Judeo-Christian ethic. Google defines it this way: “The term Judeo-Christian refers to the common values, beliefs, and ethical foundations shared by Judaism and Christianity.” A much higher percentage of Americans went to church or synagogue, and had shared values that helped shape Western civilization. There was, in general, a shared belief in a single God, the Ten Commandments, the sanctity of human life, and individual moral responsibility in America and American schools.
Then something changed. They no longer led us in prayer before our lunch. They said we could still pray on our own if we wanted to. Of course, most of the kids wanted to horse around or cut-up more than pray. No one wanted to be the odd one to pray, let alone lead. I asked a friend who I’d gone to Sunday School with if he wanted to pray with me. He said no. At first, I worked up the courage to be the only one to pray. But, without any willing friends, I soon quit praying over my food.
I guess they quit talking about God much too. If we wanted to hear about God, we were offered the chance to go to “release time classes”. We could leave school at a certain time and go to the nearby church for a class, then return to the school. I remember my public school teacher complaining about my doing this, saying that I was missing out on her instruction. I think “release time” fizzled out. It seemed most of us kids hardly paid attention to that, or even noticed what happened to us.
“If It Feels Good, Do It.”:
As I matured into high school, it was as if God was optional. There was a distinct shift toward doing whatever felt good to you. So, being open to drugs and premarital sex was seen as fun. Events such as “Woodstock” drew large crowds. There were unwanted pregnancies, and immoral immersion. The killing of those babies, and addictions, followed. There was pressure to conform.
What Caused This?
I could say, “human nature”, but there was more going on that I was not aware of as a teen that should be mentioned. There was a court ruling in 1962, case Engel v. Vitale, that public schools could not compose or encourage official prayers. There was a 1963 ruling in Abingdon School District v. Schempp, that public institutions must remain neutral, neither advancing nor inhibiting religion.
Effects on Teaching:
Fearing lawsuits, many school districts aggressively purged religious references entirely. Eventually, some teachings that many Christians viewed inappropriate were brought in. With the void where Godly teaching had been, some families pulled their kids out of public school and into Christian education or “home school”. In general, rather than what God and the Bible allowed, what society allowed soon became the guide for public teaching and behavior. The new measure: Was it “socially acceptable”?
“Separation of Church and State”:
All of this might seem just, were it not for easy misapplication and overuse of the term “Separation of Church and State”. If you’ve ever traveled to a country where their political leader is also their religious leader, you might have a clue. During the Byzantine Papacy (537-752), emperors in Constantinople heavily influenced or directly approved papal appointments, sometimes forcing popes to resign or exiling them if they did not comply with imperial religious policies. Rulers like Otto I in the 10th century and Henry III in the 11th century deposed conflicting popes and appointed their own candidates to bring order to Rome.
Application:
Just be aware that the moral climate you find yourself in today might not be all that it’s cracked up to be. Will you learn from someone who’s “been there”? May God Bless You!