Why is it that I can't pray in school or mention the name of Jesus without offending people?...?

Question

When you can mention any other deity/religion and teach the theory of evolution as if it were fact, it is unfair to restrict public displays of Christianity. I am sickened by how far we have come from our nations roots; America WAS founded as a Christian nations BY Christians who wanted to be able to worship freely, (and yes, also by people wanting to make money; this is besides the point). You say my faith offends you, but I am severely offended when you try to teach me and my little sister that we came from a friggen monkey...

Erica H. I have to respond to you just because...i have to, cant stay quiet. Seperation of church and state was intended to keep the state from regulating and controlling the church. Thomas Jefferson, the same man who wrote it, is also the man who had Bibles printed for use in the newly founded public school system,(although I don't excuse his cut/paste of scripture), which was originally designed for one purpose; to teah children to read so that they could read the Bible. George Washington himself said that if anyone ever removed religion from politics, they should not be considered American. All you can say to that is "nu-uh". Fact is...it's the truth.

http://www.xrnet.org/undergod.htm

http://members.aol.com/Jainster/Quotes/george_washington_quotes.html

Answer 1

They're not offended. They're just smarter than you.

Answer 2

Ok... first thing, I'm Canadian and apparently I know more about your country than you do. That's really sad.

The United States was NOT founded by Christians as a Christian nation. The founding fathers were deists. And your own Constitution was written with freedom of religion in mind.
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Amendment I - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
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Hmm, seems to be your own gvt long ago realized that the gvt has no business being involved in religion.

It makes no mention of ONLY Christianity being free to do as it wishes. It also guarantees that religion isn't going to be involved in the gvt.

It's sad when someone that isn't even from the US knows more than it's citizens.

Now, you've also shown your extreme lack of education in saying that evolution says you came from a monkey. It does not. It says that we came from a common ancestor.

Now, go back to school, get a real education, then come back here and talk to us. Because you obviously don't have the first clue about the reality of the world.

Answer 3

So many things are wrong with your little rant there. Firstly, many of the ultra-aggressive religions that preach that everyone but them is going to hell offend people. Not just yours. I also notice that saying "Walk in the Dark Lord's blessing," to Christians offends them. People don't like having other religions rubbed in their noses. So keep your worship restricted to the home...as I believe the bible instructs you to.

Secondly, this is not America. This is the internet. The posters here are of many nations. And those founding fathers you mention explicitly wanted a seperation of church and state. Therefore, they teach SCIENCE in school and save the churchy stuff for the home. Worship what you like...but learn the truth too and be educated.

You don't have to believe in evolution. But you should at least learn what thousands of sciences great minds have researched and the conclusions they've come to. If your faith is so strong, a little science shouldn't frighten you quite so much as it apparently does.

Answer 4

Our country was founded on the freedom of religion and freedom from religious persecutions. To include Christianity would be to exclude the MANY other religions that our free country represents. If we were to include EVERYTHING in a public school, the entire lesson plan would be about religion.

In fact, I did get a BRIEF synopsis of the major religions in high school. It was for a history class.

Other than that, I should remind you that our government was also founded on the SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE. Meaning NO religion in the schools. Period.

The teaching of evolution is in a science class. While it's called a theory, they have many SCIENTIFIC studies and LOTS OF EVIDENCE to prove it's existence. All of these things pertain to a SCIENCE class.

If you have a problem with it, pull your kids out and put them in a private school!!!! Otherwise, get over it.

You can't pick and choose our country's laws to suit your belief system. It's all or nothing. Accept it, or move to another country.

Answer 5

you can but you have to do it in a manner that does not push it on others.

most people that i ahve seen that have had a prob lem with school prayer did not just sit down at lunch and say

Lord bless these gifts that i am about to recieve.


they said something like

lord bless these gifts that i am about to recieve. and forgive me for seating mself with these ungodly heathens. show mercy on them for they know not what they do....

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is'ent public prayer supposed to be silent anyway...check your bible on that one..

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the theory of evolution is in the cirriculum as a theory. the fact is that it is a theory.

the country was not founded by christians. it was in fact founded by Masons. a magical faternal order. and if you look at an areal view of washingron dc the streets make a giant pentagram. with the white house sitting at the top point of it.

it was founded by men that wanted to live free fo the church of england and the government of the english king.

christianity was the only religion that you could be in western europe at that time without being burned at the steak. so most of who came here were christians but many were clearly of other religions no matter what they said in public or on record. look at the symols that prevade every monument and relate them back to pagan holy sites. you will see a remarkable similarity.

if yo do not believe in evolution just put on your test paters that you are answering this way simply because it is the answer that the system says is correct and you wish to keep your grades up

Answer 6

Here! Read a book! The founding fathers were DEISTS, not christians.

You don't understand the theory of evolution if you think it states that people came from monkeys. *sigh* Not that this surprises me.

You can say the name of Jesus in school without offending people. I'm sure that when someone mentions THEIR god, such as Allah or Woden, YOU aren't offended are you? Naturally not! You wouldn't be saying such things if you were the sort to be offended. Right? Right?

And sparky, if you really think evolution is just a "theory" then put your money where your mouth is and stop getting vaccinations, which are based in evolutionary theory

Answer 7

there is not any point out of Jesus, Yeshuah, or Yehoshuah, (aside from Yehoshuah, the chief after Moses died) in the previous testomony. there is the observe, yet not a attractiveness. even though, the Messiah heavily is not any form of deity. it is obviously reported in the previous testomony, as is the undeniable fact that the Messiah will herald a brilliant age of Peace. Has that occurred? NO? Then neither has the Messiah.

Answer 8

* America was founded by deist....that belived in Jesus. Puritians 1st came to America b/c Protestants were persecuted in England (Under Charles I, i believe).Christianity is usually rejected bc it doesnt coresspond to a non Christians life style and displaying something like that in public is looked down apon. As for Evolution,a bad attempt ,but universally accepted,way to explain existance. If you look outside right now you can tell that all that was not made through millions of years of spontaneous probability and randomness. What if humans hadnt evolved their stomachs well enough to dissolve food or their eyes to see what the heck chewing on them? We probably would not have survived, eh? But I dont think religious tolerance will make it far anywhere.....

Answer 9

"America" and Christians destroyed the native americans, where they were left in tact in some way their land was stolen from them, their women brutalized, their religion destroyed and they were left with nothing but crumbs. How can you be proud about the foundation of a country that did that?

Also. I find it offensive when Jesus is mentioned in school because I don't go to school to hear about Jesus, it's a choice to hear about him and if you have to take classes about evolution because it's mandatory in your school that's your problem, not mine.

Also, not entirely sure "friggen" is a word, no, actually, really sure it isn't a word.

Answer 10

You can pray in schools and you can have a club that is christian oriantinted the only thing that you can not do is get the teachers involved in it and your club would have to be after school you can pray in school. Just the teachers can not say ok class we are going to pray i know it is sad just think of all the christain teachers in your school they can not even say they are or are not they can be fired if they do that. I know how you feel just keep yup the faith bc it will get worse then it is now so you got to keep the faith.

Answer 11

Lectio Divina is Latin for “spiritual reading” and represents an early monastic technique of prayer which continues in practice though less widely, intended to achieve communion with God as well as providing special spiritual insights and peace from that experience. It is a way of praying with Scripture that calls one to study, ponder, listen and, finally, pray from God's Word.

History
Lectio Divina was first expressed in the year 220 AD. It was found that to read the Bible profitably it is necessary to do so with attention, consistency and prayer. The systematization of “spiritual reading” into four steps dates back to the 12th century. Around 1150, Guigo II, a Carthusian monk, wrote a book entitled “The Monk’s Ladder” (Scala Claustralium) wherein he set out the theory of the four rungs: reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation. In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI stated, “This is the ladder by which the monks ascend from earth to heaven.”

Method
Lectio is typically practiced daily for one continuous hour. A selection from the Holy Scriptures is chosen ahead of time, often as a daily progression through a particular book of the Bible.

Time
Selecting a time for lectio divina is important. Typical methods are to pray for one hour in the morning, or to divide it into two half-hour periods, one in the morning and one in the evening. The key is to pre-select the time that will be devoted to the prayer, and to keep it. Using the same time every day leads to a daily habit of prayer that becomes highly effective.

Place
The place for prayer is to be free from distractions. This means it should be isolated from other people, telephones, visual distractions, etc. Some find a religious icon to be helpful. The same place should be used for lectio if possible, especially as one first begins to practice it. Familiarity with a location reduces the possibility of distraction away from the prayer. Some practitioners conduct other devotions, such as praying before the Catholic Eucharist, as a preparation for Lectio Divina.

Preparation
Prior to reading, it is important to engage in a transitional activity that takes one from the normal state of mind to a more contemplative and prayerful state. A few moments of deep, regular breathing and a short prayer inviting the Holy Spirit to guide the prayer time helps to set the tone and improve the effectiveness of the lectio.

Once the stage is set it is time to begin the prayer. There are four phases of the prayer, which do not necessarily progress in an ordered fashion. One may move between different phases of the prayer very freely as the Spirit guides.

The Four Moments
Lectio
Read the passage several times.

Meditatio
Reflect on the text of the passage, thinking about how to apply to one's own life. Gravitate to any particular phrase or word that seems to be of particular import. This should not be confused with exegesis, but is a very personal reading of the Scripture and application to one's own life.

Oratio
Respond to the passage by opening the heart to God. This is not primarily an intellectual exercise, but more of the beginning of a conversation with God.

Contemplatio
Listen to God. This is a freeing oneself from one's own thoughts, both mundane and holy. It is about hearing God talk to us. Opening our mind, heart and soul to the influence of God. Any conversation must allow for both sides to communicate, and this most unfamiliar act is allowing oneself to be open to hearing God speak.