Is it "lazy" to say that taking God out of school and govt is what is making kids's morals "decline"

Question

or would it be more fair to say that parents are the reason. I don't expect the school to raise my kids, so why would I blame them if my children cause trouble? And what does God have to do with that? So is it a cop out to blame the removal of God?

eyeopener: All of that is still the parents responsiblity. I do all of that I assure you. MY house, MY rules. When they turn 18 they are free to move out.

Ron H give me a break. I'm pagan and I have been told contantly how polite and well mannered my children are. I expect honor and respect out of my kids and that has nothing to do with YOUR God.

Honestly I'm not sure if morals are actually declining, it's just the claim of those who insist we NEED God in school

Answer 1

Yes, it is lazy!!! Kids do not learn morals in school! They should learn these things from their parents! This one irritates me to no end. It's like all of those people blaming rock-n-roll or violent movies for the violence in their children or suicide. Rock songs do not tell kids to commit suicide. If they commit, or try to, it's because something is wrong with the kid! It could be something as simple as being depressed because mom and dad are too busy to spend 10 friggin minutes with their kids... or school... or just overwhelmed by peer pressure.

These parents need to quit laying blame on everyone and everything else and start taking responsibility for their own kids. It's sad to watch a kid whose parents won't have anything to do with him and it infuriates me to hear the parents say "well, it's because they took prayer out of school... that's why they act like that". No, they act like that cause the parents were too damn lazy to actually have anything to do with their kids. Some people seem to have kids just because "it's the thing to do" or "it's expected". These are the same people who want to try to tell us how to live, yet can't even control their own damn lives.

Answer 2

It's not only lazy, but it is wrong.

Having God back in the schools will do no good at all if there isn't God in the home when they return.

Then, there's the more pressing problem of WHICH God (or Gods) to put in the government and schools. Within christianity alone, there are over 22,000 different sects, and all think THEY have it right, and that the OTHERS have it wrong. So much so, that there are those churches who believe all other denminations are going to Hell, even though their core belief of Jesus as the Savior is the same.

Imagine the free for all that will happen when all of these sects of christianity as well as all of the sects of other religions battle it out to vie for the right to have their religion taught in school!
What a free-for-all that will be!

However, freedom of religion is not freedom FROM religion. I don't see any reason why kids can't hold prayers in schools as long as it isn't cumpulsory for all students.

I am an atheist, and I don't have the slightest discomfort with declining such invitations. I won't be participating, but it doesn't, and shouldn't, bother me at all.

So, allow students, lawmakers, whoever, get together with other like-minded people to pray and ask for the help of whatever imaginary friend they believe in.

Just don't make others who don't share those beliefs have to, or feel that they must, participate.

El Chistoso

Answer 3

Hold on. Are we sure that morals (however defined) are actually in decline? Do we have evidence of this?

From what I hear, the rate of violent crime has actually decreased over the past few decades, even though there are more people and weapons in the world. Video games such as "Grand Theft Auto" didn't exist when I was young, but comic books were popular, and they were jam-packed with violence as I recall.

I am inclined to agree with your last question -- it does seem like a cop-out to blame the enforcement of the First Amendment's non-establishment clause as a cause of misbehavior in children, or indeed as a cause of anything.

Answer 4

U R right to some extent.

Children are raised and educated by both parents and teachers. Neither parents can do every thing nor teacher can do every thing. Both have to play their roles. But both pairs need to have similar beliefs. When that balance is missing, children get different set of moral values and they are raised with faults or weaknesses in their personalities.

Religious education can be taught part time by parents as well as by Sunday religious schools.

But nothing works when you put adolscents with newly developed extremely active hormoses. This is the biggest foolish mistake of western culture. When a boy is rubbing girl's thigh under the desk, there is no way they can concentrate on what teacher is teaching. They are thinking how soon and where they can have sex. Under such emotions they can not remember any of the religious teachings and moral values taught to them.

Most Asian, Middle Eastern and South Easten Countries operate separate schools for boys and girls to save them from this menace and they concentrate on their education without any thoughts of sex. They are able to abstain from sex being away from opposite sex. They turn out to be better husbands and wives when they reach the age of marriage without sexual experiences and remain faithfull to each other. With the higher educaion and higher income leve, they have better family lives and raise better children.

Now because of different bought up of myself and the questioner, I know it will be difficult for questioner to undersand my set of beliefs. I try to give my knowledge and experience. It is upto others to accept or reject. I am not here to get a medal. So I don't try to give what others want.

Answer 5

The moral decline in this country is attributed to parents that HAVE NOT raised their children but rather allowed them to grow up.
As a Christian Preacher I also place fault on the Church's that are more interested in preaching a watered down version of the Gospel as opposed to the truth.
It seems their only concern is the number of people that belong and the amount of money they can collect.

Answer 6

I didn't think god was ever really in the schools or government to begin with, so I don't think your question is valid.

I do however totally agree that one religion does not equate to morals. My kids never go to church and, like you, I always get compliments that they are mature and very well behaved in social settings.

But to your point, I don't think it's "lazy" to blame the lack of god/religion for a lack of morals, instead, I think its just wrong. Although some religions ask followers to lead a moral life, the lack of ability to think for one's self hampers the individual in making good moral decisions. Instead of basing all moral decisions on bible stories which are interpreted 20 different ways by 20 different people, teach your kids basic right from wrong and let them figure it out for themselves. Morality is innate in this way, and not something that needs to come from an outside source (bible, god, priest, teacher, parent, etc).

Answer 7

I believe it is the parents responsibility to teach their children to be moral. We depend too much on the system for this. It has nothing to do with a deity - you can be moral without religion. Sure, religion helps to premote morals, but it is not neccessary. People now are too quick to blame everyone else for their mistakes. If their kids are holy terrors, they claim it's the system's fault for taking "god" out of the school. BS I say. PARENTS should do the PARENTING!

Answer 8

Perhaps more to the point is the removal of faith from the home, and i don't mean YOU Heathen Daughter because You obviously walk what You talk.

But let me note that there seem to be a lot of immature (or else RICH) people attempting to solve a problem they don't even see -- the preponderance of one-parent families, the economical necessity for both to work even when they ARE both "there" for their kids. NO i don't think it's fair to lay the responsibilities on our already over-worked and under-paid teachers, but the awesome reality is that they actually take it on themselves (often times) because they CARE about our kids.

Oversimplification is another manifestation of laziness.

Answer 9

Yes. Schools are responsible for teaching kids their ABC's and math and history and so on, parents are responsible for raising them. The parents who stick their kids in front of TVs and don't communicate with them or even (gasp!) take them to church are responsible for their children's declining morals. Everyone is looking for a scapegoat to blame society's problems on instead of trying to make a change even in their own household.

Answer 10

I have long believed that parents have the responsibility of raising and teaching our kids. I think too many parents "pass the buck", but it all starts at home.

Many teachers are frustrated today because many parents expect teachers to do the discipning and babysitting of their kids.

Loving a child also includes not being afraid to raise them and discipline them. Many parents are afaid of upsetting little Johnny. Well, that is part of being a parent, and they should get over it.