Why Public Schools Must Teach Religious Education
I have many old friends which, I would imagine, seeing the title of this article would be fairly shocked. These folks are well aware of my personal history. Having become a convert to Christianity during the Jesus Movement of the early 70's, I fully embraced fundamentalist Christianity. I was ever so certain that the world was going to hell in a hand basket-being subverted by the godless institutions of our society. These institutions included liberal churches, the Democratic Party, the federal courts and judges, and public schools. When I entered the teaching force in 1977, I knew it would be difficult. Somehow, I had to get God back into the classroom. Yet, the law did not permit this. I clung to a Higher Law, watching my back on one hand and speaking about my faith whenever possible on the other. Later, I attended seminary and became a minister. I lived in the hills of southwest Virginia. In my community, the public school paused before lunch while the principal offered a br