I was two years old when the Supreme Court ruled that forcing people to pray in public schools was unconstitutional. That means illegal, for the few that don’t get that. That means that for 62 years, the Hatfield’s have been shooting at the McCoy’s for something that most of them never even experienced. Our population has doubled since then, and many of those alive then have died; yet this religious grudge continues to trouble us today. This is one reason school choice is such a hot topic – many parents want the government to pay for their “right” to have their children learn about and practice their religion (also unconstitutional). School choice also takes important funding from public school education, which hurts, mostly, poor families.
I grew up in a community where I was usually the religious minority, and with a few exceptions, nobody cared. Sure, I was effectively left out of many social situations; most of my classmates attended Synagogue and had religious education together, and their families, like happens in many churches, interacted socially. And once in a while some stupid bully would call me a Nazi because I have a German last name. Kids are dumb that way. And there was that time when a local bank opened on Sunday (oh my!) and a few ignorant anti-Semitic Christians had hissy fits. Otherwise, nobody held a grudge against me because some jerks, centuries ago, called Jews “Christ-killers.” It wasn’t even on our radar.
My church used to join with other congregations to have a weekend Confirmation class, and we would visit religious and social care institutions in our area. Every year, the local Temple and Mosque would welcome our group of 50 or so adults and teenagers into their communities. They would teach us about their faith and feed us until we were stuffed; lots of smiles and hugs and appreciation. Our community has unusually strong interfaith connections, and I thank God every day for this gift. The year my daughter attended, she found out that some of her classmates attended one of those congregations, and they all commiserated about how mean their parents were for making them attend. No grudges were held against religion, just parents. As it ever was.
We are living at a time when religious groups are using politics to force their religious views on the public. This year, lawmakers in 29 states have proposed at least 91 bills promoting religion in public schools, according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State. 3/5ths of our states are breaking the law so that one religion can have dominance over all others. This is where religious grudges start, and it never ends well. There’s a reason that, in spite of our states initially having constitutions that had Christianity written into them, our American Constitution does not. The founders knew just how dangerous and wrong this is, and how it will, if allowed, destroy our unity for good. There is safety in diversity; don’t allow your state to destroy that. Practice your faith – or don’t – and let me practice mine. To do otherwise would be unpatriotic.
Prayer – Holy God of many names, send Your Spirit upon those who misuse You and Your name, so that true faith might prosper. Amen.
Today’s art is “Hands” by Lynn Green Root.