Thursday, June 25, 2009
I read last month in your newspaper of a child’s schoolyard taunt, “ If you don’t believe in Jesus you’re going to Hell!” Where in the world did this child get such invective opinions? Surely not in school--but alas, yes and no. Not from her schoolteachers, but from Christians who had legally obtained permission to use school classrooms, immediately after the school day ends, to spread their particular view of religion to 6-to-9-year-old kids. And which Jesus are they talking about? The historical Jesus, the man from Nazareth, of whom there is little factual evidence; The Jesus of taith who has been fashioned into various denominational forms; or the teachings about Jesus by people who never knew him such as Paul (50AD), Mark (65 AD), Luke (75AD) Matthew (80AD), or John (100 AD)?
I know that the reason that schools can allow the use of their campuses is based upon a ruling by our Supreme Court (Good News v. Milford) but I ask, where is the morality of this evangelical Good News Club in our community when it proselytizes children 6-to-9 years of age? How can these kids distinguish between myth and reality when two adults preach to them of prayer, hell-fire damnation, and salvation, in a school setting? If parents want their children to learn these myths and legends they should teach them at home or send them to religious school.
It appears that these fundamentalist Christians have lost faith in their creed’s ability to persuade adults from the pulpit, and so direct their divisive dogma towards those least likely to understand. What a commentary on the stealth message of such evangelism, that the ends justifiy the means. -Richard Cousineau