School Voucher Debate Continues t
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=20110
School Voucher Debate Continues
Daniel Downs
February 2, 2007
President Bush raises the ire of liberals again. During his `State of
the Nation' speech, the President briefly mentioned his continued
support for school choice programs. Many were quick to notice his
intention to continue pursuing implementation of his school voucher
plan. Even though it was removed from No Child Left Behind, it was
implemented in District of Columbia schools, and it is working.
Liberals, however, oppose it as unconstitutional. According to the
American United for the Separation of Church and State (AUSCS), school
vouchers "effectively force taxpayers to finance religious
indoctrination and discrimination."
One of the implications of such rhetoric is that only public schools
are allowed to indoctrinate America's children. If not religion, what
beliefs and values do government schools indoctrinate children?
Liberals claim secularism evident in public school curriculum is
values neutral, but is it really? Two key positions of modern
secularism are evolution science (and liberal education)--not God or
religion--is the only salvation for the problems of society and human
freedom must include uninhibited consensual sex. An often-heard
solution to increases in prison population and to income disparity is
more education. Sex education has been criticized because it instructs
youth about abortion and how to use condoms and birth control pills.
In some schools, condoms have been made available to youth as well as
abortion counseling. But, why is such curriculum and policies even needed?
As I understand it, modern sex education and the state sanctioned
liberation from past moral constraints of sexual behavior is a product
of the secularization of American culture. Like the previously
mentioned kinds of policies, sex education is part of the agenda of
secularization better known as humanism. Its secular agenda was
spelled out in the various editions of the Humanist Manifesto, the
first being introduced in 1933. It was primarily the work of religious
Unitarians and approved by education philosopher John Dewey. The
Manifesto was revised in 1973 with the support of many scientists. By
replacing God with evolution science, they could justify eliminating
all previous norms based on traditional religious values and beliefs.
One outcome of secularism can be seen in the long debate between
Darwinian evolution, creationism and now Intelligent Design. Their
1973 version outlined those sex-related policies still discussed as
serious social issues of our time. The new secular agenda was stated
the following way:
"In the area of sexuality, we believe that intolerant attitudes,
often cultivated by orthodox religions and puritanical cultures,
unduly repress sexual conduct. The right to birth control, abortion,
and divorce should be recognized. While we do not approve of
exploitive, denigrating forms of sexual expression, neither do we wish
to prohibit, by law or social sanction, sexual behavior between
consenting adults. The many varieties of sexual exploration should not
in themselves be considered "evil…." Short of harming others or
compelling them to do likewise, individuals should be permitted to
express their sexual proclivities and pursue their life-styles as they
desire."
How successful has been secularism? Since 1973, the number of reported
abortions has exceeded 37 million babies, and the number of divorces
has increased 410 percent. The National Center for Health Statistics
reports the rate of teen pregnancy to the unwed was 35% in 1974 and by
2000, the rate had climbed to 80 percent. According to the Bureau of
Justice (BJS) statistics, the number of forcible rapes has increased
to 2,799,355 since 1973. Of reported rapes, 44% were perpetrated
against females under 19 years old and no less than 16% were committed
against girls under 12 years old. Concerning exploratory consensual
sex, the International Herald Tribune recently reported the pedophile
party in Netherlands was seeking to lower the age of consent to
twelve. In North America, Canada has become an attraction for sexual
tourism. Because the age of sexual consent had been lowered to
fourteen, Canada was becoming a haven for pedophiles, according to a
recent CBC News report. Modern secularism has certainly achieved its
goals.
In his book "Religion & American Education," Warren Nord acknowledges
public education is hostile toward Christian beliefs and values. That
is because secularism is not values neutral, but opposes the values of
many Americans who says they believe God, creationism, and biblical
morality. Secularism also directly contradicts those beliefs and
values the Constitution is supposed to protect and guarantee, e.g. God
is both creator of nature and source of our inherent human rights like
life and liberty. Therefore, the only just solution to the problem
with public school indoctrination is either curricular reform to
reflect those beliefs and values or give parents their share of tax
dollars to educate their children in any school of their choice,
religious or not.
Another statement made by the AUSCS was that "forcing taxpayers to
foot the tuition bill for students in religious schools is a huge step
towards established religion…, for there is no better way for a
government to advance religion than to pay for it." According to the
Supreme Court decision in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, the voucher
program in Ohio does not violate the First Amendment in any way.
Because tax dollars are given directly to parents rather to any
parochial or charter school, vouchers do not advance the establishment
of religion.
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You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
HRSepCnS · Historical Reality SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
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.. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
.. . .
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USAF LT. COL (Ret) Buffman (Glen P. Goffin) wrote
"You pilot always into an unknown future;
facts are your only clue. Get the facts!"
That philosophy 'snipit' helped to get me, and my crew, through a good
many combat missions and far too many scary, inflight, emergencies.
It has also played a significant role in helping me to expose the
plethora of radical Christian propaganda and lies that we find at
almost every media turn.
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THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
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