Last week, a group of atheists in Florida unveiled a bench outside a county courthouse in Florida. They wished to put it there because of a Ten Commandments statue outside that same courthouse. The community wouldn't let them tear it down, so they built something of their own. At first, I was upset, but then I realized that the freedom of religion in the First Amendment applies to them as well as it does to me. The problem I'm seeing now is that they can build a monument because of their freedom of religion (which is in the Constitution), but as an educator, I can't verbally share my faith with my students because of a need for "separation of church and state"(which isn't). This is a travesty that needs to be fixed, and soon.
The First Amendment states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Building the bench was the atheists' way of exercising their right to freedom of religion. Verbally sharing my faith is one of the ways I exercise this right, but as an employee of the school system, I could be fired for exercising this right in this way.
This threat of being fired is to preserve a "separation of church and state," a notion that is not present at all in the Constitution, and was not even a consideration until 1947. This phrase came instead from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson in 1802, and was meant to ensure that the government didn't interfere with our First Amendment rights. It has been used, however, to try to stamp out the free exercise of Christianity from just about everything. Employees at stores are now required to say "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas." Ten Commandments monuments, Nativity scenes and basically any other Christian display in a public place are complained about and occasionally forced to be torn down. One man was even brash enough to attack the Pledge of Allegiance because of this failed notion.
So what are we as Christians to do about this? I stand with the group Anthem Lights in saying I "Can't Shut Up." My Savior has called me to spread the good news to everyone, and I fully intend to do so. Now there may be limits to what I can do about this in my chosen profession, but I can still pray for my students and treat them the way Christ would. I was quite pleased the day one of my students began sharing her faith with her classmates because that allowed me an opening to share mine.
Those wishing to restrict my freedom fear that I would restrict the freedoms of others by shoving the Gospel down their throats. There are those who stand outside screaming about fire and brimstone for those who don't believe, but that's not how I share my faith. I have been made free by my Savior, and I love sharing that freedom with others. Only a slave master would try to force people to believe a certain thing. My job is to plant the seeds, but only God can bring the growth. So as long as I am able, I am going to plant the seeds of God's love however I can. I don't want anyone to miss out on the blessings I've been given by my Savior, so I refuse to be silenced when I'm telling others about Him.
(While the views expressed in this article are my own, the dates cited were found in the book We Still Hold These Truths, written by Matthew Spalding)
The First Amendment states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Building the bench was the atheists' way of exercising their right to freedom of religion. Verbally sharing my faith is one of the ways I exercise this right, but as an employee of the school system, I could be fired for exercising this right in this way.
This threat of being fired is to preserve a "separation of church and state," a notion that is not present at all in the Constitution, and was not even a consideration until 1947. This phrase came instead from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson in 1802, and was meant to ensure that the government didn't interfere with our First Amendment rights. It has been used, however, to try to stamp out the free exercise of Christianity from just about everything. Employees at stores are now required to say "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas." Ten Commandments monuments, Nativity scenes and basically any other Christian display in a public place are complained about and occasionally forced to be torn down. One man was even brash enough to attack the Pledge of Allegiance because of this failed notion.
So what are we as Christians to do about this? I stand with the group Anthem Lights in saying I "Can't Shut Up." My Savior has called me to spread the good news to everyone, and I fully intend to do so. Now there may be limits to what I can do about this in my chosen profession, but I can still pray for my students and treat them the way Christ would. I was quite pleased the day one of my students began sharing her faith with her classmates because that allowed me an opening to share mine.
Those wishing to restrict my freedom fear that I would restrict the freedoms of others by shoving the Gospel down their throats. There are those who stand outside screaming about fire and brimstone for those who don't believe, but that's not how I share my faith. I have been made free by my Savior, and I love sharing that freedom with others. Only a slave master would try to force people to believe a certain thing. My job is to plant the seeds, but only God can bring the growth. So as long as I am able, I am going to plant the seeds of God's love however I can. I don't want anyone to miss out on the blessings I've been given by my Savior, so I refuse to be silenced when I'm telling others about Him.
(While the views expressed in this article are my own, the dates cited were found in the book We Still Hold These Truths, written by Matthew Spalding)
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