| Editor: David E Marlett Th.D. | |
| February 24, 2001 | Vol II #15 |
"We have gone so far that it almost seems a rule, originally designed to guard against violation of the Constitution, has become an aggressive campaign against religion itself. And isn't that the very thing we set out to guard against -- domination of religion by the state?" --Ronald Reagan
Excerpts from Official Opinion 2000-9
To: State School Superintendents
From: Georgia Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker
"You have asked for my opinion whether [Georgia law 50-3-4.1] allowing the display of the motto 'In God We Trust' in public school classrooms, is in violation of the Georgia or United States Constitution. You have also asked whether the 'respect for the creator' portion of the character education program authorized by [Georgia Law 20-2-145] and the Georgia Board of Education's curriculum violates either the state or federal constitutional principles of [religious freedom]. It is my opinion that neither [Georgia law 50-3-4.1] nor [Georgia Law 20-2-145] on its face violates [religious freedom] provisions of either the Georgia or the United States Constitution. ...
"Addressing first the issue of whether a poster may be displayed in the classroom with the motto 'In God We Trust,' I note that the motto appears on United States coins and currency and is recognized by federal statute as our national motto. See 36 U.S.C. -- 186. It has been upheld as constitutional in that context. ...
"The more difficult question is whether the character curriculum is constitutional. Official Code of Georgia Section 20-2-145 requires the State Board of Education to develop a 'comprehensive character education program' for levels K-12 focusing on the students' development of 27 character traits including 'respect for the creator.' In August of 1997, shortly after the statute took effect, the State Board of Education developed a policy implementing this statutory requirement. This policy, entitled 'Values and Character Education Implementation Guide,' explains the character trait as follows:
"Respect for the creator: our most basic freedoms and rights are not granted to us from the government but they are intrinsically ours; i.e., the Constitution does not grant Americans the right of freedom of speech, it simply recognizes that each of us is born with that right. This is to say that the founders of the republic recognized a higher authority, a power greater than themselves that endowed every human being with certain unalienable rights that no government or legal document could ever revoke or take away. In the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson names this life force that permeates the universe and from which our unalienable rights stem the 'creator', 'nature's God', and the 'supreme judge of the world'. If we are to respect life, the natural rights of all people and the authority which the founders based their legal opinions on concerning our separation from Great Britain then there must be a respect for that creator from which all our rights flow. This cannot be interpreted as a promotion of religion or even as a promotion of the belief in a personal God, but only as an acknowledgment that the intrinsic worth of every individual derives from no government, person or group of persons, but is something that each of us is born with and which no thing and no one can ever deprive us of.
"Although inclusion of the trait 'respect for the creator' in the character curriculum does not have the historic acceptance accorded to the national motto, it appears not to have a religious effect, especially as interpreted by the State Board's 'Values and Character Education Implementation Guide.' It does not endorse any particular theory of creation, nor does it disparage those who do not hold a belief in creation. ...
"In addition, 'respect for the creator' is not misplaced in ethics or character education. In the study of comparative religion, the 'myths, stories or theories regarding the birth or creation of the universe' are termed 'cosmogony.' Eliade, The Encyclopedia of Religion, Macmillan, 1987, Vol. 4, p. 94. Cosmogonic or creation myths, stories and theories serve as a 'background and context for thinking about' ethics or the 'proper, appropriate and right conduct of a community.' Id. at 99. Thus, although beliefs may differ about creation, the subject itself supports character principles and ethics.
"Based on the above discussion and analysis, it is my official opinion that neither [Georgia law 50-3-4.1] nor [Georgia Law 20-2-145] on its face, is in violation of the principles of [religious freedom] in either the Georgia or the United States Constitution."
[ The Federalist ]
Editor's Comment: Amen!
I can see the problem though. Liberal educators have a big problem with the word "ethics," a word with which Attorney General Baker seems very familiar.
Sen. Barbara Boxer last week introduced the "Global Democracy Promotion Act of 2001," a bill that would permanently reverse what she describes as a gag rule recently imposed on international family planning groups by President Bush, according to a statement published on Boxer's website. According to Senator Baby-Killer, not paying an NGO to speak is the same as gagging them.
At least two Republicans (RINO's) have so-sponsored the bill, Senators. Olympia Snowe of Maine and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island. The bill claims to have 40 sponsors altogether, but we have not yet seen the entire list. It will be published here when it becomes available to us.
It may not surprise our readers to know that Planned Parenthood who loses millions of tax dollars due to the reinstated Reagan-era Mexico City policy, supports Senator Baby-Killer's bill.
[ TCN ]
The National Unlicensed Church Conference will be held this year in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, April 16-17. Several notable speakers will be featured, including Peter Kershaw. Mr. Kershaw is a nationally recognized expert on unlicensing churches, and forming free-churches. Other speakers will share from personal experience about their free-churches and free-ministries.
According to Mr. Kershaw, "No church in America needs to incorporate or become a 501c3. Even the IRS acknowledges that churches are 'automatically tax-exempt and tax-deductible', without ever applying for 501c3 recognition. When churches incorporate and become 501c3, they legally and voluntarily subordinate themselves to the rule of a government that, in more recent years, has shown itself to be quite antagonistic toward the Christian faith. We believe it's high time for churches to quit relying upon the so-called 'privileges and benefits' of the State. The stakes are too high and the dangers too great."
Conference topics will include:
For conference registration information, call Mercy Seat Christian Church at 262-675-2804, or on the internet at: http://www.mercyseat.net
Mr. Kershaw is available for radio and television interviews, and for newspaper and periodical articles.
Nike now lets you personalize your shoes by submitting a word or phrase which they will stitch onto your shoes, under the swoosh. So Jonah Peretti filled out the form and sent them $50 to stitch "sweatshop" onto his shoes. Here's the responses he got... fun and games with Nike...
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