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JasonKennington
ProfessorSimoneSuddreth
English1010
101715
ClashoftheTitans
Foraslongashomosapianshavebeenontheplanetexpandingourcitiesanddiscovering
newthings,wehavealwaysaskedourselvesonequestionwheredidwecomefrom?Scientists
strivetofindthatanswerthroughmeansofgrandthesesandfactcheckingwhileothersofusturn
tometaphysicalmeanstojustifyourexistencewhichinsomecasesmeansturningtoreligion.
Withreligion,wegiveourselvesamoralcompasstoliveby,guidingoureveryactionsothatwe
mayascendtotheirultimategoal.Whilereligionisadeeplyheldsystemofbeliefsheldwithin
oneself,itmostoftendiffersfrompersontoperson.Differingopinionsbetweenfaithsisnormal
ineveryway,butsomebeliefsbegintothinkdownonotherfaithstobuildthemselvesup.The
settlerswhoranfromtheirhomesineuropedidsotoescapereligiouspersecution.Duringthe
christianfoundingofthiscountry,ourfoundingfatherswantedtocreateaworldwhereanyand
allreligionscouldbetaughtandacceptedineverydaysociety.Thisgaveusasanationa
backboneoftolerancetowardoneanother,showingthatwecanallliveinharmonydespite
alternateviewpoints.Today,thatismoreprevalentthanever.Everydaywefreepeopleofthe
worlduseourownpersonalbeliefstofilterinformationtotheyouthofourcountryusingour
culturalandpersonallensesinanefforttonotexposethemtootheridealsthatmaynotalign
withourown.Whiledoingsodoesmakesense,wecannotallowthistoblockvitalinformation
fromgettingintothemindsofourcominggenerations.Thisisnowheremoreprevalentthanin


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ourowneducationsystemthatispoisoningtheyouthoftodaywithfalsifiedinformationand
damagedbias.Theunlawfulpreachingofreligioninschoolsishurtingthewaythatwelearnin
Americabyfalsifyinginformationandbreedingprejudicetocreateahostilelivingenvironment
fortheminoritieslivinginthecountry.
Thefirstthingmostpeoplethinkofwhendiscussingreligionistheseparationofchurch
andstate.Thistitleisengrainedinourverybeingfromthefirstdaysofourlifeasamericans.
Almostdailywehearofmilitantatheistspreachingthatfaithinschoolsiskillingintellectualsin
oursociety.Withnearthesamezeal,peoplealignedwiththeideaofseparationofchurchand
statebeingvitaltoourveryexistenceasacountrystandatoptheirmountaintopspreachingthat
theirfaithshallnotbequelled.Inthearticle,
ConstitutionalMyth#4:TheConstitutionDoesn't
SeparateChurchandState
,publishedonTheAtlanticswebsite,theauthorshowsthatthefirst
amendmenttotheconstitutiondoesn'tsayanythingabouttheseparationofchurchandstate,
ratherisexclaimsthatcongressshallmakenolawestablishingreligion,ortopreventthefree
exercisethereof.Thusweseethatthisinformationismerelyafigmentofourimaginationand
holdsnolegalground.
InalettertotheDanburyBaptistsfromPresidentThomasJefferson,weseethisphraseof
separationofchurchandstatecomeupforthefirsttime.Theletterinpartreads
BelievingwithyouthatreligionisamatterwhichliessolelybetweenMan
&hisGod,thatheowesaccounttononeotherforhisfaithorhisworship,
thatthelegitimatepowersofgovernmentreachactionsonly,&not
opinions,Icontemplatewithsovereignreverencethatactofthewhole
Americanpeoplewhichdeclaredthattheirlegislatureshould"makeno


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lawrespectinganestablishmentofreligion,orprohibitingthefree
exercisethereof,"thusbuildingawallofseparationbetweenChurch&
State.(LibraryofCongress)
PresidentJeffersonunderstoodthatthereshouldinfactbeawallbetweenthegovernmentand
establishedreligionsforfearthatinthefuture,theleadersofournationcouldimposeanational
religionlikethatofEngland.TheACLUreiteratesthattheestablishmentclauseofthefirst
amendmentstatesthatthegovernmentcannotpromoteorencourageacertainreligion,meaning
thatholdingprayerorselectivelychoosingwhattoteachbecauseofreligionisunlawfuland
againsttheconstitution.SuchwasthecasewithMatthewLaClairinNewJerseywhenhishistory
teacherstartedtopreachduringclass.
MatthewlivesinthesmalltownofKearnyNewJerseywherethemajorityofthe
populationischristian.Growingup,Matthewwentagainstthegraininmanydifferentwaysfrom
notgoingtochurchtorefusingtostandforthepledgeofallegiance.Inmanywayshewasthe
pictureperfectcandidatetoexplainthefreedomofspeechwhilealsobeingablacksheep.One
dayhedecidedtobringadigitalrecordertoschooltoshowthathishistoryteacherwas
unlawfullypushinghisreligiononhisclass.Ontherecording,histeacherMr.Paszkiewiczwas
caughtsaying,He(Jesus)dideverythinginhispowertomakesureyoucouldgotoheaven.So
muchso,thatheputyoursinsonhisownbody,sufferedyourpainsforyouandissaying,
pleaseacceptme,believeYourejectthatandyoubelonginhell.(InGodWeTeach
documentary)Notonlydidhisteacherpreachtohisclass,hedeliberatelychangedhistorical
informationbysayingthingslikedinosaurswereputintoNoahsarcduringthegreatflood.By
alldefinitions,thatteacherwasbreakingthelawbypromotiononereligionoveranotherasa


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publiclyfundededucator.Matthewshowedhisprincipaltherecordingsandclaimedthathis
teacherwasbreakingtheruleswhichbroughtforthaschoolboardmeeting.Atthismeeting,his
teacherwasshownmultitudesofsupportfrompeopleofhissamefaithwhoexclaimedthathe
hadeveryrighttotellthestudentsabouthisbeliefs.Onthecontraryhowever,theACLUstates,
Thepublicschoolsarerunbythegovernment.Therefore,theymustobeytheFirstAmendment.
Thismeansthatwhiletheycanteachabouttheinfluencesofreligioninhistory,literatureand
philosophytheycan'tpromotereligiousbeliefsorpracticesaspartofthecurriculum.Since
privateandparochialschoolsaren'trunbythegovernment,theFirstAmendmentdoesn'tapplyto
them.(ACLU)
Yousee,theproblemisnotthatweareteachingaboutreligioninschools.Infact,itis
ratherimportanttoteacheachotheraboutthevaryingmoralcodethatculturesdevelopwiththeir
beliefsystems.Itisimperativethatwelearnaboutdifferentfaithssothatwecanbetter
understandoneanother.Wheretheproblemliesisusingpersonalbeliefstochangecommon
factsandvitalinformationthatdoesn'tquitealignwiththemoralsofyourfaith.Nowhereisthis
moreprominentthaninourpubliceducationsexualteducationsystem.Themostcommon
religionintheUnitedStatesischristianitywhichteachesabstinenceonlysexualeducation.
Comparedtootherdevelopedcountriesaroundtheworld,theU.S.hasoneofthehighestteenage
pregnancyrates.TheNetherlands,oneoftheworld'smostpromiscuouscountries,wassubjectof
apollfrom2009thatshowedtheirteenagepregnancyratetobe,5.3per1,000comparedto39.1
per1,000intheUnitedStates.(Alternet)Theimportantthingtoaskourselvesiswhyisthere
suchavastdifference?Whatisacountrywithlegalprostitutiondoingbetterthanweare?Well,
oneofthemainthingswearedoingisteachingabstinenceonlyeducation.Whilemosteducation


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isregulatedallacrossthecountry,sexedvariesfromstatetostate.Utahisoneofmanystates
thatteachabstinenceonlysexed,thepracticeofsayingthattheonlywaytoavoidSTDsand
unwantedpregnancyistonothavesexatall.Togoevenfurther,Utahistheonlystatewhere
teachersarenotallowedbylawtoanswerkidsquestionsaboutcontraception.(Huffingtonpost)
Thereasonforthisobstructionofknowledgeissimplestatesthatare,controlled,bycertain
religiousorganizations(mostofwhicharechristian)havetheireducationsystemtwistedtoalign
withthosebeliefs.Thiswrongdoingiscausingtheyouthinourcountrytonotlearnsafewaysto
havesexandoftencausesthemtoberashorevenfearfulwhenitcomestothesubject.
Whilereligionisgoodtohelpcomfortusinthiscrazyworld,butitisnotsomethingthat
weshouldforceonotherswhodonotagree.Doingthisactuallyhurtsusasadevelopednation
showingthatwevaluewhatmaybeoverwhatiscertain.Inregardstoeducationwecannotallow
thistoslipup.Wemustremainstalwartandstrongindividualssayingthattheunbiasedtruth
mustbetaughttooursonsanddaughters.Toraiseignorantandhatefulchildrenwouldbeour
absolutedownfall.


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WorksCited
Epps,Garrett."ConstitutionalMyth#4:TheConstitutionDoesn'tSeparateChurchandState."
TheAtlantic
.AtlanticMediaCompany,15June2011.Web.22Nov.2015.
Flax,Bill."TheTrueMeaningofSeparationofChurchandState."
Forbes
.ForbesMagazine,9
July2011.Web.5Nov.2015
Henderson,Alex."5CountriesThatDoItBetter:HowSexualPruderyMakesAmericaaLess
HealthyandHappyPlace."
Alternet
.N.p.,12Apr.2012.Web.20Nov.2015.
InGodWeTeach
.Dir.VicLosick.
TopDocumentaryFilmsRSS
.N.p.,5July2012.Web.22
Nov.2015
"Jefferson'sLettertotheDanburyBaptistsTheFinalLetter,asSent."
Jefferson'sLettertothe
DanburyBaptists(June1998)
.N.p.,n.d.Web.10Dec.2015.
Klein,Rebecca."TheseMapsShowWhereKidsInAmericaGetTerrifyingSexEd."
The
HuffingtonPost
.TheHuffingtonPost.com,04Aug.2014.Web.20Nov.2015.
"ReligioninthePublicSchools."
PewResearchCentersReligionPublicLifeProjectRSS
.N.p.,
08May2007.Web.5Nov.2015.
"YourRighttoReligiousFreedom."
AmericanCivilLibertiesUnion
.N.p.,n.d.Web.5Nov.
2015.