In light of the events of Sept 11th, the separation of church and state - that always controversial topic - is once again in the spotlight. Using the tragedy to their own ends, some in the religious right are clamoring for student or school initiated prayer in public schools. Others are crying for the 10 Commandments to be put up on billboards in school hallways. Somehow the Bible thumpers are convinced had there been more worshipin' and less fornicatin' in America, the events of Sept. 11th would not have come to pass. They were even claiming to have seen the face of Satan in the cloud of black smoke issuing forth from the attacked Twin Towers, supposed proof of Hell's master plot. Now just who has a picture of Satan to make a comparison with, and how they came by it, is a pickle of a mystery enough. If you need a translation of all this Jesus fervor, I'll translate it for you: the armies of Christ want a Crusade in America against the infidel Mohammadans - and everyone else.

At any rate, these major religious battles once again are in the schools where it is thought the minds and souls of youth are at stake. Past bouts over this issue have taken place in the halls of the Supreme Court. There the justices have ruled repeatedly that student-led, student-initiated public prayer before football games violates the separation of church and state, and is not private speech protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. A great deal of renewed disapproval has erupted towards the Supreme Court's decision. Let some tell it, America is moving to a godless society of crazed atheists ready to storm churches and put pictures of Darwin up over Jesus. But is it really that serious? Are the supporters of religion really under attack from government?

The cry of the religious right has been that the government wants to take God out of public schools. Well what the heck was HE doing there to begin with? Truth is, the Supreme Court is not stopping anyone from engaging in individual or group private prayer. I am certain one could bow down to a rock on school grounds and give praise if he or she wanted. However at a school football game, an entire crowd should not be subjected to someone on a microphone talking about their particular Western Asian tribal savior deity of choice. When that happens, it becomes a public matter and is no longer private. Now to the typical Christian he is only expressing his religious beliefs. But in a religion that readily seeks converts and prides itself on spreading its deity's message, such public displays amount to a good sales pitch, And there are those out there who aren't interested in buying. And they don't want the salesmen harassing their kids either.

To the supporters of prayer in schools, the fact that the Supreme Court has also in the past upheld the teaching of evolution in public schools only adds insult to injury. And the complaint by the religious right is that by not offering Creation as an alternative version of man and the Earth's origins, God is being devalued. Once again, there is this desire to force religion into the public domain: this time at the expense of education.

Creation, unlike evolution or geology, is not science. And it simply has no set place in the public school system. And here's a vexing question for supporters of Creation-based curriculum: which creation story do they plan on teaching to students? Again, Creation is not science---its culture. And just as culture is diverse, there are numerous stories of Creation on the planet. Will they advocate only the teaching of the Biblical Creation we are all familiar with? What of the Four Creations of the Native American Hopi? Or the story of how the All-Father dreamed the cosmos into existence in Australia? Shall Pan Gu and Nu Wa of China be discussed? Odin and Ymir of the Norse legends? Or perhaps even the story of the Golden Chain by the Yoruba of West Africa? And even were all these discussed, the proverbial tip of the iceberg would not even be scratched. Creation stories are as numerous and diverse as peoples, cultures and histories. Neither are more correct than the other. Do the supporters of Creation in schools favor the teachings of all these stories?

Well no, not really when you look at it. Rather, they want so-called Creation science to be taught in schools as a worthy alternative to evolution. But is it? Creation science is hardly science at all. Mostly it amounts to pseudo-science that spends most of its time attacking evolution through slanderous tactics and half-truths. Its own offerings to science often amount to frauds and very poor scholarship. No wonder everyone from the Catholic Church to leading theologians have denounced it as well. While evolution speaks on matters of a mundane scientific nature, Creation science is cultural and speaks to abstract philosophies particular to a certain group of people. It is exclusive in the fact that it only tries to find evidence for the Judeo-Christian idea of Creation. It certainly doesn't speak to what the Jicarilla Apache or the Maori of New Zealand think of Creation.

So let's be frank shall we? Those upset at the Supreme Court's rulings are not up in arms because they want prayer or alternative theories to evolution to be allowed in schools. Rather what they really want is Christianity in school, plain and simple. They say they want prayer at football games? Okay, let a student get on a microphone and start reading verses from the Hindu Rg Veda. They say they want religion taught in schools? Okay, let their kids come home and demonstrate a Vodun spiritual possession ritual for them. Why stop with the 10 Commandments being put up in schools? Let's get the 42 Admonitions to the pharaonic Egyptian goddess Maat up there as well. I am near certain that such acts would send the Bible Belt into bedlam.

What needs to be understood is that religion is a cultural phenomenon and concept interpreted by many different people in many different ways. Can any class or teacher speak to this diversity? How can religion be discussed in a classroom and still appease everyone? How can a prayer to a certain God be broadcast over a loudspeaker and appease everyone? And these are not new concerns as America's founders, when not out harassing the slave women folk, tackled these issues as well.

Contrary to what many believe, these men were not pious Christians. Many of those who think so should look up one word: DEISM. This Enlightenment derived philosophy would explain a great deal why many of these men spent little or no time in church. It would also explain why Christianity nor God or Jesus are found anywhere in the US Constitution. America's founders were well aware, having viewed the destructive religious wars and oppression of Europe, that the only way for true spiritual tolerance to exist was to leave religion as a private matter.

In a land of diverse religious philosophies, the separation of religion and state is not only a good idea - it is a necessary one. It is the only way to respect the rights of individuals and groupings who may not be part of the dominant religious ideology. The very fact that America can contain numerous different churches, temples and shrines of various religions attests to the tolerance of a secular government.

MORPHEUS- Exposin Fake Shyt

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