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From: scott@hou2g.UUCP (Racer X)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.religion
Subject: Re: "Secular Humanism" banned in the US Schools.
Message-ID: <615@hou2g.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 9-Sep-85 14:18:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: hou2g.615
Posted: Mon Sep  9 14:18:49 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 10-Sep-85 04:27:59 EDT
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Xref: watmath net.politics:10881 net.religion:7570


>You are over looking the fundamental difference between a church and a school.
>The church is free to teach whatever it wants simply because it is a private
>organization and not subject to any state or federal guide lines concerning
>public education.

I have no qualms about this, although I would say the church is a private
organization because it teaches whatever it wants, not the other way around.  
That's what the separation of church and state is all about.

>The school on the other hand, that is public schools, is a public organization
>set up to teach the sum total of man's endeavors, be it math, evolution, or
>religion.  The poeple being taught in these public schools have a right to 
>ALL the information concerning mankind on earth, and this definitely should 
>include the concept of creationism.
>

WRONG!  The public school system is NOT the place for religion of any kind.
I can't believe schools were set up to teach THE SUM TOTAL OF MAN's
ENDEAVORS.  Schools (public) are there to teach the minimum necessary
for a person to survive in our society.  That's why it's compulsory. 
Sometimes they fail even at that.  Religion is NOT necessary to survive 
in our society.  I've survived quite nicely without, thank you.

What people ARE taught is the ability to *gather and analyze* all knowledge, 
so as to make informed CHOICES about which religion, if any, to follow.
That's why we are taught to read and to use a library, and why we, as a
nation, value free speech.  Free speech doesn't mean compulsory speech.
Neither does freedom of religion mean compulsory religion.

			End of "sermon",

			Scott J. Berry