There are many arguments supporting the view of citizens who favor the return of prayer to public schools.
First and foremost, prayer in school is constitutional and supports the principle of freedom of religion on which the U.S. was founded. In banning school prayer, the U.S. Supreme Court has misinterpreted the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. A simple and voluntary school prayer does not amount to the government establishing a religion, any more than do other practices common in the U.S. such as the employment of Congressional chaplains, government recognition of holidays with religious significance such as Christmas or the proclamation of National Days of Prayer. Furthermore, in banning school prayer the U.S. Supreme Court has mistaken the principle of “freedom of religion,” guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, for freedom from religion and any observance of it. School prayer would allow religious students the freedom to observe their religious beliefs during the school day. The U.S. Supreme Court has urged school cooperation with religious authorities for “it then respects the religious nature of our people and accommodates the public service to their spiritual needs.”
Moreover, prayer in school acknowledges our religious heritage. Our country was founded by people who believed in freedom to practice one’s religion openly and who used their religious beliefs to create the backbone of this nation. Our children should be able to participate openly in this great heritage, seeking help, strength, and endurance from God as did their forefathers. Our system of education also has a rich spiritual heritage. Of the first 108 universities founded in America, 106 were distinctly Christian, including the first, Harvard University, chartered in 1636. In the original Harvard Student Handbook, rule number 1 was that students seeking entrance must know Latin and Greek so that they could study the Scriptures: "Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, (John 17:3); and therefore to lay Jesus Christ as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning."
Finally, prayer in school offers many societal benefits. School prayer would instill moral values. Schools must do more than train children’s minds academically. They must also nurture their souls and reinforce the values taught at home and in the community. Founding father Samuel Adams said, "Let divines and philosophers, statesmen and patriots, unite their endeavors to renovate the age by impressing the minds of men with the importance of educating their little boys and girls, inculcating in the minds of youth the fear and love of the Deity. . .and leading them in the study and practice of the exalted virtues of the Christian system." The public school system is tragically disintegrating as evidenced by the rise in school shootings, increasing drug use, alcoholism, teen pregnancy, and HIV transmission. School prayer can help combat these issues and is desperately needed to protect our children. School prayer could lead to increased tolerance and less bullying in school since it can instill a sense of right and wrong and a love for others above oneself. School prayer will promote good citizenship. Founding father John Adams said, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." The founding fathers believed this should be taught in school. George Washington stated, "What students would learn in American schools above all is the religion of Jesus Christ." School prayer may cause students to acknowledge a power greater than themselves on which they can rely for comfort and help in times of trouble. This will lead to decreased reliance on drugs, alcohol, sex, and dangerous amusements as well as decreased suicides.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Double Standards
So recently I found myself arguing over my opinion regarding immigrants in the work force in this country. It turned ugly, not my doing, and so I stepped out. I will argue with the best of them, but if the participating parties want to make personal attacks towards me, I don't have time to grace them with my thoughts.
I have an issue when I go into Target or Wal-mart and can't find a sales clerk that speaks enough English to understand me well enough to tell me where to go to find an item; is too busy speaking about, presumably, personal subjects in their native tongue with a fellow employee to pay attention to the fact that a customer is standing there waiting to ask a question; or worse yet, that won't practically push a customer out of the way to restock an item. All of the above, has personally happened to me many, many times.
It was said that I shouldn't blame the employee, but the employer. And to as certain extend, I can certainly understand this. Afterall, it is the employeer who knowingly hires someone who may beable to pass that written English exam but face-to-face obviously can't hold a conversation, much less help a customer in passing. And, around here atleast, it is the employeer who is of a foreign decent him/herself and hires, at best, 98% of the same decent; despite the fact that I know for a fact native-born, English-proficient people who want a job just as badly who would appreciate the job and not mix personal with business at work applies for the same job and never gets hired.
But I do blame the employee as well. I get that there are humble, conscientious and hard working immigrants out there. And to them, my hat is off to them for enduring so much to try to make their life and the lives of their family better. That IS what this country is about. But what I've described above are not the actions of humble, conscientious and hard working people. If you have time to text on your phone or hold a twenty minute conversation in your native tongue with your friend while at work, then you have time to better yourself and practice the language, pick up a dictionary, improve yourself.
And no, I am not wrong for thinking this. When I go to a foreign country, I am expected to try to speak in that language. And I happily oblige. I will most likely be very inadequate. But frankly, if I'm going for two weeks of vacation, then I shouldn't be expected to be fluent. However, if I were to relocate to another country, seek employment and all the benefits of that country, then I should be expected to learn the language adequately enough to do the job as well as the natives and to understand and at least respect the culture. But those coming to this country are not expected to do so, and many of them know they aren't expected and take full advantage of it.
I mentioned respecting the culture, above. Now just because I respect the culture doesn't mean I must take part in the traditions of the culture. But I have no right to go to another country and tell the natives that they are wrong for doing something a certain way. But yet, somehow, it is not only acceptable for immigrants to come here and tell me that my pledge to my country is offensive or my tradition of praying for the safety of the children on the playing field is offensive, but this has become so common place that there are actual American-born people telling me the same thing!?! What the blazes is wrong with this picture?!
My country's entire existance seems to be melting away around me. You better bet your patootie I'm upset. The same people who preach that our suppression of the Native Americans and their culture was wrong, is condoning the suppression of my culture and way of life by "outsiders". The same people that cry for the rights of the minority, are taking my rights away. Our opinions are being squashed to not offend others, with no regard to what may offend us. And afterall, I saying being offended by having the rights given to me by the Constitution takes precidence over someone's offense for my exercise of my rights, which consequently is their right too.
Stop the double standards, the hypocracy and the discrimination. Completely turning the table is not going to do away with the problem, it is only going to prolong it. In this case, resentment occurs and only helps to breed the very problems that we are all trying to do away with. Wake up America!
I have an issue when I go into Target or Wal-mart and can't find a sales clerk that speaks enough English to understand me well enough to tell me where to go to find an item; is too busy speaking about, presumably, personal subjects in their native tongue with a fellow employee to pay attention to the fact that a customer is standing there waiting to ask a question; or worse yet, that won't practically push a customer out of the way to restock an item. All of the above, has personally happened to me many, many times.
It was said that I shouldn't blame the employee, but the employer. And to as certain extend, I can certainly understand this. Afterall, it is the employeer who knowingly hires someone who may beable to pass that written English exam but face-to-face obviously can't hold a conversation, much less help a customer in passing. And, around here atleast, it is the employeer who is of a foreign decent him/herself and hires, at best, 98% of the same decent; despite the fact that I know for a fact native-born, English-proficient people who want a job just as badly who would appreciate the job and not mix personal with business at work applies for the same job and never gets hired.
But I do blame the employee as well. I get that there are humble, conscientious and hard working immigrants out there. And to them, my hat is off to them for enduring so much to try to make their life and the lives of their family better. That IS what this country is about. But what I've described above are not the actions of humble, conscientious and hard working people. If you have time to text on your phone or hold a twenty minute conversation in your native tongue with your friend while at work, then you have time to better yourself and practice the language, pick up a dictionary, improve yourself.
And no, I am not wrong for thinking this. When I go to a foreign country, I am expected to try to speak in that language. And I happily oblige. I will most likely be very inadequate. But frankly, if I'm going for two weeks of vacation, then I shouldn't be expected to be fluent. However, if I were to relocate to another country, seek employment and all the benefits of that country, then I should be expected to learn the language adequately enough to do the job as well as the natives and to understand and at least respect the culture. But those coming to this country are not expected to do so, and many of them know they aren't expected and take full advantage of it.
I mentioned respecting the culture, above. Now just because I respect the culture doesn't mean I must take part in the traditions of the culture. But I have no right to go to another country and tell the natives that they are wrong for doing something a certain way. But yet, somehow, it is not only acceptable for immigrants to come here and tell me that my pledge to my country is offensive or my tradition of praying for the safety of the children on the playing field is offensive, but this has become so common place that there are actual American-born people telling me the same thing!?! What the blazes is wrong with this picture?!
My country's entire existance seems to be melting away around me. You better bet your patootie I'm upset. The same people who preach that our suppression of the Native Americans and their culture was wrong, is condoning the suppression of my culture and way of life by "outsiders". The same people that cry for the rights of the minority, are taking my rights away. Our opinions are being squashed to not offend others, with no regard to what may offend us. And afterall, I saying being offended by having the rights given to me by the Constitution takes precidence over someone's offense for my exercise of my rights, which consequently is their right too.
Stop the double standards, the hypocracy and the discrimination. Completely turning the table is not going to do away with the problem, it is only going to prolong it. In this case, resentment occurs and only helps to breed the very problems that we are all trying to do away with. Wake up America!
Marriage
- 40-50% of marriages in the US will end in divorce if current trends continue.
- 27.6% of women who marry under the age of 20 years old will divorce (11.7% of men)
- 36.6% of women who marry at the ages of 20-24 years old will divorce (38.8% of men)
- 16.4% of women who marry at the ages of 25-29 years old will divorce (22.3% of men)
- 8.5% of women who marry at the ages of 30-34 years old will divorce (11.6% of men)
- 5.1% of women who marry at the ages of 35-39 years old will divorce (6.5% of men)
- The divorce rate in America for first marriage is 41%
- The divorce rate in America for second marriage is 60%
- The divorce rate in America for third marriage is 73%
- In 2009, the where 6.8 marriages per 1,000 total population; 3.4 divorces per 1,000 total population
Do these statistics worry you? Are you surprised? What causes such high rates of divorce?
I've honestly lost track of how many of my friends and associates have had marrital problems so severe that the marriage was seriously in danger or did end in separation or divorce. But I don't want to talk about the statistics or even the causes.
Hubby and I have talked alot the past couple of years. It's been difficult being apart for so long, continually working on our relationship so that it doesn't die down with all the distance, and seeing so many relationships around us fall apart, even some who we both looked to for inspiration. And we've decided that 1) the sanctity of marriage seems to be a moot subject these days and 2) people have unrealistic expectations.
I'm not completely against divorce. And I'm not going to pass judgement on those who choose divorce. We all have to make decisions that we can live with. All marriages have difficult times. But God meant for us to work through those difficult times together. Marriage should be "until death do (you) part".
I just think that people underestimate what they have when they have it and overestimate what they want. The grass is not always greener. Divorce is hard and emotional and expensive. People want to complain about how hard life is....WELL STOP MAKING IT HARD! or atleast harder than it has to be. I think "problems" that arise in a marriage can usually be worked out. And I think that the hardwork that it would take to work those problems out, is actually easier than the work it takes to get a divorce and then live harmonously, especially if there are children involved, after the divorce.
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