What I Cannot Understand About Secular Progressives
Author: Jeremy Sarber | Filed under: The Old Site
Earlier today, I came across a brief excerpt from a sermon preached in 1985 by Elder Sam Bryant. Elder Sam was making remarks about a man that took a case all the way to the Supreme Court because he was upset that his children were subjected to public prayer in school. I began thinking, What makes an atheist so upset by a prayer that they would waste that much time and energy?
The case which I think Elder Sam must have been talking about was Wallace v. Jaffree. Ishmael Jaffree was a resident of Mobile County, Alabama and a parent of three students who attended school in the Mobile County public school system. On May 28, 1982, Mr. Jaffree brought suit naming the Mobile County School Board, various school officials, and the minor plaintiffs’ three teachers as defendants. Mr. Jaffree’s sought a declaratory judgment and an injunction restraining the defendants from “maintaining or allowing the maintenance of regular religious prayer services or other forms of religious observances in the Mobile County Public Schools in violation of the First Amendment as made applicable to states by the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.”
Mr. Jaffree’s complaint further alleged that two of his children had been subjected to various acts of religious indoctrination, that the teachers had led their classes in saying certain prayers in unison on a daily basis.
An atheist is a person who believes there is no God, no heaven, no hell, no angels, or anything beyond this natural world. It makes sense that an atheist would never encourage such a “superstitious” act as prayer. But why would an atheist fight so hard against it?
Think about it. In the mind of the atheist, once their life is over, that’s it. There is nothing more. So, here’s what I cannot understand. Why would you care if your child prayed or was even “indoctrinated” with religion? If they have an enjoyable life, that’s all that matters, right? Also, why would you waste any of your valuable time on earth fighting such senseless battles against religion? You only have one life to live. Why not spend it doing something truly worthwhile?
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Little Brother,
We choose most of our battles…some are already decided. My belief is ONE conflict I won’t engage in. I don’t pound my beliefs into the heads of others. I don’t understand, either, why these “non-believers” are so offended. What have they got to lose? Nothing. But, they seem to have a louder voice than you and I. The old squeaky wheel theory.
The reason that athiests are so verbal about Christianity is because to them, its a big fairy tale. But what is grating to them is how so many people take it as the truth and try to impose their beliefs onto them. Look at how many conservatives will argue about anything and stand up for what they believe in because its “in the Bible”. Well, an athiest hearing that, you may as well have said you heard it from Princess Lollipop, because it would carry the same weight with them. They fight hard against it because they don’t believe in it, and therefore, don’t want their children or whomever is close to them to be “brainwahsed”.
Its just as how Christians will fight to do what’s right for their kids. Its all in what you believe.
I know what you’re saying but I still cannot understand it. I, as a Christian, have no interest in imposing my beliefs on anyone. I am, however, against the secular progressives taking away the rights of Christians to practice their beliefs. I don’t mind if teachers are not permitted to lead a public prayer in the classroom, but what harm is done by a moment of silence allowing students to pray if they want.
When Christians battle issues in the public arena, secular progressives sound crazy (to me). They hear those fairy tale words like “God” and immediately lose sight of the issue at hand. Take some the Ten Commandments, for instance:
Is it wrong, in the minds of secular progressives, to say taking a day off each week is wrong? How about respecting parents? Is it okay to kill, steal, lie, or lust after what belongs to someone else? God forbid we encourage these principles.
Brother Jeremy,
The reason that atheists are enraged with belief and trust in God, prayer and other religious activities is because it goes against their own religion. Try as they might to declare that they are not practicing any religion, their actions disclose their true thoughts.
As you pointed out, an atheist has nothing to fear if their child prays, so what? So what if they hear the pledge recited, since there is no God, it doesn’t matter. But their secular progressivism is their god, their own intellect is their god, their denial in God is their god. We that believe in God, and the Lord Jesus Christ are an offense to their god, so they rage and imagine vain things.
As you well know, man in his inner being desires to worship something. Those who are born again worship the God that begat them. Those who have heard the gospel worship the Lord that bought them. Those who are ignorant of God worship nearly anything, even their faith that there is no God.
My two cents worth…
Thank you Jeremy for your article. It brought to remembrance to me when I was in 2nd grade, I had a teacher (Mary Davis) who prayed with us every day and read the bible to us. Then, Madelyn Murray O’Hare came along and schools/teachers were not permitted to pray or read the bible to us anymore. Mary Davis continued to do it anyway in spite of the new “law”, but retired at the end of that school year. Looking back now, many years later, I realize that she was most likely forced into her retirement. However, I have the fondest memories of that dear teacher who has since gone home to be with The Lord. I think Christians get pushed around too much by the atheists. Schools were a better place when The Lord was “allowed.”
I personally don’t want the Bible read in class or an organized public prayer, because I don’t want to hear about how we have to work to save someone. And it isn’t illegal for a teacher to tell you their beliefs if you ask, and for students to carry a bible with them and talk about religion. It’s just not to be a madatory part of public education. The school system is there to give you the tools to succeed in everyday life, the math and reading and such to make you able to function. Your parents are responsible for your moral and religious education.
I respect this, because just as an atheist doesn’t want his children growing up to be Christian, I don’t want my children growing up to hear about Missionary Baptist beliefs, or Islam, or Budah, or any thing other than Primitive Baptist. By allowing practices like rote, public prayer in classrooms you are making Christianity the religion of the state, and one day Christians may not be the majority and I don’t want to see precident set for other groups.