1 week Ago
Nebraska Sens. Murman and Meyer advocate sanctioning religion (theirs, I assume) in schools via "prominent placement" of the Ten Commandments and In God We Trust (Journal Star, Feb. 25) .
Supporting their proposal is Christian nationalism activist David Barton, who argues Dwight Eisenhower fought secularism by including "In God We Trust" on currency and "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance. The senators’ single-minded ally neglected to mention the former Republican president also opposed restricting rights to be informed, saying, "Don’t be afraid to go into your library and read every book." Accepting that challenge, we learn that although our 34th president spent considerable time on the golf course, his enduring accomplishments include the Civil Rights Act of 1957, creation of our Interstate Highway System and approving legislation that created NASA.
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Eisenhower’s bipartisan achievements were varied, open-minded, comprehensive. His conciliatory and farsighted leadership is often praised but rarely emulated. As a longstanding and long-suffering nonpartisan, I propose Ike-like resolutions to currently contested opportunities for learning that will engage more of our increasingly heterogeneous students.
Though not aligning with every student’s beliefs, an introductory course in comparative religions would enable interactive learning about the origins, tenets and expressions of one’s own theology vis-à-vis other faith orthodoxies. Studying their eclectic canons would reveal a shared communal spirit wanting in religious exclusivism. Besides, the senators’ static placards are more proselytizing than pedagogical.
In egalitarian reciprocity, capable professionals, not censoring politicians, will choose books for our school libraries which, likewise, may not comport with everyone’s predilections. Effective schooling expands learning prospects, not excises them. Reading also informs us that all major religions’ sacred writings advocate for their core principles being lived — not leveraged or legislated.
Leveraged principles are lost principles. Furthermore, our country’s guiding document expressly prohibits their being legislated (established). Read.
Learn. Repeat. Larry McClung, Lincoln Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!.
