Separation Between State and Family

By The Christian Post, Friday, May 11, 2007

You hear about it all the time – the "wall" of separation between church and state. The government should not endorse a particular religion to the exclusion of others, nor should it interfere with religion, and vice-versa. The two should be separate and independent of one another.

But there's another "wall" that needs greater attention and that has increasingly fallen under attack.

As much as ardent church-state separators keep watchful eyes on religion's prohibited influence over the government, ready to pounce at any signs of crossing, concerned Americans should be steadfast in protecting one of the most vital and basic units of society – families.

Take, for example, incidences like this: Two sets of parents sued a school district in Massachusetts, claiming that district officials violated both state law and their civil rights by allowing a teacher to read to their 6-year-olds a book that normalizes homosexual love and "marriage."

In response, federal judge Mark Wolf dismissed the lawsuit and said public schools are "entitled to teach anything that is reasonably related to the goals of preparing students to become engaged and productive citizens in our democracy."

Furthermore, the judge said parents did not even have a right to pull their kids from classes that discuss and depict homosexual behavior. Allowing kids to leave, he said, "could send the message that gays, lesbians, and the children of same-sex parents are inferior and, therefore, have a damaging effect on those students."

It's already a big problem how large an influence corrupted media is having over the young generation. Now, if those families that wish to instill in their children good morals and values encounter interference from institutions that were designed to help … what can a parent do?

There should be a line that schools, courts, and lawmakers should not be allowed to cross against the will of loving parents. While each may be looking out for the best interests of youth, at the center of the efforts should be the family. And if anything, other institutions should be there to support and strengthen the family, not restrict or weaken.

Laws, rules, policies can only go so far. Under them, every person is treated the same. But not everyone is the same. And the one who more likely knows what is best for a child is the parent who raised them, who knows them, and who loves them. And any effort to stop a loving parent from doing the job that God Himself has entrusted them with is overstepping the line.

Conclusively, the threat in society is not from religion, as some atheist activists may want people to believe. It's from the secular institutions of society that are not only removing God, but are even taking away a parent's right to raise and protect their child.

According to a recent Zogby poll, over half of parents think that promoting and demonstrating condom usage in schools encourages sexual activity and 80 percent think teens will not use a condom every single time.

Promotion of the homosexual agenda and of sexual activity in schools is by far more dangerous than whatever religion the government may be promoting. At least with promotion of religion, you are promoting something that introduces morals and values as opposed to immorality and unchastity.

Concerned Americans need to keep their eyes on the "wall" that the real intruders are crossing over, because when that is breached and the central piece is overtaken, the battle is lost no matter how many other pieces remain standing.