“TEACHERS AND STUDENTS”
Recently some teachers have made the news because they have been accused of giving alcohol to students under their charge. One case was in Montana, another one in South Carolina and one here in Indiana. In two of the cases the school board dismissed the teachers while in the third case, it was not clear what the punishment was going to be to the teachers. Letters flooded the newspapers as the public was outraged in the different cities. People could not believe that teachers would betray the trust placed in them by the parents.
One of the teachers gave this as his defense. He said, “…he felt them being exposed to it in a controlled environment, that would save them from problems later…”. This certainly did not stem the anger of parents and concerned citizens. If anyone that is an adult wishes to drink, such is okay in our society. However, if one offers it to a minor, then the community is outraged. More people die on our nation’s highways as a result of drunk drivers than are killed by handguns. Professional sports teams could not long survive without the advertising dollars poured into them by the alcohol industry.
May I raise this question? How much damage is done to students who for some 12 to 13 years are exposed to evolution and its attendant problems. There is no “right or wrong”. The student is encouraged to get in touch with his “feelings”. The question then would be asked, “well, how do you feel about that?”. The school system cannot teach values as such but are encouraged to get the child to ignore existing standards of the community. If there is no standard to appeal to, then it is up to the individual to do as he sees fit. The book of Judges closes with the idea that every man did that which was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25).
We are here either by creation or by accident. If one affirms we are here by accident, there is no God. If one affirms that we are here by creation, then accident takes a quick exit. Which does our public school system teach? We are here by accident and, hence, there is no God. We expose our children to this doctrine for nearly twelve years in formal education. We take those same children and expose them to the Word of God, twice on Sunday and once on Wednesday night. In some cases we almost have to force children to attend gospel meetings. At conflict at times is homework or some ballgame type activity.
We are faced then with children going off to college, military or married life, who exit from their existing faith. It is a faith composed of belief in God but not a belief system that prompts actions. They are taught for 12 years that there is no objective standard of truth. When they leave home, finding a place to worship is not high on the priority list. I mean if there is no “right or wrong”, how can you be wrong for sleeping in on Sunday morning? Some children are raised in homes where anything can come between them and worshipping God. When they get out on their own, they simply mirror what they have been taught.
What if in the public school arena we taught children that life does not come from non-life? That would be mixing church and state, would it not? Our forefathers gave us the Constitution in order that we could have freedom to practice religion and not freedom from religion. The cry of “mixing church and state” is just a smoke screen to hide the animosity thta those in power feel toward religion. What if the school system taught that dogs have dogs, cats have cats and humans have humans? Based on our existing world both of these principles are known scientific laws, not theories. Why could children not be taught this? Well, if you did it would point to an intelligence behind it and, hence, the world would not be here by accident. Why not give children a choice between purposeful design and blind dumb luck? Why is it that individuals are so scared of a God that they “know” does not exist? In the name of academic freedom why not consider what God has revealed (II Timothy 3:16).
The teachers who gave alcohol to the their students deserve to be fired. Teachers who knowingly promote the foolishness of evolution to the detriment of our children are no less a danger than the one who gives them alcohol. One can impair judgment while the other can destroy both lives and souls. We thank God for good teachers who honor the trust placed in them by the community to take care of the students in their charge.