The following article was written by someone who faced religious censorship himself and is living to tell about it. Coach Daubenmire has given us permission to reproduce it here. The article was first posted on his Pass the Salt Ministries' website. For the past week I have been standing by my friend, John Freshwater, a public school teacher who has been ordered by the Mount Vernon City Schools to remove his own personal Bible from his desk.
The students turned out en masse to support this popular science teacher. The ACLU has done all that they can do to scare everyone.
Yesterday the school board switched tactics. Because the public uproar in support of Mr. Freshwater was so great they decided it was time to pull out the smoke and mirrors. They knew that they had made a huge overreach, so to cover their own rear-ends they decided to attack the credibility of Mr. Freshwater. It is a classic attempt to divide and conquer.
This press release was filled with a list of “allegations” against Mr. Freshwater and represents an attempt to publicly flog an honorable Christian man. Christian superintendent, Steve Short, ordered an inquisition and a babysitter for Mr. Freshwater in a lame attempt to make himself look honorable. We cannot allow the fog to hide the real issue.
There are forces at work who want to ban the Bible from public consumption.
My wife and I journeyed to the movies last weekend to view Ben Stein’s movie, EXPELLED. It is a must view for Christians. From their own mouths the atheists exposed their agenda…the removal of Christianity from the education of our children. We have turned the education of our children over to those who hate God and America is paying a heavy price for it.
The God-haters are playing for keeps and they don’t care who they harm.
In the Freshwater affair the school has released “allegations” that he “burned crosses” on the arms of children. They knew the incident was a science experiment that had nothing to do with his faith, but they chose to link it anyway. Listen here to a brief 3 minute interview I did with a radio station this morning. We are in a war.
Hopefully those of you who read this commentary are educated enough to know that the idea of separation of church and state as currently practiced in America looks nothing like what our Founders envisioned. That is the linchpin upon which all of the atheistic arguments hang. If we believe THAT lie all our positions become vacuous. Religious expression is free speech. No longer must we allow Christians and the Christian point of view to be relegated to second-class citizenship.
That is what the atheists have attempted to do. No, that is what they have done. If a view has any connection to Christian beliefs, or more specifically the Bible, then the view is disqualified because it is “religious” in nature. Atheism is “non-religious.” Humanism masquerades as “science.” Christian views are “religious.” The mythical separation between the church and state bans the religious point of view. Hence, Christianity is forever banished to the four walls of the church.
Christians are so ignorant. We should be the best informed, best educated of all American citizens. Instead of fighting for Truth we have swallowed the arguments of the Enemy. The battle over the Bible is just another example.
Steve Short, the superintendent of Mt. Vernon City Schools, is a Christian. I have known him for years. But he has fallen into the trap set by the secularists. He believes that his duty is to make sure that Christian values are not espoused in the classroom. In his recent statement he said “As a public school system,” Short said, we “cannot teach, promote or favor any religion or religious beliefs. Our obligation is not to endorse or establish any religion under the First Amendment, but we have an obligation to protect our students’ rights.”
Steve Short, a Christian man, has been secularized. He is doing the Devil’s bidding. He is staggeringly ignorant of history. Steve Short is the product of government schools. He is on the same team as the proud atheists in Ben Stein’s movie. He should be fighting for Truth. Instead, he is defending lies.
“But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”
My heart is heavy today. I know Christians pray for their Christian leaders. We work to get them into office. Yet, the Christian world is still screaming for strong leadership.
Sadly, when they get into office we find out that they think like the Enemy. Richard Dawkins himself could not have done a better job of silencing the Word of God than our own Christian, Steve Short.
But the fight is not over.
Last Friday the students stood up for Jesus in the Mt. Vernon City Schools. In response to the attack upon Mr. Freshwater the students organized a “take your Bible to school” day. An estimated 750 junior and senior high students showed up to school with their Bibles in tow. They held a rally and collected over 1000 signatures declaring that the Bible should stay.
But the administration doesn’t care what the citizens say. They are choosing to follow an extra-Constitutional statement found nowhere in our founding documents. They are believing a lie, repeating a lie, and fighting for a lie.
Isn’t it ironic? Those in charge of educating our children are miseducated themselves. Sort of gives new meaning to the term the blind are leading the blind, don’t you think? Here is the bottom line, Church. Our kids are watching. They are watching to see if we really believe what we say about Jesus. They are watching to see if we will show the courage to stand-up for what we believe. They are watching to see if, at this critical time, we really believe that the Bible holds the answers to America’s problems.
They have taken their stand…what about you Mom and Dad….Pastor?
I support those who are fighting against the Day of Silence which is nothing more than a celebration of the homosexual agenda in the same schools where the Bible is not welcome. You see, homosexuality is free speech…Christianity is “religion.” (I wonder where Steve Short stands on this issue.)
But once again our plan of attack is a plan of retreat. Many are encouraging parents to keep their children home on April 25th in protest of the Day of Silence. I think we can do better.
Let’s turn April 25th into a “Take Your Bible to School” day all across this nation. “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.” It is time for Christians everywhere to follow the lead of a brave science teacher in Ohio. Take your Bible to work. Put it on your desk. We can no longer allow them to silence the voice of Truth.
The only way the God-haters win is if the Christians refuse to fight.
They banned prayer from the school and the Church complied. They banned Bible-reading from the schools and the Church said “Amen.” They banned creationism from the schools and the Church supplied the finances. They banned Christmas Carols in our schools and the Church “followed the law.”
Open your eyes. Today they are trying to ban the Bible. How will the Church respond?
Our children are watching.
This is what you get when have government-run schools.
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