If there is one true thing, don\u2019t always be so quick to believe what you hear. With every bit of certainty, we all have an agenda (thoughts focused on the why) behind what we do. This agenda then fuels our activity (how we will get it done). Where it starts is having a clear understanding (education) of the situation. These words may just be noise without contextual understanding, so here is a really simple example. Last weekend, we had an open house in the effort to sell our home. As I looked at the yard that morning, it was not in \u2018picture ready\u2019 shape. So my agenda was to cut the grass (my why was that it could look good). The activity that followed was getting the mower out and sweating it out in the yard (sweat and time investment would get it done). My clear understanding was the better the yard looked, the more attractive our home would look to a prospective buyer (Real Estate 101 was my education).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Education is indeed a big focus point for all that we do. No one likes to be called ignorant, but the word ignorant simply means uneducated or having a lack of awareness. We are all ignorant (uneducated) on certain topics. When it comes to getting educated it is important to go to the correct source and thus have the correct interpretation. It is likely that we have all heard the phrase \u2018separation of church and state\u2019. The first amendment to the US Constitution states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.\u201d This post is not to educate you on what this means but more so on what it does not mean. Many people may have incorrectly understood and applied the sentiment of this first amendment statement. But what remains clear is the wide-open door for Bible-centered instruction during school hours. I know you are reading this and potentially thinking that someone has lost their mind. Or, possibly, you are thinking this seems too good to be true. Well, let\u2019s get educated on something called \u2018released time religious instruction\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since the inception of America, religious instruction has been an integral part of formal education. \u201cThe primary reason for formal education was to promote and maintain the moral fiber that established our nation.” This reason dates back to as early as the 17th century. In the 19th century, the first non-compulsory public school was established in 1821. By 1852, the state of Massachusetts passed the first compulsory school laws. Through the years and more specifically in the 20th century, there has been widespread reform in the public education sector. Unfortunately, most of it did not protect and prepare children for their futures. So we see the shift from education\u2019s initial focus of promoting and maintaining the moral fiber. Although at times misinterpreted, this moral fiber had its origin in the mandates and commandments laid out in the Christian Bible. So why explain all of this? This information is useful to build the framework and proper knowledge (education) for something called released time religious instruction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since the formation of the Department of Education in 1867, there has been a war against morality and the engagement of what constitutes a moral fiber. What is wrong? What is to be allowed by our culture? How should we treat the elderly? What is the proper way to help orphans? How do we help those who come to America (a foreign land to them) for a different way of life? The Bible answers all of these questions and has been a major linchpin in our American governmental structure and operation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Released time religious instruction is a program that allows public school students, with parental permission, to leave campus during school hours to attend religious education classes. These classes are completely funded and taught by religious or community groups. The ability for schools to allow this almost stopped in the early 1900s. In the 1925 case of Pierce v. Society of Sisters, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states cannot use their compulsory education laws to prevent children from attending private, religious schools instead of public schools. Again in 1945, someone brought legal action against a school district to disrupt the program. The claim was that a family that chose to not participate in the district’s in-school religious instruction program was ostracized. Problems continued through the years and, in 1952, another hearing brought the concern of the usage of public schools’ tax dollars to assist in a religious program held on school property. This same hearing also stated that a public school may not coerce anyone to attend church, observe a religious holiday, or take religious instruction. The supreme court then placed these mandates on released time religious instruction:<\/p>\n\n\n\n