As the confusion and tragedy and heartache of the Sandy Hook events unfold, everyone looks for an answer. I, too, wish that the energy of Olivia Rose Engle was still in this world. She was an amazing little girl and even took musical theatre classes….I bet she lit up a room. And in the midst of all this I see posts like this on social media: “It is time to put God back in schools.” What does that mean? What does that imply? It implies that God is not in our public schools….that he has been forced out. I whole heartedly disagree with the notion that God is not present in our schools.
Could you all do me a favor? Please stop making the following statements: So and so is removing God from the public schools; God is not allowed in the schools; or there is no prayer in schools. ALL OF THESE ARE FALSE STATEMENTS. I take God into school with me everyday. I pray in the school. I am never afraid to speak of my faith. I have never encountered a rule that would disallow a student to pray or read the Bible in my school. However, I do not lead prayer, will not teach my faith or force this faith on anyone. THE HOME IS WHERE FAITH IS TAUGHT. AND, I am tolerant of all other beliefs in my classroom….tolerance that our Constitution demands. I do not live in a Christian nation…. I live in a nation of religious tolerance. If you want God in your child’s classroom, teach him to live by God’s word, lead him in his faith by praying at home and attending church, and send him to school with God.
Consider it pure joy! 
MA, you are absolutely right. I am so tired of those parents who insist that someone else teach their children about God, whether it’s the schools or the church. These institutions are made to assist parents in teaching their children reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic (schools) and religious truth and rites (church). The child’s first teacher and first evangelist is their parents. What they learn at home will stay with them longer than what they learn anywhere else. God was never taken from our schools; He is everywhere at once. How can we possibly keep God from our schools? It would be like trying to keep the air from our schools–it’s everywhere!
Of course, some would argue that without a Christian home a child will never some to know religion. I argue that our churches and other groups need to work harder to instill the values that will our nation great…without a foundation the values cannot grow. Sadly many children have a foundation of anger, poverty, instability, and disfunction. Therefore, they become citizens with the same values. Our schools do take those kids and do our best to teach them what it means to have purpose and a respect for others. Being fully human is not just a Christian tenet.
I do loathe the statement that God is not allowed in schools and that prayer in school is illegal… that is not a true statement. Tolerance is also something our nation needs to learn about…our schools work on that everyday. And, I think our churches could be a lot better at tolerance as well. And of course….even those who know Christ, believe in Him, and profess Him as their Savior will perpetrate crimes against society and those they love. And that is the mystery of life.