Tom Wimsatt

Mount Airy, Md 21771-7490

The Gazette

218 Main Street

Mount Airy, Md.  21771

Dear Gazette,

I don’t see how the schools can do what Rabbi Amy Scheinerman wants in her letter to the Editor - Keep all religion out of schools.  If we are going to teach our children about American history, we cannot ignore important parts of our heritage.  Christianity IS an important part of our heritage.

First, there is no “wall between church and state” as she suggests.  The First Amendment  to the Constitution begins:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; ...”

Teaching religion in public schools establishes no law and does not involve Congress in any way.

Second, the Northwest Ordinance encouraged the teaching of  religion in the schools if a territory wished to attain statehood:

Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.

Third, some of the first settlers, Pilgrims (there‘s those pesky Christians, again!), are responsible for one of our founding documents - The Mayflower Compact.  The second paragraph of that documents begins:

Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, ...

It would be logical for the schools to teach students the origin of the Thanksgiving holiday.  Before Thanksgiving was a regular holiday, the President would declare the holiday each year.  Here is how Abraham Lincoln declared it, in part:

Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do, hereby, appoint and set apart the last Thursday in November next as a day which I desire to be observed by all my fellow-citizens wherever they may then be as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to Almighty God the beneficent Creator and Ruler of the Universe.

If you travel to Williamsburg, Virginia, to visit and study an important city in nation’s heritage, you cannot miss the fact that the church, Bruton Parish, sits right in the middle of town and figures quite prominently into the events leading up to the Revolution. 

Further study of our early history reveals: there were many days of fasting and prayer declared by our government, Congress has a chaplain to lead prayer, there is a large work of art in the Supreme Court chambers depicting Moses receiving the Ten Commandments, our first literature primarily consists of sermons from puritan preachers, and so much more.

You cannot ignore religion and its impact on our country and remain intellectually honest.  The fact that this debate is even occurring points out the fact that we have neglected this part of our education for quite a long time.