I just watched a trailer for a movie that I MUST see.  It is the product of Ben Stein and discusses the perplexity of the conflict between so called scientists and a belief in God and a creation.  It is really chilling

The website answers the questions why:

Ben realizes that he has been “Expelled,” and that educators and scientists are being ridiculed, denied tenure and even fired – for the “crime” of merely believing that there might be evidence of “design” in nature, and that perhaps life is not just the result of accidental, random chance.

On the website there are resources for Teachers, Students and others that want to get involved in the movement.  Resources include posters, flyers, press kit, etc.  What a terrific message to send at a time when we seem to be completely lost as a society.

I was reminded today of testimony given to a congressional committee sometime after the Columbine High School shootings nearly ten years ago.  In light of more recent, and seemingly more frequent, shootings in our schools, it seems appropriate to reproduce some of those comments here.  This is a poem written by Darrell Scott, father of Rachel Scott, who was a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado.

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You’ve stripped away our heritage,
You’ve outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question “Why?”
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!

Here is a complete copy of the e-mail that was circulating then: Link

I certainly think that the topic of prayer in school is one that should be revisited.

I received an e-mail a while ago that had several interesting photographs of the Supreme court and proposed several facts about the presence of God and religion in our government. I’ll quote a few of them below. Keep in mind that I need to verify these. If you happen to know of the origin of the quotes, or if you can authenticate the images, please post a comment or send me a note.

As you walk up the steps to the building which houses the U.S. Supreme Court you can see near the top of the building a row of the world’s law givers and each one is facing one in the middle who is facing forward with a full frontal view . it is Moses and he is holding the Ten Commandments!

As you enter the Supreme Court courtroom, the two huge oak doors have the Ten Commandments engraved on each lower portion of each door.

This next quote from James Madison does appear on many sites on the internet, although none of them look very authoritative. I think some research to validate this would be in order before using it extensively. Can anyone tell me where this quote originated? Was it in an official speech or something less formal?

“We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

With similar caution, Patrick Henry is purported to have said:

“It cannot be emphasized  too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by  religionists but by Christians, not on religions but on the Gospel of  Jesus Christ”

How far we seem to be today from the Christian roots that bolstered us as a young nation.  It ought to be of concern to every American to explore and remember these things and to reflect on how they created a strong America.

Today is “Super Tuesday”. The media is out in force to hype the primary and caucus events that will be held today. As they say, it represents a record number of states ever to concurrently hold primary elections. To support their claims, record numbers of voters have registered throughout the country.

As I observe the primary election and nominating process this year, I’m a bit disappointed in the way it has evolved over time. In particular I’m referring to the two party system that emerged early on in American politics. The current nomination and election process likely prevents many qualified and desirable candidates from ever competing nationally due to a lack of affiliation and favor with insiders in either of the two main parties. This lack of affiliation may be just what America needs to check the political process and ensure that career politions really do have the best interests of the American people at heart. George Washington mentioned his concerns with the emergence of a party system in his farewell address.

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I’ve just finished posting articles and comments from a volume of One Nation Under God published in October 2004. Our nation was quite polarized during that year’s general election with regard to the topic of Gay Marriage. To the best of my knowledge, all of the constitutional amendments proposed during that election passed, with some carrying a heavy majority. Even so, there are tender feelings among those for and against the proposition of Gay Marriage and it is important to always be sensitive. Such decisions should never be grounds for harassment.

With the November 2008 elections only several months away, similarly sensitive and challenging topics are being discussed around our great country. Perhaps the most closely tied to religion is the discussion of whether or not to stay in Iraq, and whether our initial occupation was justified. Send in your comments on this important topic.