Pledge, Prayer and the Bible - In Schools

Lately there has been a push on facebook and twitter posts about the Pledge of Allegiance, prayer, and the Bible taken out of public schools. Many are unhappy, and go on to say that our public school system is screwed up. Some continue with complaints stating that it is a great reason to take out kids and abandon the public system.

I was homeschooled from 2nd grade to graduation, so I wasn’t too familiar with how things were for my generation going to public school. I had friends who attended, and many turned out just fine. However, I don’t want to take things by just what others say, I want to look into it... and since my daughter is attending public schools, I decided to see how true this was. 

It seems that unless our public schools in town are the USA’s exception... these posts are false. 

- Prayer.
My daughter is allowed to pray whenever. As long as it’s not out loud during class, causing disruption during class time, or interrupting class. If she’s going to take a test, she can pray and then get it done. No one is going to stop her. She can pray before lunch, before snack, and with friends. Prayer is fine... just like for us adults in the public workplace. Same rules apply.

- The Bible.
It is not outlawed. My daughter can bring it to school. She’s allowed to share with her classmates and friends. They are allowed to read it during the times that they are allowed to read other material. And even better... there are Bibles available in the school library! (On a side note; it probably has more ‘adult themes’ in it than any other book in the library. Should it be available to elementary students when other books are banned for milder content? Hmmmm, I might have to blog on this another time.)

- The Pledge of Allegiance.
Yes, It is done every morning over the speakers. They all take part in reciting it. I had read that this is also a BIG reason to homeschool. Seeing this, it lead me to do an unofficial poll with the kids in my church. At the beginning of every Wednesday service, the kids do the pledge for the US Flag, the Christian Flag, the Bible, and our Club. I asked how many recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning during the week. Over 80% rose their hands. Unfortunately, none of the homeschoolers were in that number.

Several weeks ago, since we are members, Lydia and I attended the town’s Parent Teachers Association’s (PTA) dinner. They were celebrating 100 years of partnership in Springfield. They have done a lot for our school system, and responsible for many things that have made our town’s public schools a great place for kids. (- Which is good, of course) Not only did we recite the pledge, but we were all led in prayer before dinner!

Personally, I don’t think that public schools should force kids to pray or read their Bible before class starts anyway. If a child should be prayed with, or have the Bible read, that’s the parents’ responsibility. Others use the Bible and take it out of context too often. When it comes to it, I’d rather it be myself or my church teaching from it. (If we expect and expect them to lead our children in prayer, how offended would we be if those prayers would sometime be Buddhist or Muslim?)

It seems that the public schools in my city are doing pretty fine.
 
So now, the remaining question: As adults... (leading by example) how do we start our day before work?

~Matt

"Paasch" and "Easter"

Here are some awesome facts about my last name on the upcoming holiday!

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Etymology:

The English word "Easter" and the German word, "Ostern", come from the same root for "Eastre". The ancient word for spring was "eastre" and this was the name given to Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. A festival was held in her honor every year at the vernal equinox.

Christianity merged this 'rite of spring' with the Jewish Passover, which is why in other languages the word for Passover derives from it's Hebrew name "Pesach". In Latin and Greek the word is "Pascha" which in turn becomes in French "Paques", in Italian "Pasqua", in Spanish "Pascua", in Danish "Paaske", in Dutch "Paasch", and Welsh "Pasg". Passover literally means "he passed over" and refers the destroying angel who "Passed Over" the children of Israel and smote Egyptian firstborn children and firstborn animals instead.

Easter has become a time for people to renew their faith in Jesus Christ and God.

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The name "Easter Island" was given by the island's first recorded European visitor, the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who encountered it on Easter Sunday (5 April) 1722, while searching for Davis or David's island. Roggeveen named it Paasch-Eyland (18th century Dutch for "Easter Island"). The island's official Spanish name, Isla de Pascua, also means "Easter Island".

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Thought that this was interesting!

~Matt

Drinking "Moral Coffee"?

“Eating Chicken should not be a moral or ethics issue”

That was the idea back on August 1st...

Dan Cathy’s company was blasted for him taking a stance for his beliefs, putting money into groups that others don’t like. Because of it, LGBT groups decided to boycott Chick-Fil-A. Conservatives and ‘Christians’ saw this as a ‘hate’ attack, and decided to show response in ‘love’ by buying chicken that day.

It was said that it was because Mr. Cathy had the right to stand for his beliefs, and how he runs his business. Chicken is chicken, and one shouldn’t be told how to run his business. By doing a boycott, it harms his company (and those that work there)... and that’s wrong. We should show the love of Christ, show no hate.

I whole-heartily agreed and participated in the event... twice! Proud of those who seemed to show true ‘love’, I stood in line and proclaimed that we can all eat chicken together.




Now... a little over 6 months later, it has happened again. Words have been twisted, and for some reason, drinking a certain brand of coffee is “morally” wrong. All because a company has some of their money going to groups some people don’t agree with. So in response.... “Boycott!”

The problem is, it’s now the other side!

Sadly, it appears that many of my friends and acquaintances have lost their ‘love’. What was claimed as ‘hate’ act for another group is now acceptable for them. Since Starbucks Coffee has money going to the LGBT community, and their CEO continues to support the move, many in have called for a boycott and petition.

What happened?



I agree that if you don’t want your money going to support something you don’t believe in, that’s fine. But please realize that eating at a chicken sandwich shop or not drinking at a fancy coffee shop won’t further the Kingdom of God. I don’t remember Jesus shopping at a market because of someone’s moral stance, or boycotting a business because it was ran by a sinner.

I do know he asked for a drink by a woman at a well, one shunned by others for her sins. He sat and ate with both sinners and Pharisees, he also taught both groups as well.

Are we forgetting the verse after John 3:16?

Personally, I don't buy Starbucks because they are too expensive for my wallet. I do like their drinks. I go to Chick-fil-A for good chicken, not to make statements about my faith, morals, or politics.

However, I agree with what the CEO said in response the the person who owned stock in Starbucks: "If you feel, respectfully, that you can get a higher return than the 38% you got last year, it’s a free country."

I also agree that one should be informed on what company spends their money on. Just like I like to know what business support good Christian radio. ;) Research is good. So, for those who love social media... and want to not support the LGBT community, no Google+ or Facebook. http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/25/tech-gay-pride/ For a top ten list of those who publicly support the pro-gay lifestyle: http://www.queeried.com/10-pro-gay-companies-to-go-and-spend-all-your-money-with/



~Matt

Trusting the Weather?

There is a phrase that is often heard around here in the Ozarks: "If you don't like the weather, just wait another day".

It's true! We've had a big mix of weather over the past week... Rain, sunshine, and snow! 

We had enough rain last week to flood our backyard:

Then within a few days, record degree high of 82 degrees on Friday the 15th, getting us excited for Spring! But the day after Spring officially arrives on the calendar, we get dumped with snow:

Today, it's once again warm... the snow has melted:

...But they're forecasting more tonight!


When it comes to the weather, you can depend on it not being dependable! It's consistently inconsistent!

I like the fact that Spring is coming, but not to excited about mowing.

~Matt

Website Finally UPDATED!

A month ago or more I was alerted that a new iPhone app was available for FREE. It was designed to help craft a free mobile website on your smart device. I read the description, thought it might come in handy, and downloaded it. Then forgot about it....

I then read that the app was gaining popularity, so I tinkered around it it. I found a template, created a few pages, and never published the site. And again, I forgot about it...

Then this week, I open up the app (called "M.dot"), and finished working on what I had started. On Friday, the new look for my website went "live".

The site is simpler, and easier to navigate. I like the fact that it looks great on both a web browser on your computer, or on any mobile device. Right now, I've got the basic info loaded, and have plans for more. But there there are no "under construction" pages, nor any that is uncompleted. I'll just add things as I go along.

The neatest thing for me, is that thanks to the ease of the app, I can fix and change things on the go from my iPhone. I don't have to go to my computer and mess with HTML code. Yes, I'm a simple guy. ;)

Anyway, if interested in checking it out.... it's an easy name to remember: mattpaasch.com

~Matt