I occasionally feel compelled to say things that would set pink hair on fire. And today seems to be a good day for that. The burning will come from the response to my thoughts on the current Supreme Court case.
As you may have seen, The Supreme Court seems likely to rule that public dollars should go to Private Christian schools. On that bare assertion, I approve.
The Best Rebuttal They Can Muster
If you’ve paid attention over the years, then you know the rebuttal. “Let’s force them to fund an Islamic School in a Mosque or a Satanic School. If they allow this, then they’ll have to allow everything.” To which I respond, “No, we don’t.”
A Little History Lesson on Catholic Education
Do you know why Roman Catholics began private Christian schools here in America?
Well, it’s really quite funny, especially when you think about this conversation. American public education was so Protestant that Roman Catholic children would receive a very protestant education. This made parents and Roman Catholic leadership anxious. They didn’t want these children getting a Protestant education.
Only recently have you had to pretend to be non-biased to receive educational dollars. States and communities have always funded a Protestant Christian education. And it makes sense because this is a Christian country.
Proof America Is A Christian Nation…or at least was
There’s an interesting court case that everyone who utters such nonsense should take a look at. It has a humorous name. It is called the Holy Trinity versus the United States.
No, holy Trinity here is not speaking of our triumph God, but the name of a church. This church had hired someone from overseas to be their pastor, which was at the time against immigration laws. The church believed it had a right to hire this person due to religious freedoms in America. They even shipped them across the sea.
To make a long story short, the court agreed but it didn’t stop there. It did something completely unnecessary yet so completely satisfying. It’s as if they too wanted to set pink hair on fire.
In the opinion of the court, which can be read here, a diatribe was set upon to prove that America is a Christian nation. But I will summarize or quote small portions. If you’d like to read more just follow that link.
The argument is that Americans are a religious people, and the religion is Christian. He begins by looking at charters that were involved in the finding and founding of America.
Christopher Columbus’s commission was given by “Ferdinand and Isabella, by the grace of God, King, and Queen of Castile”.
And then he describes the “first colonial grant …made to Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584”. In that grant the people were allowed to “enact statutes for the government of the proposed colony provided they be not against the true Christian faith now profess in the Church of England.”
King James I granted the first charter of Virginia. In it he wrote that the people were to “tend to the Glory of His Divine Majesty, in propagating of Christian Religion to such people, as yet live in darkness and miserable ignorance of, the truth knowledge and worship of God, and may in time bring the Infidels and Savages, living in those parts, to human Civility, and to a settled and quiet government:…” King James said similar things to charters that came later. As the court wrote, “in language more or less emphatic is the establishment of the Christian religion declared to be one of the purposes of the grant.”
And then the Mayflower Compact of 1620 is discussed. In it, and I would encourage you to read the whole thing, they profess that “the advancement of the Christian faith, and the honor of our king and country,” is the purpose of the entire endeavor. The entire endeavor of these Puritans at Plymouth was the advancement of the gospel and honor of their homeland.
The Court also appealed to the Christianity that is found in the Declaration of Independence. “The Declaration of Independence recognizes ‘the presence of the Divine in human affairs”.
Then, finally, the court appealed to the various state constitutions. “Every constitution of every one of the forty-four States contains language which either directly or by clear implication recognizes a profound reverence for religion and an assumption that its influence in all human affairs is essential to the well being of the community.” The court wrote.
And lastly, the court touched on the US Constitution, which is supposed to avoid much discussion concerning the individual. But as is pointed out in this decision, Congress is not to make laws with regard to religion and Sundays (Church) are excepted to approve or veto a bill.
He then summarized this by saying, “There is a universal language pervading them all, having one meaning; they affirm and reaffirm that this is a religious nation. These are not individual sayings, declarations of private persons: they are organic utterances; they speak the voice of the entire people.” And then he points to different laws that prove this is a Christianity in general and not a particular denomination.
This is a thorough argument for America being a Christian country. I’m not sure how people can really argue against that.
An Islamic Education Should Not Be Provided By A Christian Country
Once you’ve established what sort of country we live in, the rest of this discussion is easy. A Christian nation should give a Christian education. As the court said, this would be generally Christian and not a particular denomination.
If this is the case, then we don’t even have to think about whether or not education funding could go to a Christian school or if any funding should go to an Islamic school.
Should a Christian country fund a school in a Mosque? No. That’s not part of our heritage. Islam is not part of the religion that built Western Society, or this country. It’s simply not the religion of our country. Therefore, there is no inconsistency in paying for one and not paying for the other.
But It’s Roman Catholic
I actually think this is a good rebuttal. The case is itself one brought about concerning Roman Catholics. America’s founding came, in part, due to the persecution forced upon Protestants by Roman Catholics. And the society we built was so ant-Roman Catholic that they had to make their own schools.
I want to first say that this country is so Protestant that the British called the American Revolution “The Presbyterian Revolt”. It is Protestantism that is in our DNA, not Roman Catholicism.
But we should also note that Roman Catholics were in America early on. It was Spanish Conquistadors that settled in Florida. And in 1634 Roman Catholics did bring colonists. So, while I would never claim that Roman Catholics built the culture, I acknowledge their presence for much of the journey. They should, and likely will, win this case.
I don’t agree with them. I am thoroughly Protestant and proclaim that in my preaching and teaching. I have often taught against Rome from the pulpit and in writing on blogs. But I think they should win this case.
Advice to the Court that They’ll Never Hear
When the Supreme Court decides this case, it cannot just open up all religions. The decisions should rest upon the facts laid out in Holy Trinity vs United States. The decision should argue for Christian education generally and not for other religions.
I hope that this is how the case is decided. Otherwise, it really may open the country up to paying for Islamic schools.
Conclusion
If you disagree with me and are still reading this, then your hair might really be on fire right now. You probably hate this with every fiber of your being. But the question is not, “Do I like it?” The question is whether or not the country is built upon Christianity.
The obvious answer to that is “yes”.
Therefore, our education should at least be friendly to Christian education.
R. Dwain Minor
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