Evolution of the Lumox
It’s an interesting concept, to me, that Christianity is supposedly under attack in the United States, because as far as I can see it, Christianity is the most powerful force among the majority of American cities and towns. So to hear that Missouri was hoping to add an amendment to their state constitution to allow people (particularly students and politicians) to practice their religious beliefs on government sites, I wasn’t in the least bit shocked.
No. Instead I was confused. In New Mexico, and I’m pretty sure even in NYC (potentially the most secular place in the US), students gather at the flagpoles and pray openly without protest from their peers or faculty.
This is the least of my concern though, because any concern as to the rights of Christian citizens in 2012 is far from legitimate. If you think that changing the name of Christmas is persecution, I dare you to travel to Afghanistan. Go on. Go and find a public setting to express your beliefs. You’ll see that they won’t wait for the sinless to throw the first stone.
But this is all just the setting for the real meat. Written into Missouri’s new bill is, “that no student shall be compelled to perform or participate in academic assignments or educational presentations that violate his or her religious beliefs.” I’m pretty sure that rules out much of biology, history, literature (fiction and nonfiction), philosophy, archaeology, paleontology, anthropology, art, and potentially more.
Hurray! Math has now become the only non-offensive subject!
Don’t confuse this with the usual, “It’s my life, I can flunk if I wanna.” Those kids are flying a jet with no fuel, and the only thing that’ll help them is the miniscule sense of hope they’ll have if they survive the crash. No, this is different. This is giving impressionable, naive children the full justification of God itself to avoid knowledge and fail in school. And I say let them.
Bet you didn’t think I was going there, but yeah. I did. But before you think I’m just being a jerk, let me explain.
If this is where this whole ‘religious war’ is going then this action might be necessary. Look, as long as the teachers aren’t fired or demoted because their students choose ignorance over education (mind you with the full backing of many of their parents, clergymen, politicians, and their god), I really just see this as a lesson to be learned the hard way, because you can’t reason with ignorance.
Say Jesus (and that’s Hey-soos, not Jee-sus) decides his religious freedom is being attacked during his science and literature lessons so he plays hookie instead. Jesus fails to pass his 7th grade exams. Feeling even further persecuted, he just quits school all together and ends up scrounging the rest of his life for enough funds to eat once or twice a week. Jesus probably ends up dead at 30 from tuberculosis or pneumonia.
It’s a sad story, I know. But many of the people who see or experience some of Jesus’s sacrifice for his lord will realize that survival means participation and the acceptance of differing views. Those that don’t learn this will make way for others that do. Interestingly enough, this is an incredible, experimental opportunity of social Darwinism.
The Christians who adapt to the system will have a far superior chance for economic and social success. As for the others, most of them will spiral into the giant, empty hole they so zealously dug for themselves. And those of us who do accept the value of premises we don’t necessarily agree with can sit back and watch social evolution happen in the mere span of one generation. How exciting!
So in November 2012, if you live in Missouri and you don’t know whether to vote yes or no on Constitutional Amendment 2, go ahead and vote yes. You might as well let your 10 year old decide what she wants to learn, because you obviously have no business doing it for her.
