Daily Inspiration

Even Ms. Merry Sunshine Gets Perturbed Sometimes

While I was driving on my 375 mile trip last Friday, I heard about the comments that Education Secretary Rod Paige made in the Baptist Press article on April 7. I first heard about it on NPR, then switched to a Christian station where they were talking about it too.

If you missed this controversy, here's a link:
http://www.mcjonline.com/news/03a/20030416a.shtml

Basically, Rod Paige said that all things being equal, he would prefer to send his own children to a school with Christian values. And because of this, he has been asked to apologize and to even resign.

This amazes me and saddens me too. Like the Christian radio station talk show hosts, I wonder which Christian values are objectionable to the civil liberties groups.

Is it wrong to love your neighbor? That's one of the most important things in Christian values. Loving your neighbor means you value him, respect and honor him. What's wrong with that?

How wrong can it be to remember to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"?

Our original value system and laws were actually built upon many of the Judeo-Christian values listed in the Ten Commandments. We're reminded not to kill, to honor our parents, to not covet our neighbor's things, not to commit adultery. Aren't these good values?

Can't the civil liberties groups understand that if they take away my right to have an opinion and state it, that they are also, in the end, going to lose their rights to have and voice opinions? We cannot allow one group to have all the opinions; neither can we ask only one group to be silent about their beliefs.

And yet that is what the civil liberties groups would like to see. They'd like to see me and others like me be silent about my beliefs.

I cannot do that. I'm glad Rod Paige cannot do that either and that he refused to apologize for his beliefs and opinions.

The Christian show to which I listened worried about the fact the folks like Ted Kennedy and other democrats seem perfectly comfortable assuming that every value system is equal to another and therefore should not be mentioned. Since all are equal, none should be the focus of praise or of distain.

Hmmm. I wonder if they really mean that. If the gangs want to hurt one another, should they be allowed to do so, because that is their value system and not to be given less value than another? If a group decides that cheating is their value system, should that be allowed?

Somewhere along the line, a value system has to be embraced by all. Just what is it that folks don't like about Christian values? No one is insisting that everyone believe in God or in Jesus. But what's wrong with telling folks how important it is to help and love their neighbors, or that murder is wrong and that respecting parents is something everyone should do?

I guess I'm just confused. And perturbed and chagrined too.