Virginians struggling over religious beliefs and constitutional change

Well, it appears to me that Virginians are about to wrestle with a huge issue that they don't really understand. As usual, I did a little digging and found the full text of the proposed Virginia constitutional amendment as well as the full text of The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, 16 January 1786

As I see it, here are the major issues:

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Christian Viewpoint
1. Christians, especially teachers, have been very afraid to even hint at their beliefs because parents(and kids) have learned that school administrators will not stand up to a parent, but rather will bow and scrape to even the most idiotic complaints.
2. Teachers and school districts fear lawsuits from disgruntled parents and students who are "offended" by words and/or deed.
3. Teachers (and even administrators) have effectively been muzzled over matters of religion/belief.

Status Quo
1. Children(k-12) are highly influenced by their teachers. Therefore any mention of religion or religious principles is essentially the same as proselytizing.
2. Proselytizing in a public school violates the supposed "separation of church and state" clause of the constitution.

The Cat's idea
1. After reading the Washington Post article, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and the proposed amendment, the only possible reaction is that nothing in the proposed amendment is counter to the US Constitution.
2. The proposed amendment strengthens the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom(1786), by explicitely stating that "...the people’s right to pray and to recognize their religious beliefs, heritage, and traditions on public property, including public schools, shall not be infringed;..."
3. The amendment also prevents the state from forcing anyone to participate in religious activity. "The Commonwealth and... public school divisions, shall not compose school prayers, nor require any person to join in prayer or other religious activity."

I wish that those who believe there is a separation between church and state would read the constitution. IT'S NOT THERE! So anyone bringing that up just doesn't have a clue. Now let's talk about reality.

The status quo points are interesting in that teachers do exert an immense influence over kids for both "good" and "bad". What would be the consequences of allowing a Hindu teacher to express her beliefs to her students? Are they the same for a Wickan? or what about any of 100 other "religions"?

Knowing that this could very easily open the floodgates, I expect the Virginia Senate will kill this bill rapidly. The risk is enormous, and the benefit is illusory. An amendment intended to allow the Christian message to be heard in schools would instead expose children to far-out and wild belief systems. With no foundational principle to fall back on, what will the children believe?

That being said, I believe that Christians have been muzzled either out of fear or ignorance. My wife, not an ignorant woman, has been fearful that the music (Christian praise songs) she listens to during her off periods at the local high school would get her in trouble. It is important to protect the civil liberties of Christians in this country who have been muzzled. After all, it was christian beliefs that provided for the freedoms that Americans enjoy.

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