Seperation of State and Religion

In a recent blog I discussed the changes going on within the Texas State Board of Education and the problems of separating strong religious beliefs from the school systems. This details a legitimate problem in Texas, as well as the rest of the United States, with separating church and state. Recently the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) has been discussing a revision of curriculum, potentially removing a “liberal bias” within school textbooks and curriculum. Replacing this “leftist ideal” would remove such figures as Ted Kennedy and Cesar Chavez and add subjects such the National Rifle Association and focus more on the “conservative resurgence of the 1980’s and 1990’s.” Also being debated is if Christianity should get more attention in the new curriculum.

The United States was founded by a group of people seeking religious freedom, and to give this idea integrity the separation of state and church was included in the United States Constitution. Through the years, especially in southern states, this line has been blurred and seems to be coming about in a direct way with the recent SBOE discussions. This issue infiltrates other cultural aspects of Texas life in ways such as the gay-marriage debate, and even in immigration issues. The idea that Americans are “Anglo-Christians” has not only raised heated debate in Texas, but breached the integrity of the “American Dream” – that America is a place where anyone can come regardless of age, race, or creed and fulfill their happiness.

Embracing this idea that Americans are people of all different backgrounds and beliefs, in my opinion, builds a stronger nation. As mentioned in Texas Politics, pluralism, which says that “competing interests balance each other,” is essential to a strong government, and I think that this can be applied also to cultures in the United States – accepting different people builds a stronger government and nation. With the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States in 2008 and litigation with gay-marriage rights (hey, it’s a start), the country has made significant progress in confronting the stubborn and closed-minded ideas that are all too pervasive in the American culture.

With that being said, it is time for Texas to follow the lead of the rest of the nation and make a change in their perspective of a nation. The discussions in the SBOE are the forefront of this debate in Texas (although some claim it has nothing to do with religion) and I hope that the best interest of the state and the citizens is put first and not biased ideas about what people think is “right.” I understand that this argument in itself could be seen as “leftist” or even borderline religious, and aside from my feelings about how people should treat one another with acceptance, love and respect, I feel that our state will continue to be crippled if the separation of church and state continues to be blurred but that it would flourish if we make a stand here – but hey, I might have just learned this all in school.