Letter: On God and the First Amendment | Communities | mainstreet-nashville.com – Main Street Nashville

The First Amendment of the Constitution says, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...

This amendment clearly meant something far different to the Constitutional framers than many today assume it means.

Jefferson began editing the New Testament in 1804 while a sitting president, attempting to make his version the U.S. government-sanctioned version; thus insuring it would be read in every American classroom. After drafting the First Amendment, Madison said it would aid in the spread of Christianity. Franklin, a self-proclaimed deist, complained the framers werent seeking Gods guidance enough while drafting the Constitution, the opposite of how deism is defined today.

The term, church, in the 18th century referred to institutional religion. This term does not equate with God anywhere within the writings of Americas founders. And, the Declaration clearly defines a Creator actively involved in the affairs of humanity.

Legitimate secular university polls report 80% of American educators, 75% of physicians and 50% of U.S. scientists believe in God. Even though so many agree the evidence demonstrates design, the ACLU refuses to protect their credentialed scientific conclusions. Instead, the ACLU demands American educators deliberately lie to our children by omission, leaving out the fact that most major historical and nearly half of living scientists agree the scientific evidence demonstrates design.

The God question is central to the scientific thought and inquiry of nearly every major historical scientist. Yet, many today pretend God isnt a question for science, including some of the same progressives angry over the one-sidedness of talk radio. To allow only one myopic view is to teach our children questioning what is true and presenting differing viewpoints isnt relevant to education.

Many educators do, in fact, address the God question. Any theory assuming universal reality is a result of unguided natural processes is claiming there is no Grand Designer is non-verifiable and therefore irrational. Our extremely tiny window inside such an immense fishbowl cant possibly determine the universal reality is either not created or unguided. Atheism has no more protection under the First Amendment than any other view. Is science really served when our children are taught only one non-evidence-based superstition?

The Encyclopedia Britannica and most scientists today admit science doesnt know how life came to be. Life may predate our own sun. Thus, it is an obvious lie to say life came about by natural, unguided processes, as the television series, Cosmos, grandly proclaims, without providing a shred of supporting evidence. Elsewhere, this series contradicts itself. It says scientists shouldnt be afraid to admit what they dont know. If science doesnt know how life came to be, this is what American textbooks should teach.

When 87% of Americans claim to believe in God, is it reasonable or fair for our childrens textbook authors to pretend there is no Creator, as if they somehow would know? What evidence do they have for magically existing universes, and why should we believe them or entrust our childrens education to them?

Richard Aberdeen

Hermitage

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Letter: On God and the First Amendment | Communities | mainstreet-nashville.com - Main Street Nashville