Faith is More Caught than Taught
Recently, I read of a new law passed by the Texas legislature that allows public schools to replace counselors with chaplains. At first glance the new law may sound like a good idea but after reading the law, I am firmly opposed to it. The word “chaplain,” for instance, is a misnomer, as a person only needs to pass a background check in order to become a chaplain. No religious training or expertise in working with students is necessary. Texas officials justify this new law by stating that public schools “are not God-free zones.” Each school district has six months to decide whether to establish these new chaplaincy programs.
A number of other states are also considering creating similar chaplaincy programs, including Ohio, Oklahoma, and Florida. People who serve in schools as chaplains may even use their position to evangelize school-age children. It appears to me that the new law will open the door to all kinds of cult-like religious dangers. More than 100 concerned Texas chaplains, who have spent years training for their profession, have signed an open letter to the state’s school districts calling on them to reject this new religious initiative.
If I were a Texas chaplain, I, too, would have signed the letter. I believe life with God is the best way to make sense out of our broken world, and I have spent the greater part of my life encouraging people to follow the ways of Jesus, but I strongly oppose the government taking over the work of the church.
Religious teaching should be done in homes, churches, temples, synagogues, or mosques, but not in public schools. I do not think that the government is equipped to teach students about God. Besides, schools would be turned into sectarian battlegrounds as people from every conceivable religious background would gain access to students. With tensions in our country already at a fever pitch, this only adds fuel to a fire that is dangerously close to flaming out of control.
The constitution of our Republic specifically prohibits government interference in matters of religion. America was established as a secular nation where all religions would be given an opportunity to flourish. Many of our Founding Fathers were deeply religious, others not so much, but all of them recognized that the separation between church and state was the best way to insure national harmony in a pluralistic nation. Religious freedom has been a cherished principle of America since its inception.
Freedom of religion is a hard pill to swallow for some people. Convinced that only Christianity can solve humankind’s intractable problems, some Christians have become ardent activists in pushing a religious agenda, thinking they are serving the greater good, when in reality they will probably harm the very faith they follow.
Just a cursory reading of history tells a dark story of terrible crimes against humanity whenever people attempt to spread religious belief through any means other than voluntary acceptance. The nature of religion implies that faith cannot be spread through violence or coercion. The Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, Calvin’s Geneva, Europe’s religious wars of the 17th century are a few examples of how religion can become a tool of evil. Authentic religion enters the heart through channels of love and understanding.
I’m sympathetic to those who feel that children and students need more religious influence. At times, our culture seems to be coming apart at the seams, and we desperately want some remedy to our growing problems, but inserting unqualified “chaplains,” who may or may not be trained to deal with the complex issues that children and teens face, is hardly the answer and would probably make difficult situations even worse.
There are no quick fixes to America’s problems of rampant racism, unbridled greed and materialism, lack of trust in institutions, inequality between rich and poor, gun violence, educational decline and so much more. But it is not hopeless. And, yes, I believe religion can play a part in an American renaissance. For it to occur, however, it must begin in our homes and places of worship. People will be attracted to a religious life when they see the difference life with God makes. Unfortunately, too often the world sees little difference between those who have embraced a life of faith and those who have not.
I was fifteen-years-old when I attended a baseball camp in Chandler, Oklahoma. One of the counselors at the camp was a boy named Jim. He was only three or four years older than I, but for some reason he seemed much older. There was a maturity about him that I admired. He always had time to help a struggling camper or sit beside a boy who appeared to have no friends.
For three weeks I observed Jim day after day. I noticed his attitude when he was tired or frustrated. Once, after he struck out with the bases loaded, I watched as he slowly made his way back to the dug out, but not before he offered a word of encouragement to the next batter. After the game, he shook the pitcher’s hand, and I saw him visiting with the other players. He was the quintessential sportsman.
One day, just before camp ended, I sat in the bleachers beside Jim before practice began. We started talking and I told him how much I admired him. It was then that he began to share his faith. He told me how Jesus had changed his life and transformed him into a new creation. He didn’t brow beat me or try to get me to become a Christian, although he did ask me to read the Gospel of Mark in the Bible. He simply shared his story, but his story changed my life.
Over the next several months I continued to think about what Jim had shared with me. I read the Book of Mark and thought long and hard about the direction of my life. In November I made the decision to follow Jesus. My faith story began by observing the remarkable life of a young man not that much older than I. I learned then, and have never forgotten, that faith is more caught than taught.
