Bible Dispute Or Media Grab?
This week, there was apparently a problem at Karns Elementary School. It should have stayed at Karns. Instead, it has toppled into the national news spotlight- exactly where it stands to do the most damage.
I am not certain who is telling the accurate story at this point. There is apparently a dispute over a child reading The Bible at school. The principal says one thing, and the parents…wait a minute… not the parents..their lawyer is saying another thing. Their lawyer!
We tried to get the mom and dad to tell their side of the story in an on-the-air interview. The father apparently agreed and a time was set. But when the appointed time came, he did not answer the cellular phone number he had given us.
By the next day, the story had time to simmer, and there was some doubt that the initial facts were quite correct. The principal of the school came on-the-air to explain her side. We again tried to contact the mom and dad, but they were tied up doing a live interview on Fox And Friends. Their attorney was with them.
On-the-air, the lawyer was asked repeatedly if he had been retained by the parents, and we never got a straight yes-or-no from him. And as for an interview with us, in the town where the issue began- he said that he was not sure he wanted to subject the mom and dad to repeated questions. Nothing like going on a national news program to make sure your client is not exposed to questions.
As a Christian, I read The Bible- more often than some might think. I can’t quote chapter and verse like some, but I think I have a good grasp of the contents. There is one verse that says something about praying in secret rather than hollering about your faith on the street. That’s a lesson I believe we would do well to study these days.
And no, I am not objective. Nobody really is objective. Robots and computers are objective. I believe I am fair to everyone, and believe it is not my job to censor thought and the free exchange of ideas over the airwaves. I will tell you what I think if you ask. But you didn’t ask for my opinion in the news I cover, and you don’t get it.
When we draw great attention to the issue over things such as school policy on Bible reading, we stand to ruin Bible reading that might be taking place in schools all over the district, maybe the state.
Why not settle the dispute quietly? Outside of that, why not say yes, nod your head, and find a way for your kid to do the same thing in another way. But when you draw national attention to the issue, you are putting the cause of all who work for The Lord inside schools- teachers, students, everybody- in peril.
Have I missed something in the years since my children were in elementary school? It wasn’t that many years ago when I watched my kids walk into the house from the school bus stop, met with the usual “How was your day?”.
Disputes over school policy were settled with parent-teacher-principal meetings then. I didn’t have to get a lawyer to get me on The Today Show to complain about something at school. There was the school board, the central office, and all kinds of supervisors for their mom and me to badger if we didn’t get a satisfactory resolution to the matter.
And my children were not always the best behaved,or the best students- so there were some pretty intense times at the schoolhouse. Mainly for my son. I can remember once, the assistant principal told me he was afraid I was going to beat Jon on the spot for an indiscretion. (Sorry, son- I had to tell it.)
And there were teacher problems. One time in Atlanta, a teacher apparently did not like me because of my work, my public life, or something, and she took it out on my daughter. The principal intervened and moved her to another class. There are a few folks who can’t seem to separate my wife and kids from what I do. But I never hired a lawyer.
And finally, then there is the argument that sometimes is easily dismissed by Christians, but I assure you there are people ready and waiting to say “If they can read The Bible, why not Pagan literature, or The Koran, or any other religion.
People in our nation have a right to believe anything they want to, and the right to teach their children any religious paradigm they wish. I taught my children my beliefs, and to be well equipped to intellectually argue their point before others. They won’t always have a Bible when they need one. They will have their faith no matter what.
Unfortunately, it is probably too late for this case. The horse is out of the barn…rather- the lawyer is out of the office and into the studio.
There are only a couple of questiions I have and it doesnt take the parents or the lawyer for the parents to answer the questions:
Do children now, or have children ever been allowed to read, or been allowed to study for a test, or work on homework during recess?
Are children allowed to sit and not exercise during recess?
If the answer to either one of these questions is yes, then it is clearly a case of singling out religion–whether the Bible, Koran, Torah.
If there is one student who answers yes to the question if hes ever read a magazine, a comic, or studied for a test–then the school is in big trouble.
It doesnt matter if the principal wants to attempt some kind of Orwellian redefining of the word "recess"
to mean class time organized in a different setting. Recess is free time–and any adult who has ever been in school, knows this without a doubt.
Mr. Foulk, with due respect, I heard your remarks this morning on HHH and I thought you lost your cool. Any credit you built with this listener on this issue was lost like that. I can see you are passionate about this issue, and I tend to take anything any lawyer says with a grain of salt.
However, perhaps you should also consider that me, along with many other parents in the school system have no faith, none… in our local leaders to address issues like this. People are still sore about the wheel tax, school uniforms, Charles Lindsay\s performance, and the fact that up until a few years ago the commission and board were at each other\s throats threatening lawsuits with taxpayer monies. Maybe a little national interest is a good thing.
Your articles often bring much joy to me that I really hope I can know you.