Day: August 27, 2003

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You might be a teacher if…

  1. You believe “shallow gene pool” should have its own box on the report card.
  2. You want to slap the next person who says, “Must be nice to work 8 to 3:20 and have summers free.”
  3. You can tell if it's a full moon without ever looking outside.
  4. You believe the playground should be equipped with a Ritalin salt lick.
  5. You believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says, “Boy, the kids sure are mellow today.”
  6. When out in public you feel the urge to snap your fingers at children you do not know and correct their behavior.
  7. You have no social life between September and June.
  8. Marking all A's on report cards would make your life SO much easier.
  9. You think people should be required to get a government permit before being allowed to reproduce.
  10. You wonder how some parents ever MANAGED to reproduce.
  11. You laugh uncontrollably when people refer to the staff room as the “lounge”.
  12. You encourage an obnoxious parent to check into charter schools or home schooling.
  13. You can't have children because there's no name you could give a child that wouldn't bring on high blood pressure the moment you heard it uttered.
  14. You think caffeine should be available in intravenous form.
  15. You know you are in for a major project when a parent says, “I have a great idea I'd like to discuss. I think it would be such fun.”
  16. Meeting a child's parent instantly answers the question, “Why is this kid like this?”

[The Braden Files]

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Commandments fray goes beyond Alabama. Christian proponents have been losing legal battles, but many now feel energized by a new cause. [Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories]

I guess the real challenge for the judicial system is whether they recognize the real issue. They believe the issue is about promoting religion in public places. They apologize for the inconvenience and remove the offending monument. They naively believe they have solved the problem.

Christians view the removal of the monument with increasing alarm. The Ten Commandments are core moral statements that are the foundation of our legal system and they are being dismissed as offensive. It appears that the judicial system has embarked on a process to rewrite history. This issue is not about the stone monument, it is about the values of our judicial system. It has become increasingly easy for people of many faiths to see the actions by judges to remove the monument as another step by the United States along the path to a “godless, valueless society”. Even Christians who believe Ten Commandment monuments are counter-productive are drawn into the fray. Their minds search for a sense of judicial balance and sensitivity to their issues. They do not find balance. They find arrogance. Their hearts cry out that this “godless” path is wrong.  They find a dogmatic assault on all references to God in our laws and our daily life. The intertwining of faith with our daily lives, that has proven successful for so many of our great leaders appears to be illegal if you are a judge. I have become increasingly concerned that our judicial system bows to a new set of idols. They worship themselves.