We Were Promised A Wall!

Now that I have the attention of all sides, we need to have a hard conversation. As many of you know, last month, the White County Board of Education passed the 1st reading to install the Protestant version of the Ten Commandments alongside other historical documents in our schools. 

Now, I have no interest in debating how you believe this country was founded, nor do I want to challenge your religious beliefs. I know what I know and I am comfortable with that. I also know that I will never change your mind on either in this letter. 

What I do want to address is why we are allowing either beliefs to comingle. Folks, your faith (or no faith) is YOUR personal journey; most likely your family heritage. Your religion should be held sacred to you and your family and should never be slighted by another person. 

The hard part comes in when understanding that your religion is no more important than another person’s religion, or no religion at all. I know, I know...Your’s is the RIGHT religion. Yes, you are right! You ALL are right, and that’s beautiful...until you weaponize it to slight your neighbor, impose precedence, and display it in a “prominent location.” 

In our school system, we have children, families and educators that come from different life experiences, nationalities and family faith practices. In a tax-payer funded, public school, ALL deserve to be represented. Children, families and school entities should be able to walk into the school and know that they are in a safe-haven away from the toxicity on our phones and computers. They should know that things like politics and religion are “Home Stuff,” and are kept there, not on display to a captive audience for a “morality” lesson. 

Every single person deserves the same protection. If any other religion were to encroach our public school system, I promise, I would fight equally as hard for your religious freedom. Remember, nobody stays in power forever, and our Founding Fathers were smart enough to know that and established a clause that protects all Americans from limited plurality. It’s opening up the gate to the slippery slope.  

I have historically championed this board and its leadership and I will continue to do so. I do believe everyone on that board had the very best of intentions and I know they love serving our schools, but this is not their lane and a bit overstepped…naïve even, to think that this is not divisive and incognizant.

This is not just about historical displays, either. Board members used phrases such as children “learning about what it means to be a good citizen, and a good Christian,” and “God’s law” and not being afraid to “stand on the beliefs of what God and Jesus had done for us,” and throw around words like morality and virtue, as if those things do not begin at home and extend outward.   

I could write endlessly about these things, so to end this I will just say, religion is a deeply personal relationship. Religion should be taught to children at home and the family’s church. School-sponsored religion has no place in the public school system. All are not being respected and represented by displaying the Ten Commandments in our public schools. 

We were promised a wall to separate church and state.

Melissa Bean
Sparta, TN

Main Street Journal accepts letters to the editor on any local issue, providing the author or authors of the letter either work or live in White County and provide their name(s) and refrain from personal attacks on any individual or business. Letters will be published at the discretion of the MSJ editorial staff based on those criteria and will not be edited for length, grammar, spelling or content. Submit your letters to rachel.auberger@mainstreetmedia.llc or mail to 230 W. Colville St., McMinnville, TN 37110.