Subject: MITAAH-NEWS: Michigan "expels" God!
Date: Sun, 22 Jun 1997 16:52:13 EDT


Here are two clips, one from the American Family Association's
listserv and one from the Wall St. Journal.

Anyone on this list from Michigan?  Why not call the (800) number and
explain why the language of the statement is inappropriate.  Or, if
God doesn't get expelled, suggest that It still deserves a few days of
detention.


----- Forwarded messages --------------------------------------------- 

AFA ACTION ALERT
 
American Family Association urges you to act TODAY on a very serious
situation that has developed in the state of Michigan. The State Board of
Education in Michigan is planning on Thursday [June 19] to rescind its
mission statement. Why? Because it contains references to God [Please read
the attached article from the Wall Street Journal - 6/17/97].

The Democratic-led board objects to the following statement: "We, the
Michigan State Board of Education, grateful to Almighty God for the
blessings of freedom, do earnestly desire to secure these blessings
undiminished for our children." The Democrats on the board object to this
statement even though it is taken almost directly from he preamble to the
Michigan Constitution. They also object to the statement: "Religion,
morality and knowledge are necessary to good government," which is taken
directly from the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.

Let's send a message to the radical education elitists in Michigan and
across the country by letting them know that the general public is not
afraid to acknowledge God. How can you that? (1) Pray and ask God to change
the hearts of those on the Michigan State Board of Education who want to
expel God from the public school. (2) Pass this urgent message along to
your friends. (3) IMMEDIATELY CONTACT THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION IN
MICHIGAN AND LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD.

THOSE RESIDING IN MICHIGAN (in-state only): 1-800-774-1174.
CALL THE MICHIGAN STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION FROM OUTSIDE THE STATE:
517/373-3900.
EMAIL THE MICHIGAN STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION:
stateboard@mdenet.mde.state.mi.us
( mailto:stateboard@mdenet.mde.state.mi.us )

IF A MICHIGAN RESIDENT AND INTERESTED IN TESTIFYING BEFORE THE STATE BOARD
OF EDUCATION ON THURSDAY, CONTACT THE OFFICE OF HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER KEN
SIKKEMA AT: ksikkem@house.state.mi.us OR CALL 517/373-0846

 ________________________________________
 
MICHIGAN EXPELLING GOD
The Wall Street Journal
6/17/97 p. A18

The Michigan State Board of Education meets Thursday in Lansing for the
express purpose of eradicating a perilous threat to the schoolchildren of
the state.

Just what is the grave danger that has the state board in an uproar? Low
reading scores? Drugs in the playground? No, the scourge that the board has
pledged to wipe out is its own mission statement, which dares to include
the word "God."

The sentence that a majority of the Democratic-led board finds offensive
reads in full; "We the Michigan State Board of Education, grateful to
Almighty God for the blessings of freedom, do earnestly desire to secure
these blessings undiminished for our children." These words are taken
almost verbatim from the preamble to the state constitution, which the
citizens of the state have ratified four times since Michigan became a
state in 1837. Nonetheless, five members of the state board of believe the
boys and girls of the state need to be protected from the language of their
Founders.

Also deemed objectionable is the sentence: "Religion, morality and
knowledge are necessary to good government," which comes from the Northwest
Ordinance of 1787. Critics, which include - who else? - the 
ACLU, also complain about a nonsectarian exhortation for children to "seek
truth."

When the state board of education adopted the mission statement in 1995, it
hoped to reaffirm "the first principles in our experiment with
self-government," says Clark Durant, a Republican board member who was then
president. To any sensible mind, the language doesn't impinge on a child's
freedom of conscience or the right to accept or reject any religion. But
sense has little to do with it. The sad truth is that if anyone remotely
connected to a public school utters the G-word, some self-appointed
defender of the Constitution warns darkly of the dangers to tender minds
and proclaims the imminent overthrow of the First Amendment.

As is the case nationwide, the Michigan public schools are struggling with
many serious problems. There are no quick solutions, but who can argue that
troubled institutions wouldn't benefit from a renewed focus on higher
values than the general culture conveys nowadays?" It's hardly a
coincidence that the decline in the quality of the public schools occurred
at the same time that every vestige of religion was being eradicated from
them. Our schools need all the help they can get - including God's. The
board's hearing is open to the public Thursday, and Michigan residents who
would like to say a few words before God gets expelled may call (in-state
only) 1-800-774-1174.

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