Another Letter to The President

Dear President & Mrs. Obama,

I recently wrote you a letter asking for you help in my efforts to put prayer back into schools.  Since then I have done a little research in this matter that, hopefully, will help my appeal.

It is my understanding that praying in school does not go against our rights as citizens under the Constitution of the United States.  As a matter of fact the First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of a religion, or prohibiting the practice thereof…”  Yet in 1962, the year prayer was removed from school, the government seems to have done just this.

I have also learned that the “Separation of Church and State” is also not in the U. S. Constitution, and since we have done this the pregnancy rate for teenaged girls has gone from 5,000 to 27,000 per year, with numbers possibly steadily increasing.  As important as education is to you and your wife, you should also know that SAT scores have dropped drastically, and the drop-out rate is spiraling out of control; not to mention the increase in violence and drug use.

There are approximately 80% of Americans who claim to be religious and pray, yet we have taken the flawed morality of the minor few and incorporated them into our system.  I am not afraid to call out the enemy, who is trying to destroy our nation where its leaders are being trained to lead.

Though the Constitution does not uphold the ban on prayer in our schools, I do understand that the law does prohibit our educational systems to mandate standard prayer.  This is why I feel there should be a freedom of choice, even inside the walls of the school.  If prayer is allowed, it should be an individual’s choice to participate.

As a substitute teacher,  there have been many times that I wanted to take a child who I knew was a Christian, just as I am, and pray with them.  They were suffering, or in trouble, but my hands were tied because it was not allowed.  Prayer changes things Mr. President, I know that you know that.  My prayer, joined with the prayer of many others, is why we have the privilege of your leadership in this great country today. 

The backbone of our society, in its inception, was built on the Bible and its teachings, and the Bible says, “Do not be anxious about any thing, but in every thing BY PRAYER AND PETITION, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.” (Phillipians 4:6).

I appeal to you Mr. President, and I appeal to Congress, please, can we put prayer back into the school system where it belongs?

Sincerely,

Tonya D. Bernard

A Letter to The President

Dear President and Mrs. Obama,

My name is Tonya Bernard, and I am an American citizen concerned about the state of the educational system in our country.  It is a concern that is not what I would say was traditional, or even popular by today’s standards, but I feel it is one that bears tremendous weight.

I address you and your wife because I am impressed by both of your spirits and devotion to change this world we live in.  I want to do that too, yet I am just one person; a wife, and a mother, with one voice.

This country was built on “One nation under God,” but it was this country who allowed one woman to take away the spiritual foundation on which our fore fathers built this great nation on, Madelyn O’Hare.  At no time were some of the nation’s greatest leaders hesitant to pray for guidance and give reverence to the God who gave it to them during the era where this country was being built.

Just this morning I mentioned  to my husband how it took that one woman to come into our schools and take prayer away; why could it not be one woman, me, to come in and do just the opposite?  Our schools are where the nation’s next leaders are being trained to do battle in the place we call the real world.  We rely on these places to shape the minds of our most impressionable, but yet take away the one thing that should be impressed upon them, the power of prayer.

My husband reminded me, in our talk, that this was a free country and no one can force people to participate in something they don’t believe in.  I believe that’s true, but I also believe that my duty as a Christian is to walk in the light, no matter where I am, and to guide the lost into salvation by the life that I lead.  One of the gifts that God gives us is a direct line to Him, and while I recognize that He also gives us the freedom of free will, this is the very reason that I believe that those who pray to Him should, and those who don’t shouldn’t be made to participate. This country Democracy is very much a Hypocrisy if they take away the rights of some (believers) to give to others(unbelievers).

Our children are in school for the most part of the day, so are the teachers.  Should these people who share the same faith be deprived of their right to come together and pray on a regular basis?  I don’t think so.

What I’m asking you is, where do I start?  How can I get pray back into the schools that our children attend?  Please help me.

Sincerely,

Tonya D. Bernard

Women

Some times I sit back and think, trying to remove myself from myself, as if I were on the outside looking in, whenever I get into an argument with someone (namely my husband).  I must admit that it is during those times when I think: "Why do I, as a woman, have to be the victim in this situation?"

I'm a work in progress, of this I'm sure of, but the nagging and complaining thing is getting kind of tired, and I don't want to be apart of it any more.  I'm trying to be apart of the rare breed of women who can humble themselves and admit their faults when the situation calls for it, not play the innocent when I know I'm wrong.

Proverbs 31 is a hard goal to attain.  I read it and immediately wrote it off as unrealistic.  But if we all call ourselves getting on the road in the right direction, what better place to start than putting one foot in front of the other?  Without striving to achieve the unrealistic our world would be void of some of the greatest leaders it has ever known.  How many are going to stand up and walk with me?