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Recognizing our roots - a rainbow story

The Medicine Man

"Invocation and supplication enter so much into the life of the Indian that this picture of the grim old warrior invoking the Mysteries is most characteristic. The subject of the illustration is Slow Bull (Tata'ka-hu'keshni). Born in 1844, he became a sub-chief of the Ogalala Sioux in 1878."           (Edward S. Curtis)

"Norman Lear's People for the American Way (PFAW) … issued a report that said that the study of history and civics in our schools has been so drained of religious content that children could be forgiven for thinking it played no role in the development of this nation. Norman Lear's group called for new textbooks that better explain the role of religion in American life."

In some areas of the nation, steps have been taken to enlighten America's youth regarding the importance of faith in the rise of our nation. But in other areas, an emotional reaction seems to be trying to obscure, or deny, this aspect of our history.

The Cupertino case is an example in point. Is mention of the Declaration of Independence a violation of the first amendment? Without the Declaration, and Washington's little army, there would have been neither the Constitution, nor any amendments at all. Was Thomas Jefferson somehow a Christian fanatic preaching a pernicious agenda, and from whom our children must now be protected? This may surprise the Cupertino educators, but in his own day Jefferson was regarded as anything but a religious zealot. To the contrary, the ardent Christians of Jefferson's time suspected him of being far-too-bold a questioner in the area of faith and scripture, and he himself as much as acknowledged his independent streak.

Similarly, Lincoln was noted for his questioning attitude (particularly as a young man) in matters of belief and religion, and he felt compelled to offer a denial of sorts in response to those who accused him of atheism. It is also possible that his penchant, privately, for ribald stories and bawdy humor did not help his reputation with the pious. I look at it another way, however. Why may we not honor the honesty and humanity of these Americans who still today merit the rank of greatness they have been accorded? The very independence and integrity they display in the frank expression of their doubts and questions, lends all the more credibility when they actually DO invoke elements of spirituality or historical faith in their public statements.

The first amendment deserves, to be followed, must be followed, though obviously there is some flexibility in how our leaders, and the courts, will ultimately apply the Law of the Land. May they do so with wisdom, and fairness, and understanding. The danger of an over-powerful religious establishment was something our ancestors were keenly aware of, and equally determined to protect against recurring. History itself spoke all too clearly to America's founders on the subject of religious oppression.

That being said, however, I can think of nothing less in the interests of posterity than to see the wisdom of, for example, Martin Luther King, Jr., erased from classrooms and school libraries simply because his writings, and sermons, his speeches, and letters, are rich in their eloquent articulation of the historic faith of Christianity and the Jewish culture and writings from which it evolved.

The list of examples could be extended almost without limit. Chief Seattle's great speech of 1854 invokes the Unseen World, the Great Spirit, and expresses what might be branded religious faith. The Mayflower Compact is a thoroughly Puritan and Christian document; yet how can anyone call it unimportant or, worse, call it subversive? The discoverer of the New World, Christopher Columbus, a thoroughly Catholic and Christian believer, claimed the new lands for the Savior. Debates of historians on these matters are bound to rage, and rightly, over words and motivations and the implications thereof. But believers surely have a right and duty to weigh in and be heard. And regardless of belief or non-belief, we all will be better off if we can learn to listen, and learn to learn … from others around us.