# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1947_S291
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

PARISH EDUCATION 291

a question of judicial interpretation whether Bible reading is sec-
tarian or not” (Research Bulletin, XXIV, No.1, p.13). On
page 26 of the same Bulletin we read: “The majority of courts
have upheld the validity of Bible reading in the public schools.
Some courts have said that the Bible is not a sectarian book... .
In order to prevent its use as a sectarian instrument, most statutes
requiring or permitting Bible reading state that the teacher may
not comment on the passages read. Many statutes and school board
rules excuse pupils who disapprove from participation. If these
two conditions prevail, the courts are almost unanimous in declar-
ing that Bible reading is not objectionable from the point of view
of constitutionality.”

Some Christians who object to Bible reading without comment
do so largely on the ground that the practice is not without its
hazards, We are here dealing with an application of the prin-
ciple. of Church and State separation; "therefore _we-cannot expect
“inanimity y of opinion. We “wish, t however, to call attention to the
fact that juvenile delinquency and the general decay of morals
has gone hand in hand with the removal of the Bible and of
Protestant influence from our public schools. The most serious
problem confronting our country today is one of morals or civil
righteousness. Good character is the ultimate objective of the
public schools, but the schools have to a large extent failed to
achieve this objective. Godless character education courses are
inconsistent with human nature and fail to produce civil righteous-

ness. We believe that Rible reading without comment is the best
_ means we have to modify the extreme secular character of our
present-day schools. We may safely leave the outcomes to the
Lord. Dr. Walther says in one of his letters: “I would not move
a finger to help banish the Bible from the schools merely for the
sake of being a stickler for principle” (Vol. II, p.193). One of
our fathers said: “Where the Bible is, there is blessing. And what
glorious blessings, though unknown to us, may the mere reading
of the Bible in the public schools have wrought! If there is a
blessing in it, as the saying runs, destroy it not. Applied to Bible
reading this means: If in the public schools it is permissible to
read the Bible (this heavenly well-spring of life and grace), let
us not look with disfavor on the practice, but rejoice with all our
hearts... . Let us thank God that there are public schools in
which the reading of the Bible is sill permitted.” (Western Dis~
trict, 1871.) At a teachers’ conference Dr. C. C. Schmidt exclaimed:
“Why should we try to withhold the Bible, God’s life-giving Word,
from these people?” We are therefore of the opinion that Lu-
therans should be friendly disposed toward Bible reading without
comment and not unite with atheists, Catholics, and liberals in