There was a poem that was making the e-mail rounds back in 2002 entitled "The New Pledge of Allegiance", which was said to have been written by a 15 year old student in Arizona. Perhaps we can cut a 15 year old student a little bit of slack, particularly if he or she had not yet studied civics, but I felt the original poem demonstrated such a poor understanding of one of the most important principles given to us by our founding fathers -- the separation of church and state -- that I wrote the following poem in response.

The Separation of Church and State


Now I sit me down in school
Where organized prayer's against the rule

For this great nation, under law
Its founders, a great vision they saw

Though most were Christian, they all knew
The importance of religious freedom too

And so they erected a great wall
To guarantee freedom of thought for all

For the separation of church and state
Is partly what makes this nation great

It's not as if the founders thought
That religion itself should not be taught

And it's not as if they meant to say
That people should not be allowed to pray

But they knew there should be a separate place
Where all could learn without saying grace

That teachers should teach us to read and write
While preachers and parents extol God's might

Some people think kids have gotten worse
Because teachers don't make them say enough verse

What they don't understand is the reason they're bad
Is the lack of discipline from mom and dad

But the puzzling thing is all this fuss
Over something that was taught to each one of us

Perhaps those who don't understand the rule
Should have prayed less and studied more in school

-- Jeff Schrepfer --