the ability to protect gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgendered kids form bullying, and a general failure to teach modern ethics or critical thinking explicitly. But the damage goes further than that.

The hands off approach that schools are forced to take, leaves our children rudderless in the face of all kinds of superstition. Because the schools are afraid to take a stand against all forms of magic, they are unable to inform students that chiropractic, homeopathy and mega-vitamin therapies have no evidentiary basis in reality. Because of the right wing politics of the fundamentalist movement, teaching that torture is uniformly wrong and illegal would be a dangerous move for a public school. The undeniable fact that responsible adults must be educated to the point where they can take a principled stand on important issues underscores the importance of this endeavor. The Iraq war was a stupid mistake, made possible by a dearth of principled citizens able to think critically and act appropriately (it should be noted also, that George Bush could never have been elected without the religious right).

The advantages of a nationwide network of schools (and I mean in the Bible belt South especially) by and for unbelievers, should be becoming apparent. Not only for the parents of atheists, but like Catholic schools have been for secular parents for decades, these schools would be the best available places for children to learn logic and ethics, with the added benefit of applying rationality to everything - including the sacred cows of Western religion and conservative thought.

Ethical and rational education, free of the influence of the religious right, holds the brightest hope for the future of our country. Charter schools would offer us a balanced opportunity with the parochial schools in the community, and are therefore, a politically possible solution. As curriculum was developed, it could be utilized by a nation-wide network of like-minded schools, providing the kind of education America needs to create the kind of citizenry the world needs.

The culture war has been an explicit effort of the religious right for decades and has taken a tremendous toll on our society. The time has come for an explicit movement to beat them back.

Learn more about this author, Rob Seip.
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