By Preston Ray Garrett

The Mississippi Legislature has now been in session for a few weeks and many bills have been introduced.

Most of these proposed laws never made it to a vote, having died in one committee or another. Still some of the bills which did not make it out of committee are worthy of consideration by the voters.

House Bill 224 would have required that schools begin the school day with the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. Responsible citizens should ask their elected officials, starting with their local school board members, exactly why this issue even came up.

More to the point, we should ask why anyone would oppose this and why any school board ever allowed a school administrator to discontinue this practice. Students should be taught to love and respect America as doing so will only make them better citizens. It is disappointing that this bill did not pass unanimously, however the real disgrace is that apparently there are school administrators who oppose this idea.

House Bill 50 was also of interest. This bill would have allowed the teaching of creationism in schools along with evolutionary theory. The fact that this debate continues tells us much about the lack of understanding of both the Bible and science by those who oppose this idea. Those individuals who have actually studied science and the biblical account of creation understand that science does not dispute the Bible, but actually supports the truth of the account of creation in Genesis.

If one begins with the premise of the Big Bang as the beginning of the universe then our universe began with a the most massive and powerful explosion in history. This would have naturally been a very bright explosion and therefore supports the biblical account of God having first made light.

Moreover, science not only fully supports the sequence of creation as recorded in the Bible, but scientist have now reached a level of understanding of our universe which makes it apparent that it is mathematically impossible for our existence to be the result of some cosmic accident.  Opposition to the teaching of creationism in conjunction with scientific theory tells us much about the level of knowledge and understanding of those who oppose this idea.

It is essential that all residents demand that the education of our children be returned to the business of providing them with the knowledge and skill-sets they must have to move Mississippi to the top tier of states economically.

This starts with residents contacting their local school board members and demanding that those entrusted with the education of our children focus on providing students with a useful education rather than polluting their minds with political correctness.

Preston Ray Garrett is an Oxford attorney. 
Contact him at ray@garrettfridayandgarner.com.