"Political correctness––a philosophy that discourages diversity of viewpoints––has become a guiding principle of modern society. If someone might be offended, freedom of speech is erased. Nowhere is this more evident than in the [public] schools, especially when religion is involved. . . . Just consider what happened to Renee Griffith on her graduation day.

"By virtue of her scholastic achievements, Renee was one of ten valedictorians selected to deliver remarks at graduation about what they had learned during their time at Butte High School in Butte, Montana. The students prepared their own remarks. . . . School officials who reviewed the remarks prior to graduation did not raise any objections to the students’ light-hearted remarks. .

"What they did object to, ironically enough, was Renee’s heartfelt statement about how she learned to stand up for her religious convictions. . .

"Just prior to the graduation ceremony, Renee was given an ultimatum by school officials: either strip references to God from her speech and replace them with more neutral phrases or be forbidden to participate in the graduation program.

"Renee . . . insisted on having her right to free speech respected. She wanted to use the words of her choice in order to talk about the lessons she had learned in school. After all, other students were permitted to use words of their choosing to share what they had learned. In fact, in such a sea of speeches, it’s doubtful that anyone would have noticed, let alone cared about, the inclusion of those two small words in her speech: ‘God’ and ‘Christ.’

"Unfortunately for Renee, school officials cared enough to totally ban her from participating in the graduation ceremony.

"Instead of being honest, the school officials disguised their political correctness by hiding behind the mantra of ‘separation of church and state.’ Yet this was not a state-paid teacher or other state employee speaking––it was a student who had not only earned the right to address her classmates, she was invited to do so.

"Moreover, the argument that the graduation ceremony was a school-sponsored event doesn’t hold much water. The majority of people at that ceremony were either adults or on the brink of adulthood. They would have no difficulty distinguishing between a student and someone speaking on behalf of the school.

"However, because Renee is a Christian, her speech was squelched, which has nothing to do with church-state doctrine and everything to do with censorship. Yet the beauty of the First Amendment is that it grants us the right to free speech, including free speech that references God. It also protects atheistic speech.

". . . [A]s historian Roland Bainton reminds us, ‘All freedoms hang together. Civil liberties scarcely thrive when religious liberties are disregarded, and the reverse is equally true.’

"In other words, if all freedoms hang together, then they will fall together, too. In fact, they will fall like dominoes."

John W. Whitehead, Rutherford Institute

For starters, let me say that I’m all for sensitivity in speech. If it’s possible not to offend, then let’s not offend. I must admit that many of the concerns of "political correctness" are concerns I share. I don’t want us to use demeaning and offensive language in referring to anyone, whether an individual or a group. Why erect barriers and create animosities unnecessarily?

And, to be quite candid, I’m embarrassed by (what to me is) the insensitivity of some Christians in choosing the time and place to speak about their faith. I get the feeling that they’re determined to cram their beliefs down their listeners’ throats, whether their listeners like it or not.

I don’t like it when a salesman corners me. And I don’t like it when the sellers of religion or any other ideology do the same. I want to decide if and when I’ll be subjected to such discourse.

So I understand why school officials wouldn’t like the idea of having guests attend a high-school graduation––only to (from their perspective) be harangued about religion. (Of course, I also recognize that what to one person is a harangue is a mere passing reference from the perspective of another.)

The reality is, people don’t like "bait and switch." They don’t like surprises. They don’t like being subjected to a presentation about religion when that’s not what they came for. And I’m sympathetic. I think we should show considerable concern for such feelings.

But Whitehead raises good points.

As a nation, we’ve codified in our Constitution the wonderful right of freedom of speech. And that freedom to speak doesn’t encompass only the right to speak about things listeners may want to hear. It even includes the right to speak about things the majority may oppose. It includes offensive speech. It allows all those within the marketplace of ideas to have their say.

While from the perspective of commonsense, judiciousness and positive impact, I think there’s a time and place to do one’s proselytizing––not to mention a time to be silent. And I wouldn’t choose to foist religion on a high-school-graduation audience.

But I fully agree with John Whitehead: If a graduating senior wants to say that the most important thing she learned in her high-school experience is something about Jesus and God and religion, then she should be allowed to say it––no matter how offensive those of a differing spiritual persuasion might find her comments.

Of course, should the audience choose to "boo" any speaker for any reason, that’s also part of their constitutionally protected right to free speech. And if we’re going to let people speak positively of their religious experience, we need to be willing tolerate their denunciations of belief, as well.

Were my dad alive, he’d be 96 years old. Which means that life for him began in an altogether different era. He was born only 10 years after the Wright brothers made their first manned, powered flight, at Kitty Hawk. He was born when the "wireless" was still in its infancy––when television hadn’t even been experimented with, let alone perfected. He grew up in an era when science-fiction writer Jules Vern was the nearest thing we had to a space program.

He also grew up in an era when parent-child relations were somewhat different from what we see today. Obedience to parents was a given––or else! The "or else" frequently included a punitive exercise that usually left a child’s posterior stinging for quite a few minutes.

My dad’s approach to life was simple: The populace fell into two categories: those who agreed with him, and those who were wrong. But he was a great man. There were no double standards. He loved his family. He suffered any and every deprivation to make life better for others than he himself had experienced.

He understood the art of apology. He knew how important it is to mend fences. It might be hard to convince him he was wrong, but, once convinced, he was magnanimous in defeat and repentant for any pain he might have caused by having been wrong. His goal was to do right. Always. In every situation.

Perhaps the most striking (no pun intended) demonstration of his magnanimity involved a spanking when I was 10 years old. My dad was Pathfinder leader––for years he was the only adult in the church willing to take on the challenge. On the night in question, I was sassy when told to do something by my counselor.

My father never spanked me unless he caught me red-handed. Then the punishment was delivered swiftly and forcefully. I always knew precisely why I was the recipient of such extraordinary attention. That night in Pathfinders my father wasn’t about to let my misbehavior go unrewarded. So, in front of everyone, I got a thorough spanking.

Or course, I cried. I never remember receiving a spanking from him when I didn’t. It was always a memorable experience. And it was memorable for the on-looking Pathfinders, as well!

The next day I approached him. "I think it was unfair to spank me in front of the entire Pathfinder club," I said. "That’s was humiliating." I readily admitted my culpability––but I argued that didn’t deserve to be spanked in front of everyone.

He apologized, candidly admitting that he’d been wrong. He adjured me to good behavior and promised never again to spank me in public.

In fact, that was the last spanking I ever received.

Jim Coffin, Senior Pastor

Water is composed of two elements, Hydrogen and Oxygen. 2 Hydrogen + 1 Oxygen = H2O

There is the same amount of water on Earth as there was when the Earth was formed. The water from your faucet could contain molecules that dinosaurs drank.

Water regulates the Earth’s temperature. It also regulates the temperature of the human body, caries nutrients and oxygen cells, cushions joints, protects organs and tissues, and removes waste.

The average cost for water supplied to a home in the U.S. is about $2.00 for 1,000 gallons, which equals about 5 gallons for a penny.

Water expands by 9% when it freezes. Frozen water (ice) is lighter than water, which is why ice floats in water.

Just three percent of the world’s water exists as fresh water—2 percent is locked in the polar ice caps; less than one percent resides in freshwater lakes and streams.

"When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water."–– Benjamin Franklin.

Seventy-five percent of the human brain is water.

Seventy-five percent of a living tree is water.

You could survive about a month without food, but only five to seven days without water.

Two-thirds of the water used in an average home is used in the bathroom.

Typically, 4 to 6 gallons of water are used for every toilet flush.

On the average, a person uses 2 gallons of water to brush his or her teeth each day.

Public water suppliers process 38 billion gallons of water per day for domestic and public use.

Typically, households consume at least 50% of their water by lawn watering. Inside, toilets use the most water, with an average of 27 gallons per person per day.

In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act to ensure that drinking water is safe for human consumption. The Act requires public water systems to monitor and treat drinking water for safety.

The average daily requirement for fresh water in the U.S. is about 40 billion gallons a day, with about 300 billion gallons used untreated for agriculture and commercial purposes.

Each person uses about 100 gallons of water a day at home.

The average five-minute shower takes between 15 to 25 gallons of water.

An automatic dishwasher uses approximately 9 to 12 gallons of water while hand washing dishes can use up to 20 gallons.

If every household in America had a faucet that dripped once each second, 928 million gallons of water a day would leak away.

A dairy cow must drink four gallons of water to produce one gallon of milk.

One gallon of pure water weighs 8.34 pounds; one gallon of salt water weighs approximately 8.4 pounds.

One inch of rainfall drops 7,000 gallons, or nearly 30 tons of water, on a 60’ x 180’ piece of land.

300 million gallons of water are needed to produce a single day’s supply of newsprint.

A person should consume 2 ½ quarts of water per day to maintain health.

Jim Coffin, Senior Pastor