The Confusion Over Separation of Church and State

I have come to observe, especially in dealing with the local public schools, that there is a major confusion here about the differences between separation of church and state, and the meaning of freedom of religion. If told that one cannot have any religious imagery in a public school classroom, be it a cross, the ten commandments, or Biblical quotes, one may receive the response that then their religious freedom is being infringed. This signals not only a misunderstanding of the two concepts, but also a failure to realize that without said separation, freedom of religion itself could not exist.

In a country of growing diversity, the idea of a secular government is more vital than ever. When one is a public employee, and that includes those in the position of public school teacher, one cannot appear to endorse nor favor one particular religion over another. It's that simple. This is part of the fabric that ensures that one is free, in their personal life, to pursue, or NOT pursue, if it may be, a particular religious tradition without any interference from public or political figures.

It does not matter if a particular area has an identifiable majority.  Here in South Mississippi, the population is overwhelmingly Southern Baptist. However, public school teachers still may not display religious articles.

But they do. I was aghast at the amount of religious imagery, including a large rendition of the Ten Commandments in an elementary school classroom, that I have encountered. Can ethics be taught to school children without the use of such items? The idea here seems to be that one cannot - an affront to agnostics and atheists who have indeed lived ethical and productive lives, and that one can only do so with a particularly Christian set of rules- an affront to every other religious tradition on earth.