Pastor calls to end separation of church and state

Local attorney says morals can be taught in schools without adding religion

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Westside pastor whose church was recently burglarized said he wants religion put back in the public school system.

Pastor Garry Wiggins of the Evangel Temple Assembly of God on Ramona Boulevard said the South Carolina church massacre is just another example of how people are disregarding and disrespecting the church.

"I cannot imagine stealing because I was brought up in a culture of 'Thou shalt not steal,'" Wiggins said.

Wiggins said that was just one of the reasons he was sickened to learn that his church had been burglarized. Surveillance video shows a man breaking into the Evangel Temple maintenance building in late May and stealing about $15,000 worth of equipment.

Wiggins said that theft and the recent shooting of nine people in a Charleston, South Carolina, church are just a few signs that some in society have no reverence for a house of worship. He said one of the answers is to put religion back in public schools.

"When you take moral codes, spiritual codes, 10 Commandments out of children's lives and they aren't taught 'Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not kill,' they eventually raise up a generation where those principles don't mean anything to them," Wiggins said.

Wiggins said he hopes his planned messages at the pulpit will catch on among politicians.

But attorney and professor Rod Sullivan said the separation of church and state will never change in the United States. He said Wiggins' goal can be accomplished separate from religion.

"Clearly there are people that believe there should be a complete secularism of public schools and there are other people that believe religious concepts need to be taught, but all religions have basically the same code of ethics," Sullivan said.

Sullivan said religious concepts can be taught outside of a religious context. He said focusing on one religion can ostracize others and ultimately defeat the pastor's purpose.

"There is nothing wrong with the public schools teaching what is right and what is wrong and teaching about ethics and morality," Sullivan said. "The only thing they can't do is attach it to a certain religion. If they're teaching about morality and not talking about Christian morality, it's absolutely fine."  


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Tarik anchors the 4, 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. weekday newscasts and reports with the I-TEAM.