Barry Goldwater Essay, Research Paper

In 1981, Senator Barry Goldwater declared that such moral issues as abortion, pornography, and school prayer ought not to be the concern of American government. He based this claim on a premise conceived and held dear by the framers of the Constitution. He rooted his assumption in a policy that has prevented turmoil in this nation since the founding as other nations have toppled for lack of adherence. Senator Goldwater’s words echoed the very essence of a theory known simply as the separation of church and state.

Our nation relies on its government to be devoid of influence from any single religion. Just as we would not alienate all of the other races in the country by claiming one superior, so must we not deem one religion correct. This detached style prevents unwarranted and non-productive conflict.

Furthermore, it is not the duty of the already inundated American governmental system to dictate morality, nor is it that of the Moral Majority. This responsibility lies only with the family. It is the obligation of family to instill upon its youth a fundamental sense of right and wrong.

More often than not, a child is taught to comply to some set of moral guidelines. No amount of legislation can be effective if one is not taught to respect its authority. Why teach that child to conform to standards set by government, thereby burdening said government with the task of raising its nation?s young, when that child, through proper education, can be entrusted to choose for himself the proper alternative?

It is the failure of the modern familial institution to provide this vital education to our nation?s youth that leads to the mounting popularity of organizations like the Moral Majority and Conservative Coalition. It would appear that these same failed American families have opted to defer the rearing of their children to the Moral Majority. It is from this roundabout support that the “Majority” derives power and influence.

The United States prides itself on the reputation of being greatly diversified. Senator Goldwater further points out that it is the interest of the Moral Majority to disband all points of view but it?s own. Given that the population is contrived of more than just Christians this is in no way a feasible option. These organizations need to accept the fact that no matter the amount of political virility mustered, the nation in which they operate was built on a rather stringent set of principles concerning the trouncing of the rights of others, and when it comes down to it no self-respecting American is going to sit back and be force fed an alien sense of morality.

However, that realization is only one of a long list of rude awakenings in store for these factions. Any legislation for which they choose to lobby is undeniably unconstitutional so long as it limits itself to merely one religious point of view. If creation is to be taught in school, school systems must be revamped to consider every theory known to mankind. All gods must be prayed to if prayers are to be a mandatory part of the school day.

We must strip the power from these self-interest groups before we lose the power to do so. To reiterate, this can only be done if the typical American family unit once again takes it upon itself to be the moral beacon of our youth. Only trouble can be found when looking to others to mold the futures of today?s youth.

Has so much changed in fifteen years that we may stop focusing government efforts on economic stability and foreign affairs so as to appease the demands of the religious right when those demands are of a private nature and have no validity on a public scale? The answer is a resounding no.