Portage Exchange Club Discusses the Role of Religion in Society
The Reverend Frederick M. Hoover of Portage’s St. Peter Lutheran Church was the guest speaker at the November 23 meeting of the Portage Exchange Club. Pastor Fred, as he prefers to be called, discussed the way many in society now view religion as an enemy of our freedoms and contrasted that to the historical view.
“The Puritans came to this land seeking religious freedom. Their highly-developed moral code for life came directly from the Scriptures. The two biggest responsibilities of a person, as they saw it, were love God and love your neighbor."
“The Founding Fathers emphasized that education was vital for creating a virtuous society. Thomas Jefferson wrote that democracy is ‘at heart a moral compact among people.’”
Although for several generations, teaching morality in the schools was seen as a breach of the separation of church and state or as impractical for our pluralistic society, Pastor Fred encouraged the listeners with what he sees as a swing back to creating a virtuous society. Holding up his ten-year-old son’s school planner, he showed the club members that each page focused on a virtue such as kindness, cooperation or honesty and offered tips and quotes for being a good citizen.
According to the National Exchange Club website (https://www.nationalexchangeclub.org/eweb/), “The One Nation Under God project was adopted on July 30, 1964, by Exchange leaders seeking to heighten awareness of our rich religious heritage. November, observed nationally as One Nation Under God Month, is a special time of year when Exchangites join together to increase public appreciation of the important roles religious faith and freedom have played in our nation’s history.”
Photos:
- Portage Exchange Club president Joan Hasse-Rodriguez and Pastor Fred Hoover
- Pastor Fred Hoover discusses the role of religion in society at the Portage Exchange Club's "One Nation under God" recognition