Leonard Presberg’s unwillingness to declare his beliefs on key life issues at a recent forum designed, with his understanding, to reveal just that, is quite disturbing.
His assertion that his views on religion and values should have no bearing on his ability to lead the Board of Education in Fayette County are patently absurd and should be quite concerning to Fayette County residents.
A person’s worldview, value system and positions on the critical matters of life determine how they conduct their life … and do their job.
In many jobs, a benign application of these thoughts is not critically important. But in a position of public trust and decision-making relative to educating children, these issues are, and should be, of paramount importance.
When asked about his value system, Mr. Presberg repeatedly referred to “treating everyone with kindness” as a core tenet of his beliefs. And to his credit he did that at this meeting.
While admirable, this is a trait, not a value system, and obfuscates an answer to the more important question.
He was, likewise, unwilling to declare himself on the position of his religious beliefs … or lack of same. He indicated that this question was out of bounds and he wouldn’t answer it because his position was unimportant. He further stated that he didn’t even have conversations on this issue in his own home.
Really? Are we to believe that on an issue as important as the origin, meaning and conduct of life he has no discussions with his wife and children? And education is important to him?
Mr. Presberg is a member of the Fayette County Free Thought Society. Since people do not normally join groups that have a belief system with which they do not agree, a view of the organization’s positions are very important and quite revealing.
On their website, they highlight these positions in a section titled, “what we are about”:
“… secular humanism, atheism, neo-paganism, pantheism, recovering from religion and freedom from religion.”
Now, if ever a menu of non-sequiturs existed, this is it.
First, the initial four “isms” are, in themselves, religions, embodying these positions:
1. Secular humanism: man is his own god.
2. Atheism: there is no god.
3. Pantheism: everything is god and god is in everything, animate or inanimate.
4. Neo-paganism: a newly crafted smorgasbord of wiccan and witchcraft beliefs.
Since these are religions, i.e., beliefs about God, how can freedom from religion also be an existing tenet of their collective belief system?
The competing worldviews of their belief list is completely antithetical. Further, the name “free thought” in and of itself is, likewise, completely counter-intuitive. And we haven’t even touched on relativism and absolutism.
Mr. Presberg seems to be an intelligent man. And heaven knows that a board who built a multi-million-dollar school that stands empty as an edifice to incredibly poor planning needs some of that.
However, I believe that Mr. Presberg’s worldview, value system and religious views are critically important.
Before passing judgment on whether any of them render him fit or unfit for service, let’s hear what they are.
The education of Fayette County’s future leaders and adults is at stake. We are due this revelation.
Ross Greene
Peachtree City, Ga.
