A couple days ago, a Federal judge appointed by Bill Clinton, ordered that a school district may not allow any prayers at it's graduation and threatened to fine anybody who dared to speak about God at it's ceremony.
From Fox News:
A federal appeals court has lifted the order banning public prayer at a Texas high school graduation Saturday.
The reversal comes on the heels of increasing criticism of a federal judge's earlier ruling that agreed with the parents of one graduating student that religious expression during the ceremony at Medina Valley Independent School District would cause "irreparable harm" to their son.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals thought differently, reversing the judge's ruling Friday and allowing students to say the word "amen" and invite the audience to pray during the ceremony.
"This is a complete victory for religious freedom and for Angela," said Kelly Shackelford, president/CEO of Liberty Institute, which had represented class valedictorian Angela Hildenbrand in the appeal. "We are thrilled that she will be able to give her prayer without censorship in her valedictorian speech tomorrow night. No citizen has the right to ask the government to bind and gag the free speech of another citizen."
Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery's initial ban had been denounced as an "activist decision" by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who called it "exactly the wrong civics lesson to teach to the class of 2011."
Biery had ruled Thursday in favor of Christa and Danny Schultz, who sued to block such religious expressions at their son's graduation. Among the words or phrases Biery had banned were: “join in prayer,” “bow their heads,” “amen,” and “prayer.”
He also ordered the school district to remove the terms “invocation” and “benediction” from the graduation program, in favor of "opening remarks" and "closing remarks."
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott responded by voicing support for the school district in its appeal.
“Part of this goes to the very heart of the unraveling of moral values in this country,” Abbott told Fox News Radio, saying the judge wanted to turn school administrators into “speech police.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/06/03/texas-senator-blasts-judges-decision-to-forbid-public-prayer-at-high-school/#ixzz1OM3kNkR0
Can someone tell me how someone is "irreparably harmed" by a prayer or some religious words. And the Left isn't taking this ruling laying down- from the San Antonio.com:
The Institute said Friday that someone had called the high school and told a secretary that “Angela Hildenbrand better watch herself or she will get hurt” and said the Medina Valley Independent School District had reported it to Castroville police.
Chris Martinez, the district's assistant superintendent, wouldn't comment on it but said the district planned to beef up security at the graduation.
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Appeals-panel-overturns-Medina-Valley-graduation-1408548.php#ixzz1OM7h4ch9
In the article, it also said that there were about 500 calls to the judge who wanted the order overtuned.
Further, the family that brought the lawsuit is now going act like cry babies and stay at home instead of going to graduation. I don't they would have gone either way.
Thank God for the 5th District Court of Appeals.
War and Illness
2 hours ago
For students at graduation who are atheist, agnostic, or a faith incompatible with Christianity, a Christian prayer causes discomfort. Not irreparable harm, just discomfort. And since the prayer is completely unneccessary (people can pray individually, anywhere), why cause people discomfort?
ReplyDeleteI ask you, if they gave an Islamic prayer (only), would it make you uncomfortable? Or if they gave an Islamic, a Hindu, and Hare Krishna and a Wiccan prayer, one after the other?
We had a prayer at my graduation. I was already solidly agnostic. It made me uncomfortable, but I played along, bowing my head. Actually, I felt more ridiculous than uncomfortable. For me, prayer is akin to chanting to the Great Gazoo. Meaningless.
(PS. Still can't post with Google.)
Chances are that most of the kids are the graduation are not listening- they are talking to their friends or I guess, in this day and age, texting to their friends.
ReplyDeleteThe vast number of people in the audience probably wouldn't hear it as well, because most high schools have a lousy PA system.
As far as the other religions are concerned, it't wouldn't bother me. Just another boring speaker.