There is a poll at the end of this post: Let me know what you think!
The title of this post is the same as the title of an article posted today by Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/02/prayer-prohibited-at-graduation-ceremony/?test=latestnews). I addressed the issue of freedom of religion in schools in my April 14, 2011 blog, but this article really bothered me. Read the article for the outrageous details, but basically, Christa and Danny Schultz filed a lawsuit filed a lawsuit against their school district because their son was having "long-standing problems" at school, presumably because other students were praying or whatnot (the article doesn't say). Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ruled that, during the graduation ceremony, certain words would be prohibited or changed. For example, prayer, join in prayer, amen, bow your heads, invocation, benediction, and in God's name we pray, are all banned words. Invocation and benediction are to be replaced by "opening remarks" and "closing remarks". And if any student should utter any word on the banned list, school officials could be incarcerated "for contempt of Court".
The Texas attorney general is calling the ruling unconstitutional, and the ruling is under appeal. In fact, Attorney General Greg Abbott says this ruling "goes to the very heart of the unraveling of moral values in this country...I've never seen such a restriction on speech issued by a court or the government...It seems like a trampling of the First Amendment rather than protecting the First Amendment." One graduating student echoed this sentiment, saying, "in this situation I feel my freedom of speech and my First Amendment is being infringed upon if I can’t say what I feel.” Reverend Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, supported Judge Biery's decision, saying, “This is a high school graduation...It is not a church service.”
So what's the issue here? Free speech? Or the separation of church and state? If you want to talk about free speech, Judge Biery is as dead wrong as you can possible get. No one...NO ONE can tell us what we can and can't say. There is censorship, because there are swear words and whatnot, but you can still say those words. Do they offend some people? Absolutely. But no one's going to tell you not to say those words. Now, as far as the separation of church and state, I still think the judge is dead wrong, but there is another angle to consider.
Technically speaking, the issue of separation of church and state has two interpretations:
1) The government, federal and state, has no say in religious matters. They can't tell people how to worship or where to worship. In short, if it has to do with religion, Uncle Sam steps off.
2) Religion is personal and should be kept as such. Therefore, public displays of a particular religion, or overly religious paraphernalia such as signs, sayings, decoration, etc. are unconstitutional. In other words, because everyone can worship as they want, making public displays of religion is shoving it down everyone's throat.
I am favor the first interpretation and I believe that the second interpretation is, to put it mildly, a bunch of crap. I am not going to attempt to speak for everyone, but I am willing to stake what little reputation I have as a blogger that the vast majority of people couldn't care less if we said "Merry Christmas" or if, before wishing a graduating class well as they go off into the world, I invited those who are so inclined, to pray over the students. Uttering the words, "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance and "In God We Trust" on our currency has done no harm to our country thus far and it's never going to. There are other, infinitely more pressing issues to concern ourselves with.
Perhaps what I find most laughable is Judge (and I use this title in the loosest sense possible) Biery's declaration that "the Schultz family and their son would 'suffer irreparable harm' if anyone prayed at the ceremony." Although, he may have a point. With all that praying, the judge and the Schultz family is likely to get struck by God's lightening.