but why was it so important or ONE girl to have the school prayer removed?
were her studies being interrupted because of a prayer on the wall she didn’t have to look at?
i seriously doubt it.
was she going to die from it being on the wall?
GTFO, of course not. that would be ridiculous.
no, you don’t have to pray it or believe it or whatever. but what is the big dang deal? i didn’t like the cafeteria food in highschool but i’m not scarred for life or anything.
it’s crap like this that doesn’t make ANY sense to me.
you don’t like it? great. but guess what? it’s not hurting you.
[snip]
I get it it though.
For equality and for equity, it has to be an all or nothing approach.
Either there is a separation or there is inclusion.
If inclusion is the argument, then all religions must be included - Christian, Islam, Judaism, Hindi, Budhism, Rastafarianism, Satanism … and even those less desirable spinoffs like Mormons and Scientology.
I went back and read all of the details behind that story - and she was fighting for that equity and making a stand that the very laws of the country claim to uphold - freedom whilst maintaining separation of religion from state (and thus by inclusion - state run services).
If people want those Christian prayers to be left up, then they should also by extension want all the religious denominations represented by the school population to have their own prayers up as well.
You know, in the interest of teaching all sides.
Personally, I’d be happy to support a healthy comparative theosophy. Seeing the different religious artefacts up on the wall against each other will only further highlight the lack of difference between them and the lunacy of fighting each other over such minuscule points.
The argument is not over a single poster. It is about the upholding of the societal values of the whole, not of one aspect - regardless of how small or large that aspect is.
What about atheists?
Anyway, as far as I’m concerned, it’s wrong on a moral level, because it DOES make kids uncomfortable, and single them out, but aside from that, it’s a First Amendment violation. In case anyone needs a refresher:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
That first clause there is the key one. A public school, paid for with public funds, cannot put up a religious banner. That would be an establishment of religion. Not having said banner isn’t preventing anyone from practicing their religion. People are free to practice their religion. Public schools are not free to endorse them. There’s a clear difference.
If my stirring defense of the Constitution isn’t doing it for you, how about this?
TOBY: But I’ll tell you why [religion in schools] should be front and center. It’s not the first amendment, it’s not religious freedom, it’s not church and state, it’s not… abstract…
LEO: What is it?
TOBY It’s the fourth grader who gets his ass kicked at recess ‘cause he sat out the voluntary prayer in homeroom. It’s another way of making kids different from other kids when they’re required by law to be there. That’s why you want it front and center; fourth grader; that’s the prize.
Even if you leave out the part where a public school, funded by taxpayers’ money, including atheist taxpayers, should not be displaying anything religious anywhere, there’s that whole bit about how she’s getting death threats. From those same Christians who think the prayer belongs there.
And they know and understand the difference between what they’re doing and separation of church and state. Every Rhode Islander knows. That’s a major part of Rhode Island history. They just think that tradition is more important than federal law, to the extent that a 16-year-old girl deserves to be publicly threatened.
Jessica Ahlquist is a badass. I wish I had been that tough, because the most I did to uphold my atheistic position was abstain from standing and saying the pledge of allegiance from grade 4 on. It didn’t really change much.
