Atheists & Agnostics
Related: About this forumJessica Ahlquist Has Won Her Lawsuit!
Jessica Ahlquist Has Won Her Lawsuit!
...
The religious banner that hangs in the auditorium at Rhode Islands Cranston High School West will soon be coming down.
The official statement from Jessica wont be out for a little while and the media stories will surely follow. But for now, we can take heart in that Facebook update.
This is what is was all about:
More:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/01/11/jessica-ahlquist-has-won-her-lawsuit/
All they really should have done was remove the parts that say, "School Prayer," "Our Heavenly Father," and "Amen," without having to wait to be sued.
Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)and I do not find this offensive
Ian David
(69,059 posts)Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)I am just not allowed to lead others in prayer
I look at this more as a silent prayer
I really do not see the harm
If the school is making the students say it then there is a problem
edit: I found this part interesting: 'The Court refrains from second-guessing the expressed motives of the Committee members, but nonetheless must point out that tradition is a murky and dangerous bog.'
When the courts hold judicial precedent in such high regard
Ian David
(69,059 posts)This is the school, the administration, calling for prayer-- not a student.
Come on.
This is easy.
Riktor
(483 posts)The school hanging a banner, advertising a school prayer, is an official endorsement of religion, which is contrary to the First Amendment of the Constitution. Sure, you are allowed to say whatever prayer you want in school, but administrators are not allowed to tell you, or even suggest, to whom you should pray, or what words you say. The school is in the wrong here, whether the banner is offensive or not.
greyl
(22,990 posts)PassingFair
(22,434 posts)Bullshit paternalistic religious claptrap.
Take out the "heavenly father" and the "Amen"
and it still says the same thing.
Why jazz it up with Jeebus?
Humanist_Activist
(7,670 posts)We are talking about legality and keeping within Constitutional restraints.
Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)why are your tax dollars being paid to ministers for Congress
hundreds of thousands of dollars every year??
I just do not see the big deal with this prayer
Humanist_Activist
(7,670 posts)I don't see what you are getting at here, you seem unfocused, the point being that ANY violation of church/state separation should be opposed.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)lindysalsagal
(20,730 posts)My daughter is jewish and would know that at her temple, they don't make prayers like that. Seeing that in a school would make her feel unwelcome. That's why it's not OK: because every child must feel welcome at school.
Curmudgeoness
(18,219 posts)It is a prayer, it says it is a prayer, and it has no business being posted in a public school.
As the OP says, take the Heavenly Father, Amen, and title off, then it is not offensive. But apparently, that was too much to ask.
ChadwickHenryWard
(862 posts)The school is not allowed to promote prayer in any way. This is not controversial at all. Anybody with a passing knowledge of the relevant case law could have predicted this outcome.
greyl
(22,990 posts)DissedByBush
(3,342 posts)"All they really should have done was remove the parts that say, "School Prayer," "Our Heavenly Father," and "Amen," without having to wait to be sued."
Their goal was the promotion of religion, not just student motivation, so making it inoffensive was not desired.
Ian David
(69,059 posts)As evidenced by their harassment of the student who complained.
onager
(9,356 posts)Not surprising, though...
Last night, in the comment section of the Providence Journal article on the decision, one of the good guys left Jessicas home address in the comments so other good guys could go make her life miserable (as well as the lives of her sick mother and younger siblings). Their was no rebuke of the administrators law-breaking, but there was an implicit call for harassment (or worse) from those who were willing. And over the course of this ordeal weve learned there were a lot of good Christians who were willing. And somehow Jessica is the bad guy.
http://freethoughtblogs.com/wwjtd/2012/01/12/jessica-ahlquist-totally-was-the-bad-guy/
The local Fundie radio station here in L.A. cashed in on Ahlquist tonight, with a really annoying bait-and-switch. I posted about it in the Ahlquist thread in the Religion forum.
Ian David
(69,059 posts)mr blur
(7,753 posts)Feel that Christian luurve:
http://jesusfetusfajitafishsticks.blogspot.com/2012/01/ahlquist-screenshots-if-by-christian.html
BiggJawn
(23,051 posts)Just ask one, they'll tell you "Oh, but those people are not RealChristians(tm). We should pray for them."
Kolesar
(31,182 posts)Political note: right wing issues depend upon conflict and divisiveness.
lindysalsagal
(20,730 posts)Sanctimonious hate.
darkstar3
(8,763 posts)And people wonder why the continuous and overt display of religion in this country disturbs me...
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)the "love of Jeebus" is par for the course.