ACLU Attacking Prayer in Louisiana
Posted on May 21, 2007
We read:
“A guest at one of the high school graduation ceremonies in Ouachita Parish has contacted the Louisiana American Civil Liberties Union to complain about religious activities at a public event, Executive Director Joe Cook said Thursday….
Following a direction by the Ouachita Parish School system, seniors at the six high schools in the parish voted to determine whether prayer would be a part of each graduation ceremony. All six schools voted to have prayer led by a student. The vote for prayer was unanimous by the students at Ouachita Parish High School….
Cook said that according to what’s been reported, at least one of the graduations in Ouachita Parish was “like a prayer meeting with the Lord’s Prayer and Amen.”
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14 Responses to “ACLU Attacking Prayer in Louisiana”
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What attack?
I have this post up as well, tried to track back and it didn’t take, I sent an email alert to my entire list, I hope you guys get some hits and support on this, it is too important to ignore…
My article and thoughts can be found here: http://texasfred.net/archives/148
I seem to remember legal precendent concerning this that if a student freely chooses to begin praying publically while speaking at a school event, there isn’t anything unconsistutitional about it. I seem to remember the ACLU losing on this before. The ACLU rep claims the suit would be filed based on a violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution but if memory serves me correctly, the LOST a similar suit based upon the very same grounds that the student leading the prayer at graduation is excerising their right of free speech. I don’t think the ACLU will win this one unless the school district caves in. However I hope the officials in Ouchita Parish have the same courage to stand up to the ACLU like St. Benard Parish officials did (see my blog entries: http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/?p=594 and http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/?p=615 for details of St. Bernard Parish President Henry “Junior†Rodriguez’s courageous stand against the ACLU.
I just don’t understand why all you “good christians” are so intent on protecting
and promoting this whole “prayer in public venues” crusade–which I would think
would be in direct opposition to Jesus’ rubric against public displays of
piety.
Yes, but there’s a wrinkle here. The school is setting aside time for “student-led” prayer. That’s hardly the same as a valedictorian choosing to preach during his/her speech.
So just becuase some party pooper whine about prayers at a gradation and the infamous ACLU bring up another one of its stupid lawsuits what a bunch of idiots
I don’t know, I’m an atheist, but I seem to sense a certain loss of morals and character since “god” was removed by schools. All they are now are indoctrination centers who pump you with Goracle nonsense (just read a story this morning about one kid who has watched “Inconvenient Truth” 4 times at his high school) or they force 12 year olds to watch R rated movies like Brokeback Mountain.
I think it’s time they did bring “god” back to schools, and frankly these kids voted for it so whoever complained can STFU.
There is a difference between praying in public for hypocrisy or for simply praying together in what happens to be out in public place. Matthew 6: 5 - 6 explains it pretty well.
The consitution protects individual rights. One of those rights is that no law can be applied to the practice of religion. There is no harm when a person prays anytime anywhere. No one is being forced to pray so no one should be forced not to pray.
It’s just not that simple. Under certain circumstances, the constitution does conflict with itself. Taking your “individual rights are absolute” reasoning to its logical extreme, the Establishment Clause itself would be unconstitutional. After all, if congress did establish a national religion, that would be within the congressmen’s individual right to promote their religion, right?
Think of it this way…suppose if I were offended that clothes were worn at graduations (which I’m not), my right to not be offended would be somehow protected…and none would then be allowed to wear clothes.
That is how ridiculous these leftest, godless, sensless people are. Their attempts to not allow young people to share their faith and hearts at THEIR OWN graduations make them look THAT stupid.
gary wrote:
gary, Jesus didn’t forbid nor condemn public prayers. Jesus spoke out against selfish MOTIVATION for public prayer as the Pharisees were wont to do. If you plan to post in the future concerning what is within the Bible, I suggest that you at least read it. Otherwise you show yourself to be lacking knowledge and understanding as you have exhibited here.
Carl, I have read the passage in question (and much more besides), and it’s
pretty specific about how public prayers and displays of piety are much less
worthwhile and trustworthy in motivation than private, personal prayer, which
Jesus specifically preferred.
“It’s just not that simple. Under certain circumstances, the constitution does conflict with itself. Taking your “individual rights are absolute†reasoning to its logical extreme”
Where is there conflict when a person prays in public. No where did I indicate that individual rights were absolute. The consitution does not say where one can practice religion and where one cannot. Yelling fire in a crowded theater is not free speech because in endangers others.