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Bible belt town hates student for preventing prayer at graduation

AdMan

Penultimate Amazing
AdMan
Joined
Feb 10, 2010
Messages
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My graduation from high school is this Friday. I live in the Bible Belt of the United States. The school was going to perform a prayer at graduation, but due to me sending the superintendent an email stating it was against Louisiana state law and that I would be forced to contact the ACLU if they ignored me, they ceased it. The school backed down, but that's when the ************* rolled in. Everyone is trying to get it back in the ceremony now. I'm not worried about it, but everyone hates me... kind of worried about attending graduation now. It's attracted more hostility than I thought.
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http://redd.it/hed7y

PZ's take on this: http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/05/standard_small_town_saga.php

The graduation is tonight. Here's an update from the student's brother:
http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/hed7y/threatened_to_contact_aclu_for_prayer_at/c1uut0n
 
I have e-mailed the superintendent and school board to point out that, as an educational institution, they have a legal and moral obligation not to impose religious rituals on official school activities.
 
“And what’s even more sad is this is a student who really hasn’t contributed anything to graduation or to their classmates,” Quinn said

I'd say he's contributed more than any other student.
 
When I graduated 25 years ago, they had a separate benediction ceremony that was voluntary. As this is an important milestone in life, I have to laugh at the militancy of deliberately severing it from religious activity.

Government insinuates itself into an important aspect of life, then voids it of anything religious because it is government. Something never sat well with me about that.
 
The majority of the population there are christians.
Hate is what they do.
 
Beerina said:
When I graduated 25 years ago, they had a separate benediction ceremony that was voluntary. As this is an important milestone in life, I have to laugh at the militancy of deliberately severing it from religious activity.

Government insinuates itself into an important aspect of life, then voids it of anything religious because it is government. Something never sat well with me about that.
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Whoa, whoa, whoa! I think you have the cart before the horse. Graduation has nothing to do with religion. Graduation from a public school system, paid for by taxpayers' money, and regulated by the government means there is no religious aspect allowed.

It isn't the government that insinuated itself into education/graduations it is religion.
 
Mister Agenda said:
“And what’s even more sad is this is a student who really hasn’t contributed anything to graduation or to their classmates,” Quinn said

I'd say he's contributed more than any other student.
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How dare he demand that we adhere to the law?
 
A Facebook post from his brother:

This may sound like a petty update but Damon's parent's (my parents as well, obviously) threw his possessions outside on their front porch and they have left town on "vacation." They won't answer our calls. Currently the only thing missing is his Playstation 3 (that he bought with his own money). I hope that it will turn up. We're still trying to contact the parents about it.
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https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/permalink.php?story_fbid=104411829648009&id=103714833051042

Caring, Christian parents, huh? :mad:
 
It appears that they had their cake and went and ate it too.



[EDT: Adman beat me. Good for him. :)]
 
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Elizabeth I said:
I have e-mailed the superintendent and school board to point out that, as an educational institution, they have a legal and moral obligation not to impose religious rituals on official school activities.
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You probably should have read a little before getting excited
 
AdMan said:
What is that supposed to mean?
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Well the superintendent had already told the principle after the Thursday rehersal to remove the prayer. He did, the reprinted programs called for a minutes silence instead of a prayer
 
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Elizabeth I said:
I have e-mailed the superintendent and school board to point out that, as an educational institution, they have a legal and moral obligation not to impose religious rituals on official school activities.
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Devils advocate here.

But what if a student goes rogue and does it anyway? Maybe the Valedictorian? I mean, they cannot legally prevent them from doing so, as that would be a violation of freedom of speech and freedom of religion, right?



Really, I don't care personally. I, for the most part, leave other people's religion alone. I have mine, and other people have theirs, and I typically ignore all religious discussions.
 
MG1962 said:
Well the superintendent had already told the principle after the Thursday rehersal to remover the prayer. He did, the reprinted programs called for a minutes silence instead of a prayer
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The prayer went ahead anyway, both during the rehearsal and the actual ceremony. Plus, what I object to mostly from the school's side are the teacher's comments on the student who objected.
 
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MG1962 said:
Well the superintendent had already told the principle after the Thursday rehersal to remove the prayer. He did, the reprinted programs called for a minutes silence instead of a prayer
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Then I await the principal suspending the student who disobeyed the directive and decided to lead the entire assembly in a Christian prayer, regardless.
 
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