School District Cancels Graduation Prayer

“I can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want prayer,” Justice said.
I can explain why, Superintendant: It’s because some of us don’t indulge in idiotic fantasies about magical, invisible friends.  We’re called grown-ups. Don’t you want to encourage the students to think like adults?  Or would you rather they think like you, which is to say, like a spoiled four-year-old?

DABROAD: I never mentioned anything regarding a “Christian” god, I simply just said God. Which meant god in general, any god. You are the one that inserted “Christian”. I said some are offended by the mention of God, meaning regardless of who your god is. I will never nor have I ever disrespected anyone’s religion, because we are free to believe in who we want. I was only making an observation that some people hear the word god and they are instantly offended, but yet spending money with god written on it is ok.

I just read “brittanywillis” post.  If this is an example of how the Christian students are writing, you’d better start praying.  Learn to use punctuation and capitals, hon.

Nobody is stopping anyone from praying.  But the school district cannot appoint a religious figure to speak, as it then gives that person’s religion an air of authority that it does not have.

You say that you LET atheists and “other religions” speak.  Mighty white of you.  It’s easy to be arrogant when you are in the majority.  But the world is changing.  Populations are moving, shifting.  Travel is easier; almost nowhere is really that remote anymore.  You might very well end up in a place where you are not in the majority.  If that happens, remember how you treated those in the minority.  I’m sure that you would gladly stand silently, or leave the room, when a religious leader of a faith that may be diametrically opposed to Christianity gives an offical prayer at graduation, if the majority of students adhere to that faith.

I think it is about the time this school distrct is following the Supreme Court’s ruling. This ruling was long over due. My mom went to public school in Columbus. She graduated in the early 60’s. She has told me about starting her school day with prayer, but she also mentioned a number of students that did not participate in the prayer because of THEIR religion. These were grade school children that were forced to appear different from their friends and classmates. Talk about uncomfortable. I wonder how many of these Christian people wanting a prayer would feel if a Catholic Priest (Priests are rarely invited to perform a prayer in public) started and ended a group prayer with the Sign of the Cross or a Jewish Rabi led the prayer in Hebrew? Catholicism is a Christian religion that many “Christians” wish not to recognize. As a Christian/Catholic, I was taught tolerance. A moment of silence is a compromise. My suggestion is to do neither a moment of silence or prayer. I would also encourage the HS students of the graduating class not to place their classmates in an awkward position by leading a prayer. Graduation is a special time for ALL. It should be remembered fondly. I think it is time for all of us to let these young people get on with a graduation ceremony they can all remember with fondness. I think it is safe to say that it will not matter what is said on this website. The district will not be changing it’s mind. Especially, since it is finally following the law. I hope any other public school districts that might still be considering a prayer during comencement will not have this as part of their ceremony. Start a new tradition- There are numerous poems and speeches that could be spoken. Do you know what I remember from my HS Graduation Ceremony? Not the prayers (I graduated in 89 from Public School. So we had a prayer at the beginning and end of comencement.), student speeches, the principal’s speech, or any other person’s speech. I remember walking across the stage and receiving my diploma with friends and family watching. That is all that really matters at a commencement ceremony. That feeling of accomplishment that everyone should feel.

I am proud to say that I graduated from S.E. and that my child is also a student there. When I graduated there was a prayer said it was done and over with in seconds. Had he not wanted to pray all he really needed to do was get up and leave. When the prayer was over he could come back in. They may have violated the law however it must not have bothered anyone else because this is the FIRST that anyone has ever mentioned. I hope that at graduation next weekend someone gets up and starts praying and hopefully everyone joins in!!! I never felt pressured by thinking that Christanity was being forced on us. That is a part of a tradition that has now been taking away from us. I saw the prayer being nothing more than a congratulations and best wishes in the future. I hope that Jacobs realizes what he has done. I hope he is happy he wanted 15 minutes of fame and now he got it. What do his parents think about all of this? When he has children hopefully he will realize just how “petty” this truthfully was..