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Valedictorian Defies School District and Recites Lord's Prayer [W:618]

Should the school have banned the reading of the prayer by the student?

  • Yes

    Votes: 24 27.3%
  • No

    Votes: 60 68.2%
  • Undecided

    Votes: 4 4.5%

  • Total voters
    88
You get "racism and religious intolerance" from the Lord's Prayer?

I actually got that from living there. But yes they usually go hand in hand there.
 
Religion has no place in a public school, period. I suspect those who believe it was okay for this individual to break a school rule that they personally don't like would be incensed if the same individual had recited from the Quaran instead of the Bible.

Not I. Students have always had a right to read and talk about religion in school and only a fool thinks otherwise. The rules are about government imposition of religion, not about religion being in school. It wouldn't matter to me what the valedictorian wanted to read from, be it the Bible, the Qu'ran or Dianetics. They can knock themselves out, so long as they didn't violate any other school rules, like going off approved script, but even then, what can the school legitimately do to them, they graduated.
 
Religion has no place in a public school, period. I suspect those who believe it was okay for this individual to break a school rule that they personally don't like would be incensed if the same individual had recited from the Quaran instead of the Bible.

You can bet the fundamentalists would have been screaming if that happened.
 
Religion has no place in a public school, period. I suspect those who believe it was okay for this individual to break a school rule that they personally don't like would be incensed if the same individual had recited from the Quaran instead of the Bible.

I don't care if they read from the Koran, Jewish writings, or the Satanic Bible. I think free speech and freedom of religion are paramount rights that should not be infringed upon. I think school boards and lawsuits have wrongfully tried to stamp out religion from school under an abused "separation of church and state" mantra. So long as the school doesn't teach a religion as fact or give special privileges to people of certain beliefs I think anything else should be permitted.
 
Liberty High valedictorian's speech causes stir - FOX Carolina 21

Do you think the school was right to ban this in the first place? Why or why not?

You need to read your source and check your facts. His speech was not banned, the only point of contention is that speeches needed to be approved. What he said was not what the school had approved. He was protesting a move to remove prayer as an official part of graduation ceremony, which is realistically a good thing and appropriate to remove from a school(ie state sponsored activity) activity. When you have to distort your question for the poll, you kinda lose credibility.
 
And the same people condemning him would not be. ;)

I would (btw, I'm a Christian). It doesn't matter if the student is a Christian, Muslim, or Scientologist. Point is the student misled the school and took advantage of a position of privilege. Such a position does not entitle one to freedom of speech.
 
I actually got that from living there. But yes they usually go hand in hand there.

Wow, what's it like to live in a such a state of perpetual sensitivity that you see Klansmen when you hear the Lord's Prayer?
 
i dont think thats the point at all. plus all presidential speeches are CERTAINLY optional. President Obamas religion is known and it is possible to avoid his speeches. Much different than this situation.

Reporters, Staffers, are required to be there, does that impose on their rights?
 
I would (btw, I'm a Christian). It doesn't matter if the student is a Christian, Muslim, or Scientologist. Point is the student misled the school and took advantage of a position of privilege. Such a position does not entitle one to freedom of speech.

You're right, as I say, he should be severely punished, you know, to show our commitment to religious freedom. Lol.
 
He's a selfish douchebag for basically forcing a captive audience to partake in his completely religious observance.

Just like an atheist in his position would be a selfish douchebag if he incorporated an anti-religious scree into his speech.
 
Wow, what's it like to live in a such a state of perpetual sensitivity that you see Klansmen when you hear the Lord's Prayer?

I don't. I'm a devout Christian, but I also am a devout advocate for the Constitution.
 
Students have always had a right to read and talk about religion in school and only a fool thinks otherwise.

I don't think anyone is arguing you cannot talk about religion in school. As a teacher myself I held witness to students speaking out about their faith openly in class. I had no problem with it nor should I. But to use a position of privilege (graduation ceremony podium) and mislead the school over his speech is a different matter entirely. What if he decided to use the podium to preach White Power. Would that have been okay too?
 
Reporters, Staffers, are required to be there, does that impose on their rights?

they chose that job. They dont HAVE to work as a reporter or a staff of the President.
 
You're right, as I say, he should be severely punished, you know, to show our commitment to religious freedom. Lol.

When did I say he should be punished?
 
You need to read your source and check your facts. His speech was not banned, the only point of contention is that speeches needed to be approved. What he said was not what the school had approved. He was protesting a move to remove prayer as an official part of graduation ceremony, which is realistically a good thing and appropriate to remove from a school(ie state sponsored activity) activity. When you have to distort your question for the poll, you kinda lose credibility.

The prayer was banned. I didn't distort the question.
 
BTW, this isn't a freedom of speech issue. The school has every right to have control over the content in THEIR event. If he was outside of the event prattling on about his religion, it would become a free speech issue.
 
Let'd be honest here. If it was the way you are making it out to seem like there would be only a fraction of students attending. Those people had no idea what they were getting into when they showed up.

Yes, be honest - no one ever does. Some classes moon the principal, I've seen it. Some wear stickers and buttons they're not supposed to. I've been to one where the entire female portion of the class flashed their bras.

Look, much of the authority school personnel have over the students is illusion. It's an illusion purposefully built. How many times did you hear in high school, "if you do that it'll go on your permanent record!"?

But largely students attend because all their friends are and/or their parents make it mandatory.
 
I don't care if they read from the Koran, Jewish writings, or the Satanic Bible. I think free speech and freedom of religion are paramount rights that should not be infringed upon. I think school boards and lawsuits have wrongfully tried to stamp out religion from school under an abused "separation of church and state" mantra. So long as the school doesn't teach a religion as fact or give special privileges to people of certain beliefs I think anything else should be permitted.

freedom of speech and religion arent infringed on by school censoring or limiting what is said at a school function/building/property.

you still have the right to say and practice any religion you want
 
BTW, this isn't a freedom of speech issue. The school has every right to have control over the content in THEIR event. If he was outside of the event prattling on about his religion, it would become a free speech issue.

ding ding ding ding ding winner winner chicken dinner
 
When did I say he should be punished?

If what he did was such a high crime against the Constitution then I'm sure you would want something serious to happen to the little traitor.
 
And the same people condemning him would not be. ;)

I'd like to think I'm misinterpreting this comment, since it seems to imply that I would not have the same objections to religious utterances at a school graduation if the religion was anything other than Christian because you surely know me better than that. I do not believe that school functions should include religion, any religion.
 
I don't care if they read from the Koran, Jewish writings, or the Satanic Bible. I think free speech and freedom of religion are paramount rights that should not be infringed upon. I think school boards and lawsuits have wrongfully tried to stamp out religion from school under an abused "separation of church and state" mantra. So long as the school doesn't teach a religion as fact or give special privileges to people of certain beliefs I think anything else should be permitted.

But thats the point, the student was given a special privilege: to give a speech. That privilege means his speech is not protected by the 1st Amendment.
 
BTW, this isn't a freedom of speech issue. The school has every right to have control over the content in THEIR event. If he was outside of the event prattling on about his religion, it would become a free speech issue.

Absolutely. :thumbs:
 
freedom of speech and religion arent infringed on by school censoring or limiting what is said at a school function/building/property.

you still have the right to say and practice any religion you want

It's freedom of religion not freedom from ever seeing or hearing anything religious anywhere ever.
 
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