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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 do know that legally there is, right? While that phrase is not in the constitution, it is widely agreed that the first amendment does require a level of separation.

Not to the extent people take and abuse it.
 
Not to the extent people take and abuse it.

Which does nothing to change the fact that your comments where misleading at best. A level of separation of church and state, that the state cannot and should not support, promote or favor any religion, is inherant in the first amendment. This concept is referred to as "separation of church and state". It is kinda important.
 
Which does nothing to change the fact that your comments where misleading at best. A level of separation of church and state, that the state cannot and should not support, promote or favor any religion, is inherant in the first amendment. This concept is referred to as "separation of church and state". It is kinda important.

Actually, if you want to get technical the Constition separates State from Establishing a Denomination. It does not prohibit churches from being politially active. So a total separation of church and state is incorrect.
 
Actually, if you want to get technical the Constition separates State from Establishing a Denomination. It does not prohibit churches from being politially active. So a total separation of church and state is incorrect.

Which again does not hcange anything I just said, nor does it change the fact that what is referred to as "separation of church and state" does exist and is an important constitutional concept. Further, the constitution does not say "denomination", it says "religion".
 
Which again does not hcange anything I just said, nor does it change the fact that what is referred to as "separation of church and state" does exist and is an important constitutional concept. Further, the constitution does not say "denomination", it says "religion".

Fine religion. And the constitutional concept has left the original intent has it not? Based on letters from the authors themselves and what we have today?
 
Fine religion. And the constitutional concept has left the original intent has it not? Based on letters from the authors themselves and what we have today?

Letters from the authors are not in the constitution. What we have is the arrived upon wording that the people passed. That is what we have to work with. From there we go to Supreme Court interpretation, which has the same force.
 
Letters from the authors are not in the constitution. What we have is the arrived upon wording that the people passed. That is what we have to work with. From there we go to Supreme Court interpretation, which has the same force.

And their job is to interpret author intent. The letters would come into play there. People seem to ignore that.
 
Valedictorian Defies School District and Recites Lord's Prayer

Was this kid a member of the government? An elected official? Making a statement on behalf of the United States/State/local government? No? Well then it was his right. Suck it up.
 
I strongly support the separation of Church & State, but I also am zealous in my defense of freedom of speech. This was an individual who was selected to give a speech to his peers. I'm not a fan of school reviewed and approved speech, if they did not want this individual giving the graduation speech that is one thing, but once you pick him then you accept that his right to speak freely does not stop when he crosses the school doors.

Also the article does not seem to say that what he did was banned: "Prayer in Pickens County has been highly debated this spring after the school board adopted a new policy that allows non-student led, non-sectarian prayer at meetings."

A speech that is given to a variety of religious views should not single out one view. The prayer should have been omitted.
 
And their job is to interpret author intent. The letters would come into play there. People seem to ignore that.

Letters and such do not have any force of law and only provide some historical context. Just because Joe Blow founding father says something does not mean it is applicable to anything. He may not be representative of the majority of founding fathers.
 
That would be limiting free speech.

False. He is free to say anything he wants and express any view he wants when not speaking at a state sponsored event. Free speech does not mean that you can say anything, any where, at any time.
 
False. He is free to say anything he wants and express any view he wants when not speaking at a state sponsored event. Free speech does not mean that you can say anything, any where, at any time.

This speech has nothing to do with establishing a state religion.
 
That would be being concious of not everyone believing in the same thing and speaking your mind accordingly.

So you should never express a different opinion then someone you are addressing? If that is the case, why does this site exist?
 
And so what determines the importance of a state? Your statement is absurd and uncalled for.

What determines it? How often it is in the news. The only time SC is in the news is when somebody is about to go into the NFL or get lynched. It's not an intellectual, economic or cultural powerhouse of any sort.
 
What determines it? How often it is in the news. The only time SC is in the news is when somebody is about to go into the NFL or get lynched. It's not an intellectual, economic or cultural powerhouse of any sort.

Last I checked all 50 states were important.
 
So you should never express a different opinion then someone you are addressing? If that is the case, why does this site exist?

This is a moderated site. You realize what that means correct?
 
Is your only goal here to mock others? If so, I don't have anything futher to discuss with you.


im not mocking you at all thats made up in your head, i was pointing out the fact that your post didnt offer anything to change or impact his statement, i dont understand why you posted it.

SO i asked if you understood this because i wanted to know the answer and if possibly you had more.

Is that not how this place works?
 
Once in a great while the true feelings and beliefs of the American people slip by, slip out of the all encompassing suppressive cloak of Liberal political correctness and when this happens, the Liberals become hysterical. It frightens them to have any reminder, even the slightest, that their fantasy world in which they have prevailed over all of people they hate so much is not the actual world and they have actually not prevailed over anything at all.
 
Once in a great while the true feelings and beliefs of the American people slip by, slip out of the all encompassing suppressive cloak of Liberal political correctness and when this happens, the Liberals become hysterical. It frightens them to have any reminder, even the slightest, that their fantasy world in which they have prevailed over all of people they hate so much is not the actual world and they have actually not prevailed over anything at all.

Are you saying liberals are not American people?
 
Are you saying liberals are not American people?

Do you love America's history, traditions, culture and values and cherish and respect the American flag above all others?
 
Do you love America's history, traditions, culture and values and cherish and respect the American flag above all others?

I want this nation to be the est it can be. Part of that includes self criticism.
 
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