High School Student Sues Over Prayer At Graduation

Irmo-Seven Oaks, SC Patch:

An 18-year-old Irmo High school graduate is suing Lexington-Richland 5 for allowing prayer during graduation.

Read the whole story at Irmo-Seven Oaks, SC Patch

Comments

[Kenneth Bushway]

12:36 PM on 06/07/2012

And in the end times(how ever they come) the one who saves shall not be a man in a robe, but a man inside an Iron Suit. This man shall not have holy abilities, only a mechanical heart of pure power. For this man in an Iron suit shall not be a man of spirit but one that believes in himself. The man in the Iron Suit shall not vault, nor waver, or bow to any force of evil no matter how large or strong. Light shall give him away and he fly across the skies in attempt to save us all.

[soldamerican3]

12:10 PM on 06/07/2012

This is a reIigion that never helped its adherents to be m0ral. No wonder they have done these.

- Inquisiti0n in Spain and Goa
- C_rusades
- Ethn!c cIeansing of American Indians
- SIavery
- Iynchings
- The Ant! Chinese league of the Americas
- Jim Cr0we
- The HoI0caust. Read the ant!semit!Ic rantings of Martin Iuther the founder of the Protestant movement that was the impetus for the HoIocaust.
- Separate churches for bIacks and whites in the bible belt.
- BI00d Iibel. Read in Wikipedia about this.. OMG! What eviI!

[soldamerican3]

12:09 PM on 06/07/2012

Christian evangelicals re preda0trs...they would predate on others rights slowly but surely...they would test the wall for weakness so they can breach it for their Iord and savior...the jeaIous god.

It all starts from their belief in a JeaI0us god. JeaIousy is a character flaw.. Its been downhill from there

[soldamerican3]

12:05 PM on 06/07/2012

I h_ate christianity as much as IsIam

[Cacey]

08:26 PM on 06/05/2012

To me as a secular humanist raised Presbyterian and one who has been exposed to a lot of religions there is a great question. That question involves what most believe the Deity of any faith, Eastern or Western, has given to humans and I feel that is the ability to think. Why, then, so so many of many faiths but particularly Christian sects not think but rely on others to do their thinking for them? If Freedom is the ultimate goal that a deity has set forth for us, why do some allow themselves to be chained?

[Freetheinternet]

07:56 PM on 06/05/2012

I don't want my kid being force-fed religious ideas by anyone else but me !!!!! :P

[A Dub]

03:13 PM on 06/05/2012

Let the litigation begin!

[cruzing9382]

01:17 PM on 06/05/2012

I think that there should be a separation of church and school the same as church and state. If you want a prayer service after school or graduation, that's your right. I don't see it as the right of a school to hold any kind of reglious observance that forces others to attend something they do not believe in. If they want religion, included in their school they should go to a reglious school and not a secular one.

[A Dub]

03:14 PM on 06/05/2012

In this case the school is the state, it is a public state school

[silverspirit2011]

01:17 PM on 06/05/2012

Anyone actually read the article on the other site...What an eye opener. The school superintendent said that the only role the school had was distributing the ballots, and counting them.

Seriously? By distributing the ballots places pressure on the graduates to vote for it, else no one probably would have given a second thought to wanting a prayer at the event - and counting the ballots - well, I would like to see the ballots, because I would want to make sure no individual could be identified via the ballot - which could place them under duress, if it got out how people voted.

But what can I say, being English, the number of 18 yr olds interested in religion in this country is negligible.

[marklemagne]

11:11 AM on 06/05/2012

My public school had a voluntary religious event quite separate from graduation where a variety of religious leaders spoke. The event was not publicized with public money -- invites to the graduating class were mailed to our homes by the private sponsors.

Student contact information was a public record at the time, so there was no favoritism toward sponsors there, either.

My Constitutional rights were stomped on by my parents who made me go.

[silverspirit2011]

01:18 PM on 06/05/2012

Lol. Parents are allowed to be dictators until you leave home.

[Hillbilly49]

11:01 AM on 06/05/2012

It's a wonderful thing to see this young man stand for the "establishment" clause of the Constitution; it theists want to have a prayer they can have a church service at their local Christian Madrasha after graduation ceremony.

[jld1973]

10:21 AM on 06/05/2012

So don't pray. In my lifetime I have been in many situations where a speaker was saying something that I did not agree with or did not want to hear. I didn't sue them. Maybe I should have. I'd be rich.

[Hillbilly49]

11:02 AM on 06/05/2012

You would still be poor, since you failed to stand up for the Constitution.

[cruzing9382]

01:21 PM on 06/05/2012

The difference may have been whether or not it was your choice to be there. This kid really had no choice. It was either attend or miss out on his graduation. That's like being forced to miss your own wedding because it is being held in a church.

[Chris Hollier]

09:56 AM on 06/05/2012

Get together before or after the graduation ceremony to pray, don't use a mandatory attendance event as a soap box to promote your own religion - especially if no one else is allowed to do the same. I guess the golden rule is too hard for them to comprehend.

Perhaps it might do some of these Christians some good to be placed in a nation which promises its citizens equal treatment but at the same time them be in a religious minority which had to deal with a majority plastering their god all over that nations money, pledge, government buildings, and public schools. You know, sorta like how the environment is for non-Christians here in America. Perhaps then they'd see why its important to uphold this nations protection of the minority from the majoirty.

[SDpianomom]

12:10 AM on 06/05/2012

The courts have gone back and forth on this issue of prayers at graduation. It will never be resolved until the Supreme Court gets involved

[timbohp]

12:14 AM on 06/05/2012

Oh gawd, then we'll all be in trouble as they will force xtian prayer on everyone everywhere, in our secular nation.

[DarkSyn]

04:10 PM on 06/06/2012

Good enough reason to make sue we elect Democrats. One more Republican activist SC Justice and we are done.

[Paul Robertson]

04:54 AM on 06/06/2012

The law seems fairly settled on that matter. That this continues to be an issue speaks to me more of the stubborn Christian privilege that many communities exhibit.

[Hillbilly49]

04:02 PM on 06/04/2012

Prayer has no place in the public school, just like facts have no place in the church.