nowlin@ihu1e.UUCP (Jerry Nowlin) (09/05/84)
. Why do proponents of school prayer feel they have to have a constitutional amendment to be satisfied? I can remember the whole class standing up to say the pledge of allegiance and the lords prayer before class started when I was in grade school. I don't remember exactly when we had to stop. I still said prayers at lunch in the cafeteria right through high school. Why can't school prayer advocates be satisfied with that kind of personal prayer now? What exactly do they want the amendment to do? Will it set aside a slice of school time? Will it force students that don't want to pray to participate? Just to play the devils advocate, what will these people do when a group of witches decide the amendment allows them to pray to satan? Would anyone care to take a shot at this topic? Jerry
stanwyck@ihuxr.UUCP (Don Stanwyck) (09/06/84)
> < Jerry Nowlin > I still said > prayers at lunch in the cafeteria right through high school. Why can't school > prayer advocates be satisfied with that kind of personal prayer now? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First, I have never really considered myself a "school prayer advocate", but I am willing to take a stab at this. The problem, Jerry, is not whether an individual can say a prayer quietly at lunch, but rather is related to a desire to hold Bible studies before or after school. The proponents of the SP Admendment point ou that high school students are free to meet to study any other philosophy, but are not permitted to to meet to study Christianity or practice any of its tenets, such as group prayer. (I probably should point out that there are those who would take issue with the statement that group prayer is at all a Christian action, instead putting forth that all Christian prayer is quiet & private.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > What exactly do they want the amendment to do? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- They want an admendment to state that the Constitution does not inhibit the practice of religious activities on public property. This would then allow students to meet for religious meetings (Bible studies) on school grounds. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Will it set aside a slice of > school time? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Will it force students that don't want to pray to participate? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Just to play the devils advocate, what will these people do when a group of > witches decide the amendment allows them to pray to satan? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Many (most??) will be very unhappy, but some of us will shrug our shoulders and say, "That is part of the right of free practice of religion, and if we don't support their practice, we support government interferance with religion. This last part, by the way, is why many religious organizations filed briefs in support of "Rev." Moon in his tax-fraud case. They were not supporting what he had done, but rather were afraid of the consequences of the gov't getting involved in church finances. Most thought that Moon had at least been careless, and many beleived him guilty as charged. THey just didn't like to see a precedent set whereby the IRS starts auditting how a church handles its funds. (I don't really have any personal thoughts on the Moon issue, so don't take it up with me. I wasn't at the trial, I haven't seen the evidence, I don't know the answers.) Anyway, have a beautiful day. -- ________ ( ) Don Stanwyck @( o o )@ 312-979-3062 ( || ) Cornet-367-3062 ( \__/ ) ihnp4!ihuxr!stanwyck (______) Bell Labs @ Naperville, IL
rostig@fortune.UUCP (Grant Rostig) (09/07/84)
Is a prayer said around the family table in the morning so weak, so as
not to last through the morning?
--
Grant E. Rostig Fortune Systems, Redwood City, California
...!{ihnp4, ucbvax!amd, hpda, sri-unix, harpo}!fortune!rostig