Posted on 11/23/2005 10:30:31 AM PST by AZRepublican
In May of this year, a Jonesboro student gave a prayer during a high school graduation ceremony at the Arkansas State University Convocation Center. During the prayer, which lasted four minutes, she gave an altar call to the community, asking those in the audience to come forward to accept Jesus Christ.
In the closing moments of this service, if you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, here's your chance, said senior Jessica Reed in a May 20, 2005 taped video of JHS graduation ceremonies.
We were contacted sometime after that by the American Civil Liberties Union that they felt like there had been a violation of the First Amendment, separation of church and state with regard to a prayer, said Jonesboro Public Schools Attorney Donn Mixon.
And now the ACLU is looking for a plaintiff in a case against Jonesboro High School. In a letter written by the Arkansas ACLU executive director Rita Sklar, the event is described as a blatant display of contempt for the First Amendment.
(Excerpt) Read more at kait8.com ...
And why not? because the Supreme Court beginning with Everson in 1947 completely flipped the meaning of the First Amendment.
God disapproves when you lie.
LMAO!!!
You would think that these athiest Democrat scumbags at the ACLU would at least have a passing familiarity with the First Amendment. For Rita's benefit, here's the pertinent part. These are also the first sixteen words of the Bill of Rights:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...."
Meaning that you can't defend your position in any real debate and aren't about to try.
In any event, I do hope that this particular case is allowed to fade away. The Jonesboro Community would probably prefer not to have this discussion... And that teenager should just go on & enjoy her life. She may have been impetuous but sometimes I miss that fervent spirit that could lead me into a Lions' Den for my faith...as a somewhat "older", somewhat less impetuous woman, I've learned that you don't have to go into the Lions Den...the Lions in life come out looking...
Nice personal attack. I can see what sort of "Christian" you are.
God doesn't really care.
You're terribly judgmental.
Being an ass really doesn't help your position. I am not the one here who thinks "majority rules, to hell with the minority" is a critical point of our Constitution. I have seen more posters agree with me than with you.
SD
You're not self-aware at all, are you? This is exactly what this young lady did, and exactly what rational people are objecting to.
SD
troll
She isn't even a frickin' Member of Congress.
So how can this possibly have anything to do with an Amendment which begins, "Congress shall make no law...."???
So, you don't think individuals should have any rights?
Your narrow, petty, sectarian viewpoint on what is permissible religious expression (or prayer) in public is the problem ~
You are still terribly judgmental.
I happen to agree, basically, with SD on this; if I wanted to go to a revival, I'd go to a revival.
If a speaker wants to invoke God or Jesus, fine; but asking people to convert is a bit much. It could easily be the case that next year the valedictorian is Muslim or Buddhist or something else non-Crhistian. But there's no violation of the law here, IMO; I think the poster who said she was glorifying herself, or showing off, is right.
If they invite EVERYBODY in to proselytize, including atheists, agnostics, etc., then they are being quite neutral. It's the selective invitations that violate the neutrality principle.
But I quite agree with you that public schools simply shouldn't exist.
The question of "selectivity" is mere semantics. Neutrality means that even a federal judge ought to totally ignore any question that raises the question of whether words or deeds are religious in nature.
They only want a case where they will be awarded fees for their "services." Kind of like pimps.
Don't you know anything about other folk's religions?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.