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 ...
It's stupid to make an issue over this if it's an isolated incident. But if it's a First Amenendment issue, I have to presume you would support similar speach from a Muslim student as well. Short and sweet.
Repeat after me.I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger
There is nothing in the constitution that forbids being wrong, selfish, or inappropriate. The constitution does give the speaker the right to free speech and free excercise of religion.
The school is giving her a platform to speak, and can prevent inappropriate behavior. They should have. She is free to speak all she wants. But not with the school's microphone and in front of a captive audience that did not come for a revival meeting.
Even if you are right the ACLU is wrong.
That usually goes without saying. ;-)
SD
You really don't get it ~ the audience was not captive. The former students were all adults.
This is not parkland where the listeners are free to move on or take their place at the speaker's platform. It is a situation where the audience cannot easily walk out or express their disapproval.
They came for a graduation ceremony and got a religious revival..Not good, not permitted, not defensible.
What I'm saying is stupid stunts like this are what will lead to "Zero tolerance" laws on mentioning God. If Christians can't control their urges to turn captive audiences into tent revivals, it will be only logical that they will have to be silenced.
This is not me saying I want that to happen. This is me saying this is the course one sets oneself on when one defends this type of inappropriate behavior.
SD
I hope nobody takes the ACLU up on their request for a plaintiff. : ) Wouldn`t that be a hoot !
It sounds like the school did not know the graduate was going to go this far with the slated "prayer" in the ceremony. But who knows, its up to the ACLU to prove that.
But if the ACLU has a beef with anyone at the graduation ceremony, it would be the person who led the altar calling. In which the ACLU has no case against.
From the article, it sounds like the ACLU is going to have a hard time suing anyone. Unless they have proof this was pre-approved by school officials.
I doubt the young lady was prepared for a fullblown Church of the Holiness baptism, but who knows what you might find out in Jonesboro.
So what. Were others prohibited from holding religious services in that building?
So what PC policeman????? If people dont like it then they have the right to stand up and call her out. Just like liberals to use the court in an unconstitutional way to enact their percieved justice. If you dont like it then you have the right to walk out or say something. They were not held against their will.
So the answer to incivility is more incivility? Great.
People should just forego the opportunity to watch their children graduate because some dumb twit decides to turn her speech into a religious rite. That's a mature answer.
SD
Sure, no problem. A bris, though? Where's your volunteer (ROTFLMAO).
SD, sorry to find a need to say this, but the SECOND AMENDMENT is the one we use in emergencies to defend our right to adhere to the FIRST AMENDMENT, so there will be no laws passed by Congress or others to prohibit Christian voice in public.
That's right. They could all get up and leave and miss their own ceremony, but the girl's right to fish for converts is absolute. If people didn't want to here a sermon and witness an altar call they never should have gone to the graduation. They should have known better.
SD
You are being thick headed, Count our conversation over.
I presume you've read all the cases and are simply trying to appear to be disengenous.
Why use a gun? The Muslims find it more appropriate (and satisfying) to chop off peoples heads who don't want to submit to their preaching?
SD
Oh absolutely. This was my anguish from the story: ACLU ambulance chasing to make a example of a girls own free act that has nothing to do with the school district or school policy. This isn't like a CSPAN callin show when you can hit button to cut off someone from being heard. All the ACLU will accomplish is force taxpayers to pay for lawyers.
If the girl wanted to say a prayer, or talk about God, I support that. I've said this three times now.
Having an altar call is inappropriate.
I don't know how much more simple I can make this.
SD
"the ACLU is looking for a plaintiff in a case against Jonesboro High School"
This used to be called champerty and was considered unethical and was illegal. That was, of course, before morality was considered to be situational and relative.
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