Blessing Of School May Have Done More Harm To Students Than Good

The Columbus Dispatch ^ | 9 September 2006 | Dan Birtcher

[buccaneer81]

Blessing of school may have done more harm to students than good Saturday, September 09, 2006

I write regarding the Aug. 27 blessing of Woodward Park Middle School and the Aug. 31 editorial "No harm done." Even if I grant that the 180 people who took part in this blessing were legally exercising their free-speech rights and that no unconstitutional mixing of church and state occurred, I am far from convinced that no harm was done.

Can you cite any empirical studies proving that such blessing ceremonies are safe and effective? If you can’t, is it possible that students who learn of this ceremony will develop a false sense of security? Will they be less likely to look both ways before crossing a street if they believe a supreme being has been asked to look out for them? Will this make it more, rather than less, likely that they’ll be victims of a terrible accident? I don’t know. Do you?

More generally, will young people who learn of this blessing be more likely to follow the example set by those at this ceremony and embrace magical thinking and practices rather than rational, practical ones? Will they be more likely to shift responsibility for their safety and success onto adults who pray to supernatural forces and thus less likely to accept personal responsibility for their lives? If the coming academic year turns out to be a safe and successful one, will they attribute this to the prayers of others rather than to their own conscientiousness and hard work?

Finally, what message does it send to non-Christian students when a large group of Christians surrounds their school and invokes the blessings of a Christian God with the apparent support of neighbors and school officials? Is it a message of inclusion and respect, or is it one of religious intimidation and disrespect?

If even one student believes it to be the latter, will The Dispatch revise its "no harm done" opinion? Did The Dispatch make sure that no such student exists before offering that opinion in the first place? Although I’m glad that 180 people want to help a school and its students, I’m just not convinced that they didn’t do more harm than good in this case. If you could explain more clearly why The Dispatch came to a very different conclusion, I’d appreciate it. DAN BIRTCHER Westerville

[nmh]

It's strange ... and this strangeness is helping to destroy us. We are self destructing WITHIN as a nation. Terrorism just speeds it up as well as demoncrats being elected. It's becoming more and more difficult to state which is worse. demoncrats, terroists or RHINO's. All of them are destroying the U.S..

[tiki]

It wasn't a joke!?!?

[Scarchin]

Where's the WTF cat?

[buccaneer81]

He's right here...

[The Cuban]

"of a Christian God" -- Apparently the writer is referring to Yahweh, the Alpha and the Omega, the Creator of all that is seen and unseen, or am I wrong?

[Raycpa]

Ecclesiastes 10

2 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand,
But a fool’s heart at his left.
3 Even when a fool walks along the way,
He lacks wisdom,
And he shows everyone that he is a fool.

[tenthirteen]

This diatribe is to me alike to trying to unscramle an egg. It actually reminds me of the epitath assigned to the Titanic, where at her christening it was declared that even God couldn't sink her.

Well, we all know what happened, don't we?

[arkady_renko]

Found this with a simple Google search on: Dan Birtcher

-------------------------

My friend Dan Birtcher, who organized a protest of the so-called National Day of Prayer, reports that the protest went well and no one was arrested.

He writes:

Today's rally at the Statehouse was a great success! About 10 HCCO and SFF members carried signs and handed out literature from 11am until about 2pm. Because those assembled for the prayer event were seated facing towards the street I believe everyone there (including Mr. Blackwell) got to enjoy our signs during most of the proceedings. I think we did a very good job getting our message across to them without in any way being disruptive. I had lots of interesting conversations while I was down there - many with supporters who were VERY glad to see us promoting a secular worldview. I also had some cordial discussions with Christians and other believers in prayer. No matter how severe our disagreements may have been, I think I was able to make all my points with a smile - and I'm pretty sure I managed to end every encounter with a handshake. My suspicion is that it will be far harder for the people I talked to to think of atheists and humanists as demons with tails and horns in the future. - Dan Birtcher

He does this for a living...

[Talking_Mouse]

This is so sad. When I lived in Maryland, I lived near a practicing Wiccan. After 9/11 one of the things she would do every morning was ask her goddess to bless and keep safe the elementary school. She would not go on the school property, but stood on the sidewalk out front and called down blessings on the school. Then she would finish her morning walk and leave to be at work by 7:30.

She, as the people who blessed the school in the article, are practicing freedom of religion. Exercising our rights is always a good thing.

[nothingnew]

If you could explain more clearly why The Dispatch came to a very different conclusion, I’d appreciate it.

I can explain it. You're an A-hole and they're not.

How's that?

FMCDH(BITS)

[Old Professer]

Dan don't sound like no Bircher I ever knew...

[Sender]

If even one student believes it to be [religious intimidation and disrespect], will The Dispatch revise its "no harm done" opinion? Did The Dispatch make sure that no such student exists before offering that opinion in the first place?

Yet another thing that amazes me about the left is their absolute belief that if one individual is annoyed, a thousand others must bend to the will of the one.

[stopsign]

Blessing Of School May Have Done More Harm To Students Than Good

Get out of here... : ) <<< me

[little jeremiah]

You need a huge "Triple Bagger Projectile" alert on this one!!!

[GoLightly]

Every nation must suffer its fools but they are, after all, our fools. I believe it was Thomas Sowell who recently observed; some people are so busy being clever they don't have time to be intelligent.

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. George Bernard Shaw

Excellent post!

[VeniVidiVici]

Can you cite any empirical studies proving that such blessing ceremonies are safe and effective?

Yes, Virginia, idiots truly exist.