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To: jwparkerjr
To me, the blaring question is not why the graduation shouldn't be held in a Baptist church, but why it should. Does the school have a gym? Does another nearby school have a gym? This is Newark, not some small town where the church is the only large hall for civic functions.

Another factor is this, from down in the story:

The ACLU-NJ said it first complained about a West Side High School graduation at New Hope Baptist Church in 2005, but agreed not to sue when the district's legal director made assurances that the school district would avoid holding a graduation at a religious location again.

But in 2006, graduation was again held at New Hope. And the principal at the time even told graduating students that they would get two additional tickets for family and friends to go to the graduation, provided they also attended a separate religious baccalaureate ceremony for the class at a Roman Catholic church, according to the civil liberties group.

If those claims are true, you don't have a hair-trigger, sue-happy plaintiff, but a school district that has gone back on its word for a third straight year; and a principal who explicitly rewarded students for taking part in a religious ceremony. That's over the line.

As far as the church decor goes, I found a picture here. I don't see anything that would according-to-Hoyle constitute depictions of God, but it's hardly a generic meeting space. And I can't tell what's depicted on the side windows of the sanctuary.

Apropos of nothing, New Hope's choir leader is Cissy Houston, mother of Whitney and aunt of Dionne Warwick; from the number of microphones in the picture and the description of its "media ministry" on the church's Web site, it appears to be a media-savvy megachurch. I'm not saying that's a good or a bad thing -- just a little background.

86 posted on 03/08/2007 2:55:19 PM PST by ReignOfError (`)
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To: ReignOfError
I too wonder why they use the church. That is probably the real question here. I know my school used a church but it was small town Alabama in the 1950's and no one thought anything of it.

Like you, I would think they could find other suitable venues, in which case it makes no sense to choose a church.

Thanks for making me expand my consideration of this.

I love FreeRep.
97 posted on 03/08/2007 6:11:45 PM PST by jwparkerjr
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