Ruling puts prayers under renewed scrutiny

[5stringJeff]

Even in the Bible belt, the militant separationists want to get rid of all public acknowledgment of religion.

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Ruling puts prayers under renewed scrutiny

By CLAUDIA ASSIS, The Virginian-Pilot
© July 30, 2004

CHESAPEAKE *— The business of the people began Tuesday with heads respectfully bowed, a few eyes closed, and the Rev. Michael Wetherington’s deep voice as he offered a prayer that seemed to slowly lull some to an inner world.

In a heavily Christian city, the Baptist minister ended his plea for God’s guidance and blessings to the City Council the way he knew best.

“We ask you in Jesus’s name. Amen.”

Such lines spoken at the beginning of government meetings may come under closer scrutiny and spark some controversy after a recent federal court ruling.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=73723&ran=38823

 

[musicman]

Through the legal process, a minority of one can render the wishes of an entire community meaningless. The common enemy is, as always, Christianity, and all the usual suspects are in their designated places: the ACLU at the vanguard, "protecting our freedoms"; the federal judiciary, bringin' out the big hammer; the lone litigant - some otherwise uninvolved, disinterested party who happens to have an axe to grind with either Christianity, the community, or both; and, finally, the community itself, helpless - in a constitutional republic - to excercise any control over their own affairs.

This has got to stop. How are we going to get the federal government - specifically the judiciary - back onto it's side of the fence, and out of the kinds of decisions our founding fathers were careful to leave to the people?

 

[Avatar4321]

Im getting sick and tired of these people getting offended when someone practices their belief in public. grow up people.

 

[deaddude]

Through the legal process, a minority of one can render the wishes of an entire community meaningless. The common enemy is, as always, Christianity, and all the usual suspects are in their designated places: the ACLU at the vanguard, "protecting our freedoms"; the federal judiciary, bringin' out the big hammer; the lone litigant - some otherwise uninvolved, disinterested party who happens to have an axe to grind with either Christianity, the community, or both; and, finally, the community itself, helpless - in a constitutional republic - to excercise any control over their own affairs.

This has got to stop. How are we going to get the federal government - specifically the judiciary - back onto it's side of the fence, and out of the kinds of decisions our founding fathers were careful to leave to the people?

Oh yes their only prohibiting Christian prayers.

Now if prayer were allowed in school and little Christian Cathy said the Lord’s Prayer, and two seats in front of her Satanist Suzie said the reyarp sdrol would they cancel each other out?

 

[freeandfun1]

Oh yes their only prohibiting Christian prayers.

Now if prayer were allowed in school and little Christian Cathy said the Lord’s Prayer, and two seats in front of her Satanist Suzie said the reyarp sdrol would they cancel each other out?

?

 

[musicman]

?

My sentiments exactly. Deaddude, if you have anything intelligent (or intelligible, for that matter) to contribute to the conversation, I'd be happy to discuss it with you. This is important stuff.

Oh, and thanks for completely missing my point. If little Satanist Susie wanted to slaughter a goat before class started, it's quite simply none of the federal government's business, one way or the other. Our founding fathers - determined to thwart tyranny in all it's manifestations - were careful to leave these kinds of decisions where they belonged - with the people. The genius of our system of government is being circumvented by those who would gangster their worldview onto a whipped and frightened populace. My unabashed dictionary defines this as "tyranny".

 

[deaddude]

If all religions are accepted and it doesn’t distract from school/public affair, fine.

Kids screaming at science teachers that biology is the devil and groups of proselytizing kids passing out Jesus fliers and telling my kid he’s going to hell, no thanks. (Oh wait stuff like this is happens all the time)

Christianity is the dominant Religion in this country their are plenty of institutions where you can practice whatever denomination of christianity you adhere to.

Grant it in this case (the reverends speach in Chesepeak) it seems wrather idiot to make such a big deal over it onee dudes prayer.

 

[musicman]

"If all religions are accepted and it doesn't distact from school/public affair, fine".



Fine, according to whom? Within whose parameters must it fall? You're still missing my point. You seek to impose some overall, one-size-fits-all federal guideline - the implementation of some artificial, arbitrary notion of "fairness" and "equal time" onto a matter that our founding fathers clearly considered the province of the people.

Remember - any power not specifically given to the federal government AUTOMATICALLY devolves to the states, or to the people. The ultimate goal of the Constitution is the empowerment of the individual. And, communities are made up of many individuals, who have the right to make these kinds of decisions for themselves. What kind of freedom is served when a minority of one can use the legal system to render irrelevant the wishes of an entire community? I'll tell you what kind:

The freedom to impose tyranny.

 

[freeandfun1]

If all religions are accepted and it doesn’t distract from school/public affair, fine.

Kids screaming at science teachers that biology is the devil and groups of proselytizing kids passing out Jesus fliers and telling my kid he’s going to hell, no thanks. (Oh wait stuff like this is happens all the time)

Really? Where?

 

[deaddude]

At my little brothesrs school for one

 

[freeandfun1]

At my little brothesrs school for one

Well, I find that very hard to believe.

 

[musicman]

At my little brothesrs school for one

It's still not a federal matter. Peple who don't like what's going on in their community should get off their asses and do something about it instead of crying to the ACLU. It's called CITIZENSHIP.

 

[acludem]

I can guarantee you if the city council was opening with a prayer asking Allah for his blessing every single, solitary one of you would be supporting the ACLU if they sued.

acludem

 

[freeandfun1]

I can guarantee you if the city council was opening with a prayer asking Allah for his blessing every single, solitary one of you would be supporting the ACLU if they sued.

acludem

You might be right, but you wouldn't come to our aid. Time and time again, the ACLU refuses to take on cases that do not have some kind of "Christian" element to them. Why isn't the ACLU suing the CA schools that were making students study the Koran? Let's ask them to study the Bible and I bet you would be all over them like white on rice.

 

[Moi]

I can guarantee you if the city council was opening with a prayer asking Allah for his blessing every single, solitary one of you would be supporting the ACLU if they sued.

acludem

I just love it when people open their mouths and prove ignorance. You have no idea what I would do or wouldn't do.

 

[Hobbit]

I can guarantee you if the city council was opening with a prayer asking Allah for his blessing every single, solitary one of you would be supporting the ACLU if they sued.

acludem

But they wouldn't. Also, the guy's a Baptist preacher. It's not like nobody knew where he stood. If a Muslim priest asked for Allah's guidance at the beginning of a town council meeting, I can't say I'd be offended.

 

[acludem]

You might be right, but you wouldn't come to our aid. Time and time again, the ACLU refuses to take on cases that do not have some kind of "Christian" element to them. Why isn't the ACLU suing the CA schools that were making students study the Koran? Let's ask them to study the Bible and I bet you would be all over them like white on rice.

I studied texts from several different religions in my public high school as part of a humanities class. The ACLU would have no issue with having students study religious texts, so long as it is done in academic fashion, rather than for the purposes of prosthelyzation.

acludem

 

[DKSuddeth]

You might be right, but you wouldn't come to our aid. Time and time again, the ACLU refuses to take on cases that do not have some kind of "Christian" element to them.

aren't they defending rush limbaugh? or at least supporting him?

 

[acludem]

Yes, the ACLU filed an amicus brief in his drug case in Florida in support of Limbaugh's privacy rights.

acludem

 

[freeandfun1]

aren't they defending rush limbaugh? or at least supporting him?

Since the topic was of a religious nature, I thought it would be obvious my point. What does Rush Limbaugh have to do with the religious nature of this discussino? I was saying that in "religious" cases, unless there is an anti-Christian tilt to the case, the ACLU typically will not take the case.