Student gets ostracized for refusing to pray - Page 90

On May 27 2011 13:52 Jswizzy wrote:
Why should he be forced to pray to a false god? Christians wouldn't like it if they were forced to pray to some pagan god or Allah.

Here is a good article on the subject.

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46828

Anyways if people want to pray on their own time that's there own business but forcing your beliefs on everyone else no(t) cool in my book. It shows a lake (lack) of empathy and respect for others.

On June 06 2011 02:28 SacredSoul wrote:

I, a Christian, would simply sit through the prayer doing nothing in silence, IN RESPECT to their faith. OR I would pray silently to God myself using my traditional methods...

I would NOT say, "If you pray to Allah (being the god of the Old Testament and the same god I pray to, that's doubly arrogant) I will go over your head to close the prayer down and get you all in trouble for breaking a law about praying EVEN THOUGH 95% of the community agree to the traditional prayer...

TL DR: He should respect tradition whether he wants to participate or not and be in silent refusal if he does not feel motivated to join in. NOT going over the head of the entire community just so 1 person can be happy...

EDIT: However Christians should love the "sinner", not be a complete asshole to him. Jesus spent his time here with prostitutes and tax collectors and those that hated him... He did not force them to like him, he let them chose...

On June 06 2011 04:33 Sadist wrote:



its illegal bruh.

On June 06 2011 01:39 snpnx wrote:
It was his right, and the people going against him in such a manner are utterly disgusting.

On June 06 2011 04:33 Sadist wrote:
its illegal bruh.

You don't have the right to be free of criticism, nor are you free from the reasonably foreseeable reactions of private citizens.

On June 06 2011 07:25 MozzarellaL wrote:

You have a right to stand on the streets of America and burn the American flag and hang effigies of American political leaders.

You don't have the right to be free of criticism, nor are you free from the reasonably foreseeable reactions of private citizens. The school's reaction to this individual was contrary to the spirit of the Constitution. In the absence of a state, or local law mandating the prayer, the prayer however, was not ostensibly unconstitutional. If the school, of its own accord, decided to institute prayer (which seems to be the case here).


I'm not even convinced, if this is the case, that it was even against the Constitution. I will be glad to argue with whoever calls the school prayer in this case illegal. I don't think it is.

Furthermore, even if it were, private citizens are free to openly criticize him for being what they think is a douche. For example, a woman has the Constitutional right to get an abortion, she does not have the right to be free of heckling from anti-abortion activists when she goes to the doctor.

You're right on the first part, but terribly wrong on the second. Legally you certainly are entitled to be free from death threats, physical threats, violence, etc no matter what legal rights you decide to exercise in the public domain.

There have been several people in this thread would apparently disagree with this, and they are, simply put, wrong.

A moment of silence is the way to go if you want to send psychic messages to a man in the sky and have it legal in the United States.

On June 06 2011 07:44 Elegy wrote:
School prayer is unconstitutional when that prayer is mandated, suggested, or written by the state, or given a timeslot in any school function or event.

There have been several people in this thread would apparently disagree with this, and they are, simply put, wrong.

If a school, on its own accord, attempts to have official prayer, it is blatantly unconstitutional. School cannot require prayer, nor are they allowed to promote prayer as it would be a state-sponsored activity promoting religion. The government is theoretically completely outside the sphere of religion in all such matters and has no place providing for prayer (denominational prayer, in this case) in any official activity. Naturally, you cannot separate "government" from public schools, which seems to be part of what you are arguing, and is strange at best.

On June 06 2011 07:48 DeepElemBlues wrote:


I don't think he was trying to say that death threats or physical threats are okay, but social ostracism certainly is.

By the way, thread title is inaccurate. He isn't getting ostracized for refusing to pray, he's getting ostracized for refusing to allow anyone else to pray.



But "moments of silence" are okay.

It's just a very silly situation and almost all the blame rests on those who wish to keep Christians in particular and people who are religious in general from practicing their faith where others can see it. We have to have these stupid fights and silly wink-wink nudge-nudge compromises like "moments of silence." It would be much better if panties got untwisted and people could just say "and now there will be a moment where you can pray if you choose to (and not if you don't!) and that's the end of it.

People should find more important things to cause enmity over.



You know, when people make such contemptuous comments, why would any Christian or Muslim or Hindu (etc.) really want to compromise with them? "Oh well if you want to send a psychic message to a man in the sky (idiot)...." Gee you just shit all over the religious, why should they respect you when you don't respect them?