Selfish Students Pray in Unison, Disregard Non-Christian Classmates
The Courier-Journal reports on a case where a graduating class planned ahead to recite a prayer together when a judge prohibited a student speaker from reciting an official prayer:
Megan Chapman, who was elected chaplain by her classmates and was scheduled to give the prayer, said she would comply with the order. “I will be praying to myself anyway, even if no one else knows it, because God knows,” she said.
Presumably, her god is the real audience for her prayer — so why bother making a big deal out of a public prayer in the first place? Megan Chapman’s own words indicate that what’s most important is that her god hear her, not that the rest of the students hear her.
According to The Conservative Voice:
Chapman commented “It [the prayer] made the whole senior class come together as one and I think that’s the best way to go out”, then added: “More glory went to God because of something like that than if I had just simply said a prayer like I was supposed to.”
It’s obviously not true that the whole senior class came together because one student challenged the presence of formal, official prayers and that student was excluded. This exclusion wasn’t incidental, either — the student is a Muslim and the choice to recite an explicitly Christian prayer can only be meant as an effort to deliberately and consciously exclude all non-Christians from this political exercise.
How is it that Megan Chapman’s god receives “more glory” when Christians band together to make non-Christians feel inferior and excluded at their own graduation ceremonies?
The student who filed the suit was identified only as John Doe, and McKinley allowed him to remain anonymous. Lutgens said the student feared retaliation.
Chapman, a Russell Springs native who was active in the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes, said she has no hard feelings. “I love that person, and I hope no one else will show any aggression towards him,” said Chapman, who plans to major in elementary education at the University of the Cumberlands. “To be like Christ, you would love all, and that is what it is all about.”
Apparently, the “love” which Megan Chapman and her fellow students feel and want to show doesn’t require that they treat non-Christains with the same dignity and respect which they expect for themselves. I feel sorry for any children that have to learn in an environment created by people like this.
In fact, the act of prayer was in some ways an act of aggression because it was also designed to show collective disapproval of the Muslim student who didn’t want to be treated like second-class citizen. Christians are able to show aggression in a wide variety of ways while telling themselves that they “love” the people they are harming. Such Christians “love” their neighbors in a manner reminiscent of how abusive husbands “love” their wives.
Something similar happened in Munford High School in Tennessee:
Munford principal Darry Marshall asked the 1,500-plus audience for that moment of silence so everyone could “reflect on what makes this day so special.” Most of the audience stood, bowing their heads. Then, most of the 286 graduating seniors pulled out laminated bookmarks and folded up pieces of paper that they had been given earlier and began reciting “The Lord’s Prayer.” Students said beforehand that they knew that the moment of silence would be their chance to speak.
As with the other incident, this was clearly planned in advance. How is it that no school teachers or officials knew about it? Why didn’t anyone act to stop it? Some might think it inappropriate for people to stop a mass prayer, but imagine if the students organized something else — like a Muslim prayer or a political protest. Do you really think that they would have been allowed to proceed without interference?
Once those in the audience realized what the students were doing, they broke into wild cheering as the silence in the football stadium was broken by the verses of the prayer. ... “I think it’s awesome. They should have the right to do that. I can’t see how that can offend anybody,” said Tom Page, whose son was performing in the high school band.
Tom Page doesn’t realize that “offense” isn’t the issue — but that may be because so many Christian Nationalist organizations hype the idea of “offense” in a dishonest way. The real issue is whether the state has the authority to single out one religious group for favorable treatment. That’s what these Christians are seeking and then they get upset when they are denied special privileges.
“It’s wrong,” said senior Kristin Hensley. “I think five people shouldn’t stop the whole senior class from having prayers. It’s not fair to the rest of the students.”
“Personally, I like to pray,” said senior Tenesha Price, 19. “It’s stupid for two or three people who don’t want to.”
Kristin Hensley doesn’t realize that no one was stopping the senior class from having prayers. Students who wanted to pray could do so quietly on their own. They could have used the moment of silence to say their own, personal prayer. They could have organized a special religious service before the graduation ceremony.
But none of them did that and it’s disingenuous for people like Kristin Hensley to suggest that all they wanted was just a chance to say a little prayer. What they wanted was a chance to assert some sort of tribal dominance over non-Christians in the community by getting a special place during the official state ceremonies for their religious beliefs. This was a political exercise in which Christians effectively bullied non-Christians into an inferior position and into silence.
Rev. Dennis Peeler, minister of the Walnut Grove Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Burlison, led a group of about 16 church members and other Christians in a “prayer walk” protest outside the stadium before the ceremony. ... “We have stood back too long and allowed them to take away our rights as Christians,” Peeler said. “We are praying for all the students including the ones who wrote that letter. I don’t condemn them. I just pray for them.”
No Christians’ rights were taken away — what Dennis Peeler calls “rights” are really special privileges. No other religion’s prayers would have been inserted into graduation ceremonies. No atheists would be asked to speak about atheism. No, it’s just a way some Christians try to pretend that they are better than everyone else by getting the state to give them special recognition.
Separation of Church & State:
- Separation of Church and State 101
- Secularism 101
- What is the Separation of Church and State?
- Religion's Place in the Public Square
- Myths About Church/State Separation
- Church and State News
- Church & State Polls
Christian & Religious Privilege:
Religion in Public Schools:
Comments
They did the same thing in my law school, John Marshall. As far as I’m concerned, Christians who do this are basically saying “F..k you in the name of Jesus” to anyone who disagrees with them.
I believe that you have misinterpreted some things about these issues. Christians do not want to exclude people. They truely believe that if you do not accept Jesus into your heart you will go to hell. Since they want everyone to go to heaven, they pray in public in an attempt to save those around them. They do not want to exclude anyone, but save their souls. Real Christians, not the I go to church on Sunday so i’m saved christians, but the real ones, love everyone. They may not like them, but they love them. With this in mind, it is easier to understand where they are coming from. They don’t want to affend you, they want to save you from eternal death.
I believe I can demonstrate that you are the one with the misinterpretations…
Let’s assume this is true; even so, it’s a fact that this is the consequence of their actions when they use the government to endorse, promote, or support their religious beliefs over all other religions.
Fine; it’s wrong to use the power of the government to promote such a belief, though.
Fine, they can pray in public if they want — they just can’t take over government events in order to use the power of the government to promote those prayers.
As I said, exclusion is the consequence of using government power to promote their religion.
Real love cannot include using the government in a way that treats non-Christians as second-class citizens.
This suggests that the Christian concept of “love” you are using isn’t one that I care much for. I’m not sure I want to experience the “love” of someone who doesn’t even like me. That’s the sort of “love” which has excused torturing people “for their own good.”
Frankly, I don’t care whether they want to offend me or not; I just care that they not use the government to promote their religious beliefs.
They don’t want to affend you, they want to save you from eternal death.
And if they have to be rude, arrogant, patronizing, insensitive, and boorish in the process, so be it–the ends justify the means, and besides, we’re just unbelieving heathens anyway….
Sorry for the dose of cynicism. I think it’s actually easier to shake off offense when you know it’s intentional than when the offender is just an arrogant holier-than-thou who doesn’t know any better. Of course, if any freethinker tried evangelizing to these same boors, he would immediately be labeled an oppressor and persecutor of poor, innocent xtians. >:-/
This is a personal issue for me, as I live in Munford–within hearing distance of the cheering that broke out the night the students recited the prayer. I attended, graduated and prayed at Munford High School. I fully understand this issue. At the time I attend Munford we had a wonderful American History teacher who I am not so sure would have approved of the actions that took place that evening. However, I do believe that the students who choose to express their religious convictions that evening did so as the founders of our nation would have wanted. Our nation was built by those who stood up against oppressive governments; not by those who sat quietly in their seats and kept their beliefs to themselves. Do we truly want freedom of speech? Then allow our students to speak freely. Yes, this time they stood up for Christianity and maybe that is not a cause you support but I remember reading about other students who came to the south to support civil rights and had they listened to your arguments, they would have stayed in there homes and thought what is going on there is wrong– but I’ll keep my thoughts and opinions to myself.
Just so you know I have friends that are Muslim, Christian, Atheist, Jewish,. I myself am Christian- I never try to force my religion on my friends but when I go out to eat I always pray. If I am the only Christian, I will pray silently but if my daughter is with me or there are other Christians we usually say this prayer out loud. My friends are not uncomfortable with this. Tolerance is what we should all be expressing not anger–tolerance for all religions and people. I have attempted to learn from my non-Christian friends– and some of them have attempted to learn from me. I think that by showing them respect and tolerance of our differences I am setting a fine example of Christian love and friendship. What a great opportunity those non-Christian students had to show that they too could be tolerant of those different than themselves. What a great opportunity they choose to let pass them by. I am always proud of people who stand up for themselves and their rights in our free nation. I am proud of the Graduating Class of Munford High School. I hope I would have had the courage to do just as they did.
My reply to Linda is here.
What do you expect for Christians to do? The question should be asked, Why do you worry? After all you are an atheist, you don’t believe in the existence of a god. My other question is, why bother yourself over people whose belief is in ’something’ that does not exist? (according to you) It’s each man’s right to believe in what ever exists, so since in your eyes there is no god. Then so be it! That is your right let the foolish continue in their ignorance.
Why would my disbelief in gods cause me to not be concerned when Christians disrespect non-Christians?
Because their beliefs and actions affect others.
True, but that right doesn’t include a right to not have their beliefs and actions criticized.
Prayer to exclude characterizes all crook religions. Shunning is a very effective means of exerting social pressure. Crook religion is based on force and fraud.