A couple of schools in Orange County, California, were going to hold graduation ceremonies at a local church - but after receiving complaints, they backed off and held graduation elsewhere. Why did anyone think it proper to hold such an event in a church?

The Los Angeles Times reports:

[Glen Kreun, executive pastor of Saddleback] said the church objected to a suggestion that a 10-foot cross in the sanctuary be covered for the graduation ceremonies. "We are allowing them to use our facility, we're more than happy to do that, but to modify our facility, we don't think it's an appropriate thing to ask us."

Of course the church isn't going to want their cross covered (though, if they aren't using the facilities at the time, I'm not sure that it's ultimately a terrible imposition). And, of course, that's an important reason why the schools cannot use the church.

Here's a picture of a similar situation where graduation was held in a church in Florida:

One of the site's readers sent this in and it gives people an idea of just how overwhelmingly religious the atmosphere is: students from a public high school are graduating under a massive image of Jesus Christ. How is that appropriate? The reader adds that "The opening "invocation" was bow your head type of prayer to god. Each seat came fully equipped with necessary religious pamphlets, bible."

Lipoff, 18, who will attend UC Berkeley as a civil engineering major, said that when he learned early this year that graduation would be held at the church, "I was in disbelief."

He said he talked to his counselor and the vice principal and was told that the church would not allow the cross to be covered. "At that point, I said, 'OK. It seems like there's nothing I can really do. Graduation is going to be at the church. I'm not going.'

"I just don't feel comfortable being in a church," Lipoff said, "whether it's graduation or church services, and it's a public school and I shouldn't have to make that decision about going or not going." Lipoff, who is Jewish, complained to the Anti-Defamation League. Kevin O'Grady, associate director, said the district superintendent assured him the ceremony would be moved next year.

Non-Christians shouldn't be forced to attend church in order to also attend their own graduation ceremonies. Christians often don't see the problem with this, but that I think is due to their inability (or just unwillingness) to seriously put themselves in the shoes of others — they fail to think hard about what it is like for religious minorities in general or what it is like for minorities to be expected to set aside their religion in order to partake in the same civil rights and benefits that the majority takes for granted.

Read More:

• Separation of Church and State 101
• Church and State News
• Religion in Public Schools
• Secularism 101