she gave thanks to God and talked about how much she owed her success to God? She now has a lawsuit against the school district. The Civil Liberties Union is backing her high school for turning her microphone off during her speech.
2006-07-19 06:01:48 · 40 answers · asked by Ambrosia 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Sorry, I read about it in my local newspaper this morning. It did not give as much details as the link provided by the one person that answered. That article clearly gave more information regarding her speech than the article that I had read. Slants in journalism are an interesting thing...
2006-07-19 06:14:22 · update #1
It is the separation of church and state concept.. Plus what if the next kid starting thanking the devil for his success ? Where do you draw the line?
2006-07-19 06:06:49 · answer #1 · answered by dwh12345 5 · 5⤊ 1⤋
This is a clear violation of free speech. It is not a question of free religious expression, but discrimination against the speaker for choice of words. The Civil Liberties Union is a communist-lead organization that has nothing to do with protecting civil liberties. If they did, then they would be on the side of the teen instead of taking the side of the high school. this is just another example of how our society has failed in public education, when it is appropriate to curse our Lord in public, but a social sin to praise him. God save America from itself and the devil. Jesus loves us.
2006-07-19 06:10:01 · answer #2 · answered by Preacher 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I wish they had done that at my graduation. Both the valedictorian AND the salutatorian preached at us about god and how everyone should find him, blah blah blah. I think I'd have to actually hear her speech...I'm betting it was a bit more offensive than just thanking god and owing her success to him quickly. It probably turned into a sermon, which would be inappropriate.
I'm pretty sure a school has more rights there than she did at that point.
2006-07-19 06:14:34 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If she was speaking as a representative of only herself, she should have been allowed to finish the speech as she choose.
If she was speaking as a representative of the school, we could be getting into church/state issues -- which I'm sure is the ACLU's argument.
I need a bit more info on the case before making up my mind in this particular instance.
Do you have sources?
EDIT:
Thank you chinacat for the source and I think your point stands. The girl was not just thanking her god for her sucess she was turning the graduation platform into a pulpit. Very inapproprate!
YEA ACLU!
2006-07-19 06:06:51 · answer #4 · answered by mikayla_starstuff 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The issue here was that she was speaking at a school sponsered event and the school's policy was to keep a religiously neutral space. Before she spoke her speech was reviewed by school authorities who told her they felt her remarks crossed the line between making personal statements of faith and proselytizing. They made revisions to her speech omitting some but not all of its religious references to just cut back. She was told that her speech would be cut short if she insisted on sermonizing. At one point she was even getting into saying stuff about to God's love being so great that he gave his only son to suffer an excruciated death in order to cover everyone's shortcomings and forge a path to heaven. That does start to cross the line in a graduation speech for me. Personally however, I would have supported letting her speak and say what she wished although it would have been annoying to me and I believe disrespectful to the diversity of beliefs of her fellow graduates.
As for the ACLU they have also defended a young woman's right to place a bible quote in her yearbook after the school tried to say it violated separation of church and state. In this case they firmly supported her right to make a personal none state sponsered declaration of her belief. Its not that the ACLU is all anti religion they just are involved in defining the boundaries between personal rights and public rights not to be bombarded by other's beliefs they don't share.
2006-07-19 06:21:57 · answer #5 · answered by Zen Pirate 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's strange how one athiest can change the ability to pray in school, or say the word "God", and 1,000 christians can't do anything about it, isn't it? Why is that? Are there more of them? No, its just that they are so afraid of that word, it seems to actually terrify them. Is the concept of God that frightening to them? Well, you don't attack something this strongly if you're not deeply afraid of it. The only thing we can really do is try to elect people who feel we have rights too. Poor kid, she probably worked hard on that speech, and a couple of athiests with power issues had to rain on her parade. It must be a big power trip to be given that ability, no wonder these athiests are so flamin loud, fortifies their ego's, gives them something to live for, destroying faith. I'm glad there's more to my life than that. Can't imagine spending my life trying to take away other people's faith. Must be very proud of themselves.
2006-07-19 06:17:54 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Our is a godless Nation contrary to what we profess. The ACLU should be eradicated from this country all together along with many of our so-called civil liberties. Christians in America have no rights or freedom of expression... but every other religion does... like Muslims, Jews, Hindus, etc.
2006-07-19 06:15:21 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Was it seriously just thanking God for her success? If so, then she's fine to say that. However, as it is with some Christians, I would assume she was throwing in a bit of proselytizing at the same time - in which case, they had every right to turn off her microphone.
2006-07-19 06:10:05 · answer #8 · answered by iu_runner 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If God really wanted her to keep talking he should have made a miracle and had the microphone keep working despite being turned off. That probably would have converted a few thousand people and saved some souls.
Unless there is no God, or there is a God who likes to see lots of people not believe in Him.
2006-07-19 06:07:13 · answer #9 · answered by Steven S 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Public schools can not endorse ANY religion. How would you Bible thumpers feel if Islam became the "official" religion of our government?
We don't have an "official" religion in this country to protect every body's freedom to practice whatever religion they want. It also protects my right to not have your religion shoved down my throat at my kids graduation.
The school did not cut the girl off when she gave thanks to God!!! They did afterwords when she started preaching from the pulpit during her speech. She was told ahead of time that it would happen and yet she chose to be ignorant.
Ignorance seems to be an overwhelming theme within American Christianity.
2006-07-19 06:33:58 · answer #10 · answered by Perry L 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think it is sad.
We have pushed the idea (and yes, it is only an idea, not law) of separation of church and state so far that we have completely cut church out of the public life.
The separation of church and state (if one actually pays attention to history) is to prohibit a church from "taking over" a government. It is NOT to prohibit things that are religious from our daily lives.
It's sad that this believer in Nevada was not able to use their FREEDOM OF SPEECH!!
It's sad that the Bible bashers, atheists, etc are allowed to crush our spirts and beliefs just because they don't too believe.
Freedom of speech is protected by law. That means we should be able to give thanks to our Lord and Savior ANY time, ANY place.
(Hmmm, but we let the anti-religions tear down our 10 Commandment posters, void the Pledge of Allegance from schools, and shut off the microphones of those who are professing gratitude? Sad.)
2006-07-19 06:10:10 · answer #11 · answered by JennBride 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋