Greenwood HS valedictorian sues over ceremony prayer

The top-ranked senior at Greenwood High School wants a federal judge to stop a prayer at graduation. It's a prayer the senior class voted on and approved but 18-year-old Eric Workman said both the vote and the prayer violate the First Amendment.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Greenwood
• HS
• valedictorian
• sues
• over
• ceremony
• prayer

[LonesomeLogan]

From what I can tell, Eric is not trying to slam a religion or prohibit them from prayer, just a public prayer that subjects everyone to the christian ritual in a tax ran facility. and @cardshark0851 you sound a bit like a fool good sir, you complain that he won't go on camera and that makes him not able to "walk the walk". His full name is all over the news, we know who he is anyway. Not like he is hiding his identity. Fail insult is fail.

[bodeezy]

We don't need religion of any kind in school

What if the kid was muslim & wanted to pray to allah?

There would be outrage.

[ColibriAnna08]

@LonesomeLogan The Constitution never guarantees the right to not be offended by religion. In fact, what the Constitution does guarantee is the right to freely practice religion, and there are no conditions on that which say "except in public" or "except in a speech at a high school graduation". Damn the ignorance of our Constitution infuriates me. Read the 1st Amendment and then get back to me.

[ForumLight]

@w9j15g The speaker can choose of his or her own free will to pray or not to pray. The moment the school/government steps in and says "you MUST pray" or "you CANNOT pray" is when it becomes an issue. And the school did step in, violate the student's Constitutional rights and demand they cannot pray.

By demanding that no one ever be allowed to pray, that's exactly what's going on: forcing the belief of atheism on everyone else.

[ForumLight]

@bodeezy The fish to man story of evolution is not science - it's an imagined version of evolution that has never been observed and cannot be shown in repeatable test cases that was concocted because of refusal to believe in God. Hence it cannot even qualify as science, it's merely a belief, hence it's a religion.

[w9j15g]

@ForumLight I gave the PA scenario as an example of THE SAME BASIC THING. If I am repeating myself, then it is because you are being stubbornly stupid. Praying as an individual and praying as a representative of the school in a school ceremony are two different things. I tell you what. Let's just scrap the first amendment and ban all religious freedom. That would make you happy. Then to make me happy, I get to choose what beliefs the government sponsors and forces on everyone: atheism.

[ForumLight]

@w9j15g Yes they are demanding that this person not be allowed to personally choose to pray (or personally choose to not pray) if they so desire in this case. They instead only give "permission" to pray in situations of their liking. Sorry but you're contradicting yourself and just continue to repeat the same thing.

They weren't on the school's PA system - it was at a gathering. You continue to be disengenuous while repeating what I've already addressed.

[w9j15g]

@ForumLight No one is demanding that people not pray without permission. The first amendment gives you that right, but it also ENSURES that right by keeping government OUT of religion. That is what people are demanding.

Did you know that students have the right to pray in public schools? As long as they do it of their own volition and are not disruptive, then it's their right. However, they can't go on the school's PA system and lead others in prayer. Same thing in this case.

[ForumLight]

@w9j15g No, the vote was to make sure the majority did not have a problem with it - and again that's why I think there should not have been a vote. It was the individual's choice, so whether the rest of the class "had a problem with it" would be irrelevant.

And it's a question of the heart. If they are doing it for praise of men, it's vanity.

You mention arrogance while ignoring the arrogance of those of us who DEMAND no one DARE pray except when said individuals give them permission.

[w9j15g]

@ForumLight She was representing the school and you admit as much by saying a vote was held. In America, we don't vote on whether or not to abide by the constitution and to respect the rights of others. Christians are some really arrogant people. Not all of them, just the ones who make a public display of the religiosity. Those are the untrustworthy ones who are putting on a false front of piety to gain your trust so they can stab you in the back. Jesus said to pray in private. So obey him.

[ForumLight]

@w9j15g She's not representing the school - she's representing herself. To make sure the majority of others were ok with it, a vote was held. In my opinion no vote was necessary - if the person giving the speech wants to mention God and Christ, they can. If they don't want to, they can do that too. The vote was not needed, as this is America, not a third-world country where a select few hate on God and demand NO one dare mention Him unless they give their permission.

[ForumLight]

@futurepsycdoc The person reading the prayer is not the one that does not want the prayer, FPD. The student body decided of their own free will to have a prayer (it's called democracy) so they are having it. If they held a vote and the majority did NOT want it, they would not have it. The freedom works both ways. The problem is, a few individuals hate it if the vote goes against them, so they sue. Sorry, this is America, not a third-world country. There shall be no law that PROHIBITS it.