Back in 1963, when non-Christians were more timid, a large prayer banner was hung in a Cranston West High School hallway. The prayer began, "Our Heavenly Father, ..." so there was no doubt this was a Christian prayer. In 2010, an atheist student there, Jessica Ahlquist, saw the banner and, as an atheist, was shocked that her school would promote a Christian prayer. Surely not all students were Christians.
Most Christians probably don't understand how atheists feel when we see our government take a religious stand. We are not offended by churches or crosses on necklaces, and stuff like that. We do get annoyed at the many bumper stickers on cars and people wishing us Merry Christmas, but we know it's not personal. But when our own government pushes Christianity we see red. Government is not supposed to takes sides and it is the only protection we have against the tyranny of the majority.
So Jessica complained. She filed suit. She won, and that's when the fireworks began. The judge ordered the school to remove the prayer banner and some of the good Christian people of Cranston went ballistic.
According to The Examiner,
The prayer banner episode brought out the worst in many residents of Cranston. In what some found to be an open display of religious bigotry, Rhode Island State Representative Peter Palumbo referred to teen atheist Jessica Ahlquist as “an evil little thing." In addition to calling Ahlquist an “evil little thing,” Palumbo also made the claim that “she (Ahlquist) is being coerced by evil people;” the implication being that atheists and other secular Americans are “evil.”
Indeed, the hostility and threats directed towards Ahlquist were so intense that at times the 16 year old high school student required a police escort. In addition, four different florists in the Cranston area refused to deliver flowers to Jessica. At least one florist claimed to be frightened of the potential backlash from angry Christians who did not want young Jessica to receive any flowers.
You've got to wonder just how filled with Christian love the people of Cranston are if a 16 year old student, fighting for her constitutional right, needs police protection in their city.
A few days ago the public school district committee voted not to appeal the court decision. Presumably the banner will be removed and the issue will be laid to rest.
--Trakker
Well written article. keep it up!
Posted by: Cuir | February 20, 2012 at 04:10 AM
Just because the case was taken to court and the banner was removed, does not mean that it was laid to rest.
Now would you have had the banner taken down if it was a group at school who had put it up and the adminstration had to part in its hanging?
Posted by: Dan D. Doty | February 22, 2012 at 03:34 AM
Dan, you seem to imply that my morality is determined by who does something. If Barack Obama had personally hung that banner I would have supported the ACLU in taking it to court. Right is right, wrong is wrong. I think this says more about your morality than mine.
Posted by: Trakker | February 22, 2012 at 11:28 AM
No. I was just asking a question.
So the person hanging the banner has less rights to free speech if someone disagree with what is written on it, or it upsets them?
And before you say it, no where in the Constitution does it say anything about a seperation of Church and State ( its from a letter by Thomas Jefferson).
Posted by: Dan D. Doty | February 22, 2012 at 12:14 PM
Separation of church and state is implied by the first amendment and is now accepted by all courts in America because it makes sense.
A public school or public courthouse should be welcoming and supportive of all, not just Christians. The young lady who sued to have the banner removed didn't object to the content of the banner, just the fact that it was in the form of a prayer to the Christian God and labelled "School Prayer."
Most high schools on the coasts have non-Christian students: Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, atheists. What gives Christians the right to post a Christian prayer on the wall as the school prayer? Because they are in the majority?
Posted by: Trakker | February 22, 2012 at 06:33 PM
the tyranny of the majority - Wikipedia
Fun stuff.
Posted by: horsec | February 23, 2012 at 04:53 PM
the tryanny of the majority - Wikipedia
Fun stuff indeed! And as long as we're in Wikipedia, a trip over to "Separation of church and state" is another good read. I think the two are closely linked.
Posted by: Trakker | February 23, 2012 at 05:48 PM