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Fed Judge Sides With Teen Atheist & Orders Public School to Remove Prayer Mural

Jan. 12, 2012 11:12am Billy Hallowell

Jessica Ahlquist Wins Prayer Banner Lawsuit Against Cranston High School West

Jessica Ahlquist (left) (Photo Credit: AP)

A federal judge has ruled in favor of a teenage atheist whose fight for the removal of a prayer mural in her public high school in Cranston, Rhode Island, has attracted national attention.

Jessica Ahlquist, 16, who was represented by the Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, was elated on Wednesday when her lawsuit against Crayton city and officials at Cranston High School West came to a close. In the ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Lagueux said that the school must remove the banner immediately. Additionally, he decided that legal fees should be provided to the plaintiff.

Ahlquist’s main argument in the case has been that a prayer mural present in her school’s auditorium is offensive to non-Christians. Additionally, she claims that it has made her feel ostracized and, thus, she has petitioned fervently for its removal.

Here’s a news report from April 2011, during which Ahlquist discusses her opposition to the mural:

The banner, she contends, promotes religion. But city officials have argued that the mural plays an important role in the school’s history and that it is, in fact, an artifact worthy of being displayed.

Officials maintain that the prayer serves no religious purpose and that it merely encourages students to work hard academically. It does, as the Associated Press notes, begin with “Our Heavenly Father” and end with “Amen” — elements obviously associated with religious prayer.

Photo Credit: WPRO News Talk

In his decision Lagueux said, “The purpose of the prayer banner was clearly religious in nature” and he also said, “No amount of debate can make the school Prayer anything other than a prayer, and a Christian one at that.” He went on to state that the presence of the prayer was essentially a governmental endorsement of religion, reiterating his believe that, “The Government must not appear to take sides on issues of religious beliefs.”

Watch Ahlquist address the banner in a talk to the Secular Student Alliance in 2011:

Cranston School Committeeman Frank Lombardi, who had voted in support of the banner and who believed it truly was more secular in nature, voiced his disappointment with the ruling. “I really believe the purpose of this banner was more traditional in nature, more secular in nature, it wasn’t to promote any sort of religion or anything like that,” he said in an interview with the Matt Allen Show (listen here).

“I am upset, disappointed and not to say, outraged,” said David Bradley, who penned the prayer when he was in seventh grade in 1963. “It’s a shame that some judge with an appointment out of a Cracker Jack box can make a ruling like that.”

Ahlquist, though, couldn’t have been happier. She took to her Twitter account to voice her excitement over the decision:

Jessica Ahlquist Wins Prayer Banner Lawsuit Against Cranston High School West

City officials have 10 days to respond to the decision. They have not yet decided if they will appeal.

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Comments (894)

Hmschlmom
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:58am
And where is this elusive “Right not to be offended” when it comes to devout religious students, and their schoolmates being permitted to wear clothing better suited for a nightclub than a learning institution? Where is it when their classmates are cursing their little brains out (and the teachers won’t enforce that isn’t tolerated)? Using “Locker room humor”? Because conservative religious students are told they can always homeschool if they object to the secular humanism being actively spread in public schools… Seems like that “Right not to be offended” is awfully selective…

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Jobeycool
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:58am
Just more proof how dumb and stupid are country youth is becoming.Getting worse and worse and worse.How about reading history and learning where their beliefs came from instead of fighting with them.

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UBETHECHANGE
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:55am
Our founding fathers were not for separation of church and state, they were just not for a national church. Get a clue radical history re-writers!

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MikeTheNuke
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:55am
Let’s see… what does the First Amendment of the Constitution say? Oh yeah, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

CONGRESS shall make no LAW…

This school district in NOT CONGRESS. And the PRAYER is not A LAW.

What a FINE example of JUDICIAL ACTIVISM! No constitutional basis whatsoever in this decision.

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- encinom
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 12:05pm
  14th Amendment, incorporates the Bill of Rights to the States.
  
  Report this comment
maccow
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:55am
How is this story representative of an attack “ONLY” on the Catholic church? I’m pretty sure that Protestantism is recognized by the Catholic church as being a Christian church. Christ’s church exists outside of Catholicism and He is greater than both.

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RodT82721
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:54am
You can find a Federal Judge to agree to anything!
The ‘law’ is no longer the issue, it’s you ideology that matters to most judges. Life time appointments is never a good idea IMHO.
Once again tha majority has to bow to the feelings of a single loser. The progressive way.

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commonsenseguy
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:54am
well let see if she is that happy when she is ostracized by her class mates,

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dfree
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:54am
She’s an idiot.

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lynnissmart
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:53am
It used to be that if something offended you, you paid no attention to it or dismissed it….if something offends you, grow up and deal with it without imposing your simple minded views on other people!

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PPMStudios
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:51am
There is NO mention of Christ in the prayer. So why is this “offensive to non-Christians”?

This is perfect example of how the United States is NOT a democracy.

In a ‘democracy’ the majority would rule…. Instead, this push towards secularism by the extreme left, proves that “squeaky wheel gets the grease”!!

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kerf
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:51am
We elect Marxist to the Presidency and Congress then feign surprise when they appointment Marxist judges. Shame on us!

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abbygirl1994
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:51am
Well yesterday the Supreme Court got a A+, today a federal judge gets a F. If Christians don’t stand up soon, we will lose our Christianity.. you have one misguided young woman who has been brainwashed by her parents.. and she alone wins to take down a prayer mural.. When will Christians stand up for Jesus, did he not stand up for us.. Did he not come into the world and then die for each of us.. You have one girl.. where was everyone.. could not of a dozen kids, come together to counter sue who are Christian.. Will we become like those first Christians who were fed to the lions, or the Jews who were sent to the gas chambers or camps.. I am not saying we should be violent,, but we need to stand up for Christianity and Jesus… we need to pray together,, maybe start a prayer time, where many of us come together and pray at the same time all over this nation.. But daily we are losing our Christian rights, because of one lost soul, who hasn’t a clue that someday she will have to face Jesus and by then it will be to late for her. God in Heaven help us!

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justangry
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:49am
I’m not a lawyer or a particularly religous fella, but it certainly seems the courts have religious freedom totally backwards. Congrats to the little atheists. Keep on dancing for the destruction of liberty.

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WhatTheHuh
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:49am
The ACLU has done a great job branding itself as an organization that stands for American values. Anyone that looks at the cases it defends and learns about its history would know better. Like all leftist organizations, it has recruited/indoctrinated young people to shore up its ranks for the future. These useful idiots know nothing about the organization and think merely having the words “American,” “Civil,” and “Liberties” in its title must mean that it’s pro-American. The ACLU certainly is not.

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John 3:16
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:49am
In Iowa we just have a referendum and the people vote these sorry @ss judges out.

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ExposeTheLiberalHypocrisy
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:47am
This is disgusting. When will judges wise up and dismiss these cases. As a tax payer I am sick of paying for court cases that are nothing but a waste of time…all that really happens is that lawyers get paid. The poor little brain washed girl will grow up to be another intolerant hate mongerer looking for another 15 minutes of fame. If she is really offended by that plaque perhaps we should just lock her up in a bubble now and treat her like an entitled member of some royal family from now on….

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carl1000
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:47am
Wow she is so tolerant.

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carl1000
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:45am
Poor girl. Has no idea what shes is doing. It is shameful that she says this offends her. What about who she is offending by taking it down? Has anyone asked her that? This type of political correctness will kill this country.

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- encinom
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 4:18pm
  She is stand up for her rights and in defense of the Constitution. The Beckerheads are standing in support of the destruction of this country and replacing it with a theocracy.
  
  Report this comment
nelbert
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:45am
Hmmm. Maybe I’m a little slow here. She was upset with the prayer mural because it made her feel ostracized, but the courtroom drama and feedback from those who disagreed with her did not make her feel ostracized. Her Twitter comment was “Is dancing her brains out and annoying everyone in her family.” So is all this just her form of teenage rebellion against her family?

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Sara72
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:45am
Poor little misguided girl… she offends me ,and the judge is a FOOL!

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- Dr. Joel Fleischman
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 1:13pm
  The judge must have been a Clinton appointee
  
  Report this comment
dlmarsh
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:45am
The founder of the ACLU was a self-avowed Communist. Look up the history of the ACLU’s founder for yourself and find the truth. He said his reason for founding the ACLU was to basically merge the U.S.A. with the “former” Soviet Union. He was also close friends with Margret Sanger – the founder of Planned Parenthood. She said her reason for founding Planned Parenthood was to implement the practice of Eugenics and get rid of the “undesirable” classes of people – such as Hydra – LOL. Actually Hydra would have been their type of person for ACLU and Margret Sanger.

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John 3:16
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:44am
As usual, the socialists attack our freedom. These decisions should be left up to the local school board: Not the federal government!!!!

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DoremusRJessup44
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:44am
And Satan danced! Great for you little tart, you won one for the devil.

What did this little girl accomplish with this? Who is she helping by removing the banner? How does this help her school? IT DOESN’T. This snide little twirp just wanted to fight like all athiests. It’s not about right or wrong with them, it’s about the argument. How do I know? I was one of them once. They are snide little tarts who think they are smarter than everyone else. Look at her snide little smile. She is soooo smart.

If the banner has been up in the schol for decades it can be argued that it is traditional, therefore non-religious. These schools need to get up to speed.

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Silversmith
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:44am
She sounds like …. well … a sixteen year old kid. Hope she can live with what she did as she moves through her life. I suspect she was used by others here. It’s so strange that a Christian prayer of good will is admonished while Sharia law is upheld in courts here in the US.

Trouble this way comes me thinks!

Silversmith

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CRiggsby
Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:41am
I find the court offensive. Disband them!

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- jhrusky
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 2:25pm
  I am a Christian. However, I do not want my government endorsing any religion, mine or the next guys, as that leads to a theocracy and that is something we do not want.
  
  That said, I sincerely doubt this girl went out and found legal help because she was against prayer … she is being used as a pawn by the same ACLU idjits that are not only for the separation of powers, but clearly anti-religious in all ways (except, perhaps, the muslim religion which they don’t seem to speak out much on).
  
  Report this comment
- BIGJAYINPA
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 2:29pm
  Eph 6: 10-18. The Evil One is among us and growing stronger every day. Gird yourself and prepare, the battle is upon us and the Lord is with those who are with Him……….Just sayin’
  
  Report this comment
- tcharleyd
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 2:40pm
  I find this girl offensive, maybe they should kick her out of the school……….
  
  Report this comment
- its_time_to_arrest_our_government
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 2:48pm
  we have freedom of religion in this nation not freedom from religion. its well past time we Christians started fighting back. and judge who does this crap need to be run off the bench. this nation was founded by Christians and any of you who dont like it can pack your things and move to another country. we’ve turned the other cheek way too many times to these atheists. now its time to run them off. we dont need them here spreading their hatred and spewing their un American crap. there comes a time to fight back and now is that time. even our founders only took so much before they fought back. i say that time has come again.
  
  Report this comment
- GodHatesFigs
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 2:49pm
  @JHRUSKY
  Actually, Ms. Ahlquist first went to the administration before getting legal representation. They refused to acknowledge they were breaking the law. Only after that did she get the ACLU involved who also tried to resolve the situation without a lawsuit. The school refused to acknowledge their wrongdoing once again. This lawsuit and the money spent on it could have been avoided if the school had followed the law.
  
  Report this comment
- mils
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 2:50pm
  one more fruitcake in the absolute minorty rules the majority…
  Disband this court, throw the judge to the curb..
  
  Report this comment
- The10thAmendment
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 2:53pm
  it sucks being right about you Billy H. You are a chicken little little punk.
  
  Report this comment
- Nick84
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 2:58pm
  The problem is that you are offended by the school being required to be religiously neutral. Removing this banner does not make the school an atheist school. It just means that the school cannot favor Christianity over another religion (or lack of). If you want your children to learn about religion, you can teach them at home, take them to church, or send them to a private school. However, public school is no place for pushing religious beliefs.
  
  Report this comment
- Nick84
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 3:00pm
  mils
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 2:50pm
  
  one more fruitcake in the absolute minorty rules the majority…
  Disband this court, throw the judge to the curb..
  ____________
  
  What good would law be if it did not protect the minority from a majority that is in the wrong?
  
  Report this comment
- colt1860
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 3:13pm
  @Nick84 In 1854 the House Judiciary Committee said, “in this age, there is no substitute for Christianity…That was the religion of the founders of the republic, and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendants.”
  
  In 1892 the S. Court stated, “No purpose of action against religion can be imputed to any legislation, State or national, because this is a religious people … This is a Christian nation. There is no dissonance in these declarations. There is a universal language pervading them all, having one meaning; they affirm and reaffirm that this is a religious nation. These are not individual sayings, declarations of private persons: they are organic [legal, governmental] utterances; they speak the voice of the entire people. … These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation.”
  
  Here’s a good read on education in Christian America: http://www.angelfire.com/la2/prophet1/america.html
  
  Report this comment
- Chuck Stein
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 3:14pm
  Some governments that are faced with these lawsuits could do everyone a big favor by doing this move: after oral argument, pass a resolution to [take down the prayer -- in this case], then move to dismiss on grounds of mootness. That motion would have to be granted under SCOTUS decsion in 2001 or 2000 “Buckhannon” — no fees for private attorney general unless “prevailing party” and you can’t prevail unless you get a court order. If they had done that, then the prayer would be down (for good — I am not trying to “game” things too much), but the ACLU would not be enriched. Food for thought (and, yes, I am a lawyer who has dealt with this issue).
  
  Report this comment
- plem
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 3:16pm
  Criggsby, I agree.
  My belief: I think the school should have expelled the student (for disturbing the peace or whatever(?) before the problem got to the courts. And, the judge should be disbarred, and removed from the bench. I am thankful for freedom of speech and to believe in what we feel is right, but I don’t think organizations, businesses, etc. should have to change their “rules” because one persons speech or belief.
  
  Report this comment
- bshywes
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 3:19pm
  It appears by some of these posts that some do not yet understand the first amnedment and the establishment clause. I suggest that many of you read: Freedom of Religion, the First Amendment and the Supreme Court – How the Court Flunked History. by Barry Adamson. It details what the real meaning of the First Amendment is. I would also suggest that this young lady read it as well.
  
  When the whinning of one negates the many, then our nation is on the verge of collapse. PLEASE read this book as it will set the record straight.
  
  Report this comment
- turkey13
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 3:23pm
  This girl has testicals – I saw where the Catholics have a $10,000.. bounty on her head! She may prevent another Tim Tebow from happening. I saw on the news where he is the most popular sports figure in the world. He will mislead a bunch of youths and make the religous nuts. Kids need to learn how to cuss, drink boose, fornicate, kill and robb. Only the strong will survive.
  
  Report this comment
- colt1860
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 3:24pm
  Zorach v. Clauson, 1952 United States Supreme Court “The First Amendment, however, does not say that in every and all respects there shall be a separation of Church and State…Other-wise the State and religiion would be aliens to each other– hostile, suspicious, and even unfriendly… Shover v. State, 1850 Supreme Court of Arkansas “The Christian religion… is recognized as constituting a part and parcel of the common law and as such, all of the institutions growing out of it, or, in any way connected with it, in case they shall not be found to interfere with the rights of conscience, are entitled to the most profound respect and can rightfully claim the protections of law-making power of the State.”
  
  Virginia’s 1776 Declaration of Rights says:
  
  SEC. 16. That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity toward each other.
  
  Report this comment
- GodHatesFigs
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 3:34pm
  @COLT1860
  “There cannot be the slightest doubt that the First Amendment reflects the philosophy that Church and State should be separated. And so far as interference with the “free exercise” of religion and an “establishment” of religion are concerned, the separation must be complete and unequivocal. The First Amendment within the scope of its coverage permits no exception; the prohibition is absolute.”
  Those are the preceding lines to the quote from the Zorach v. Clauson case.
  
  Report this comment
- kfalcon22000
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 3:36pm
  Government endorses all religion. Under our constitution, Congress cannot make a law the sets one denomination ahead of the rest. Where did you history illiterates get the idea that government has the right to oppose any religion?
  
  Report this comment
- Favored93
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 3:36pm
  The “judge” stated that the prayer banner is government taking sides on religion.
  Guys public schools are NOT schools they are indoctrination centers for the Government!
  Pull your kids out of there!!!! What we will end up with is a generation of Government dependents not educated adults!
  
  Report this comment
- vngstr
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 3:43pm
  I find JHRUSKY offensive and a moron. This is not a separation of church and state, it is what our founders specified, not what the education system has become. The education system is not paid for by the fedral gov it is paid for by the states moron. When you become a taxpayer let all of the conservatives know. Your left wing bs is just that. Go back to your left wing nut job web sites and forget the infiltrate crap because people like you are a waste of our time….. I checked out your posts and you might as well be cloward or piven….
  
  Report this comment
- George Patton
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 3:51pm
  @godhatesfigs
  You reaffirmed poster “colt1860′s” position. The separation should exist to keep government out of the affairs of the church but not to keep religion out of government. What you quoted simply says a separation must exist, what “colt1860″ quoted defined that separation he referred to as keeping government out of religion but not keeping religion out of government.
  
  Report this comment
- JRook
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 4:00pm
  On either side of this argument it is a waste of the courts time and taxpayer money. Neither the courts nor the government should decide this. The local community should in a 60% or better majority vote. Not some town council or school board loaded with social engineers of either right or left ideology.
  
  Report this comment
- colt1860
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 4:08pm
  @GodHatesFigs The reason Jefferson mentioned the need for Separation of Church and State, was because many established Religions (Episcopalians, Methodists, Quakers, etc.) feared that the newly created federal Government would dictate and enact National creeds or doctrines for their Congregations, very much resembling Great Britain and its Church of England, whose Head was the Monarch. Jefferson and many Clergymen further feared an ecclesiastical dictatorship, very much like that of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by the Pope, wherein Religious liberty was restricted, and Religion in general was harshly governed by the State.
  
  Report this comment
- countrysideflair
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 5:28pm
  Someone needs to sue the girl for removing their freedom of religion.
  
  Report this comment
- restorehope
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 5:52pm
  If Jessica is feeling ostracized now, wait until Judgement Day, sweetie, and you will really know what it feels like to be ostracized.
  
  Report this comment
- Dano62
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 6:23pm
  GODHATESFIGS, as a Christian, I know that God is God and His will shall be done, whether or not a banner with a Christian prayer is allowed to remain on the wall of a high school gym or not.
  
  The 1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. I disregard the ruling in the Zorach v. Clauson case. The most supreme authority on the meaning of any statement is the author(s) of that statement, not the opinion of somebody else made over 150 years later on what they think it means. It is very clear from historical writings that the intent of the 1st Amendment was to protect religion from government, not the other way around. Congress made no law here. A banner with a prayer on it that was written by a student almost fifty years ago was displayed in a school. All too often, when the court makes a ruling on something, that ruling becomes the precedent (even if it’s wrong), and that precedent is cited in future cases further compounding the error.
  
  Report this comment
- PATTY HENRY
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 7:21pm
  DO you know how dumb this kid is going to feel when 1) she finds she needs GOD in this life, maybe for her kid(S) or parent(s) or Friend(s)…. 2) when she dies…It’s going to be a major OOOPS…but
  it does tell us something. These UNIONIZED, SOCIALIZED, COMMUNIZED “educators” are doing their level best to kill all talk of GOD in schools. PARENTS?? IT’s up to you.
  
  Report this comment
- Therightsofbilly
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 7:29pm
  @JROOK
  
  That’s an interesting take there Rook.
  
  Would you be in favor of settling various other issues in that same manor?
  
  Report this comment
- StonyBurk
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 7:30pm
  This Judge cannot produce Constitutional evidence to support his atheistic and unjust judgement.
  Where is it written? Our public schools daily do things to make the Christian student feel like an outcast.
  This dung about Government not appearing to endorse religion is UNAMERICAN and a damned Lie.
  The twice passed fundamental law -Northwest Ordinance Article III declares Religion,Morality,and Knowledge being necessary to Good Government and the Happiness of mankind, Schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.I guess in this unjust Judges Court there is No Law NO Religion,No Morality,No Knowledge– NO such thing as Good Government? He offends me too.
  The very day Congress adopted the Bill of Rights they acted to have President Washington proclaim a national day of Prayer and Thanksgiving And the official Journals of Congress show Roger Sherman justified the act by citing several precedent from the HolyWrit (the Bible)thank God this IGNORANT and UNJUST judge wasn’t around Sept.25,1789.
  
  Report this comment
- MS Patriot
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 8:17pm
  So if it is unConstitutional to allow the banner in school, it must be unconstitutional to force our children to attend these schools without religion, because it infringes upon our right to express our religious values. By removing the banner we can not express our faith. So separate but equal is what we should have, public school for the atheist and vouchers for the Christians, Jews and Muslims who wish to attend a school of their choice that will allow freedom to express their religion. Without vouchers the government is giving us education just like Obamacare will give us healthcare. No choice to opt out and every time you turn around more taxes needed to support over priced bureaucrats to run it. If you take this right from the Christians it must be replace with equal compensation. In order for the government to provide both atheist and religious students equal protection it must create a separate but equal school system. The only way that can be done is through vouchers for students who want to be able to express their religion openly under the constitution they have that right to do so, while at school.
  The teaching of the Theory of evolution and not teaching the Theory of Creationism should also be considered a violation of our rights as Christians, rights afforded to us by the Constitution. Who is making the decision that one “Theory” is more applicable than another. Both are theories one by scientist who are unable to prove it, the other by religion.
  
  Report this comment
- Patriot Z
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 8:39pm
  im athiest and this chick sucks! sorry but anyone who feels “ostwacized” soley because of a single thing have obvious emotional problems. i cant wait til the next story where she whines that “now everybody hates me waaahhhhhh”
  
  Report this comment
- Wolf
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 9:48pm
  Jessica Ahlquist offends me- get rid of her and the ACLU.
  
  Report this comment
- zman173rd
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 10:31pm
  If you replaced any reference to LORD with any reference to Barack Obama, It wouldn’t be a problem…
  That’s how whacked out we’ve become.
  
  Report this comment
- Jaycen
  Posted on January 12, 2012 at 11:20pm
  @Nick84
  
  You and the other people who are making the wrong case do so, because you make a lot of assumptions about things that clearly don’t exist.
  
  The prayer says “God”. There’s no invocation of Yaweh, or Christ, or Bhudda. The Prayer is non-denominational.
  
  This prayer doesn’t break the establishment clause. The story doesn’t state that the school required children to recite the prayer, does it? It doesn’t state that children in the school were required to copy the prayer, or to study it, does it?
  
  Then there is no violation of the establishment clause, and you people just make yourselves look foolish. You don’t know what you’re talking about, and I doubt you’ve ever read the Constitution. You might want to give it a shot.
  
  Report this comment
- Mark21
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:56am
  Anybody and everybody can express their religious beliefs in their own notebooks covers, book covers etc etc. You can have christian messages posted in your backpack and its your own right to do so, so stop the stupid propaganda that they are restricting your faith. You can not take the mural with you all the time but you can put a Bible in your backpack and read all the stories again and again until you get bored. The public schools are for everyone of every religion and for atheists so no government can make you a follower or believer of any Mythological stories.
  
  Report this comment
- nzkiwi
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 2:52am
  This young lady is an embarressment to sensible atheists. Religion or lack of it is a personal choice.
  
  Does she not realise that everyone resents having their personal beliefs scorned. Her reaction to the judgement shows that this is nothing more than a bit of political point scoring by a short-sighted immature zealot.
  
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- SaraD
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 5:40am
  It’s a good thing. What if it was a Muslim, or Wiccan prayer banner?
  
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- SaraD
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 5:43am
  @colt1860 This is a secular nation, and is in no way a Christian one. The constitution is quite clear about that.
  
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- colt1860
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 10:04am
  @SaraD If by Nation you solely mean Government, then you’re wrong. Nation implies both the Government and the People. This has been a Christian Nation in the sense that the People have always been majority Christian, and therefore their Government reflected, through their influence, the morality and religion of the People. Our Government or its Administration has never dictated by law or force the strict adherence to one Religion, creed or doctrine to the People. Our Government is a political institution, and not a religious institution. The founding fathers avoided any such dictatorial Governmental powers over Religion. They instituted a Government that did not limit or restrict religion, but that secured and guaranteed the freedom of religion, whether exercised in public or private. Seeing that the Government is nothing more than a body composed of the People, working for the People, and receiving its Powers from People, Christian precepts and principles were adhered to and taken into serious consideration during the founding of our Nation.
  
  After the creation of our Nation, the founding fathers held public prayers in Congress, allowed worship services in Congress, declared National Prayer and Fast days, promoted the teaching of the Bible in public schools, and often referenced the Bible to guide debate and discussion while speaking on the floor of Congress. Congress even recommend for the Bible to be printed and distributed throughout the country.
  
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- JJStryder
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 11:29am
  A prayer on a wall is not a governmental endorsement of religion. We are a Judeo-Christian country and the right to practice our religion will not be infringed. That is in our U.S. Constitution. This judge should and probably will be overturned by a court house somewhere that has a copy of the ten commandments mounted on a wall. This silly little busy body girl can dance all she wants.
  
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- Aijahlon
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 12:56pm
  Just one more Jew (Jessica Ahlquist) using a Jewish founded and lead organization (ACLU) to destroy America. George Washington understood the Jews, too bad Glenn doesn’t.
  
  WASHINGTON, GEORGE, in Maxims of George Washington by A. A. Appleton & Co.
  
  “They (the Jews) work more effectively against us, than the enemy’s armies. They are a hundred times more dangerous to our liberties and the great cause we are engaged in… It is much to be lamented that each state, long ago, has not hunted them down as pest to society and the greatest enemies we have to the happiness of America.”
  
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- TeriPettit
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:55pm
  @JHRUSKY, re your claim that the ACLU is “clearly anti-religious in all ways”, actually, they vigorously defend the right of free expression of religion, including Christianity, and including in public schools, as long as it is completely voluntary by students, and not promoted by school staff.
  
  For example:
  
  The ACLU of Texas (2011) opposed a public high school’s policy prohibiting students from wearing visible rosaries and crosses in the Brownsville Independent School District.
  
  The ACLU of Nebraska (2011) opposed a policy at Fremont Public School that would prevent students from wearing Catholic rosaries to school.
  
  The ACLU of Virginia (2011) defended the free religious expression of a group of Christian athletes in Floyd Co High School who had copies of the Ten Commandments removed from the doors of their lockers.
  
  The ACLU of Colorado (2010) supported the rights of students in Colorado Springs to wear crosses, rosaries, and other religious symbols to school.
  
  The ACLU of New Jersey (2007) defended the right of an elementary school student who was prohibited from singing “Awesome God” in a voluntary after-school talent show for which students selected their own material.
  
  There are MANY more such cases, but they won’t fit in the space limit. :)
  
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- 1marinesthoughts
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 2:01pm
  So how many want the Prayer displayed how is it that One ( 1) over rules the many
  
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- TeriPettit
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 2:20pm
  @AIJAHLON, the quote that you give from George Washington was not about Jews. It was about currency speculators who were keeping money out of circulation to cause it to become scarse and rise in value, hampering efforts to fund the Army.
  
  George Washington to Edmund Pendleton, November 1, 1779:
  
  “…the means are in our power, but it is virtue alone that can effect it, for without this, heavy taxes, frequently collected, (the only radical cure) and loans, are not to be obtained. Where this has been the policy (in Connecticut for instance) the prices of every article have fallen and the money consequently is in demand; but in the other States you can scarce get a single thing for it, and yet it is with-held from the public by speculators, while every thing that can be useful to the public is engrossed by this tribe of black gentry, who work more effectually against us than the enemys Arms; and are a hundd times more dangerous to our liberties and the great cause we are engaged in.”
  
  He closed the letter there, with nothing about hunting anyone down.
  
  Washington had very cordial relations with the Jewish community. In a later letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport in 1790, he wrote:
  
  “May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants—while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.”
  
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- TeriPettit
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 2:34pm
  Because when it is posted by the school administration, and it is a public school, it is a government “establishment of religion”, prohibited by the Constitution.
  
  If all the students in the school who like the prayer want to post it on their lockers and wear it on their T-shirts, then the ACLU would defend their right to do so, and would file suit in court if any teachers or school officials tried to prohibit such displays. They would even defend the student’s right to display denominational prayers that mentioned Jesus, Mary, etc.
  
  It only has to be at the individual free initiative of each student.
  
  Here are some more cases:
  
  The Iowa Civil Liberties Union (2005) defended the rights of two teenage girls who were threatened with punishment by school officials after seeking to wear, for religious reasons, anti-abortion t-shirts to school.
  
  The ACLU of Florida (2009) filed a lawsuit on behalf of two families from the Dove World Outreach Center, defending their constitutional right to express themselves in public school with t-shirts stating, “Islam is of the devil.”
  
  The ACLU of Nevada (2006) defended the free-exercise and free-speech rights of evangelical Christians to preach on the sidewalks of Las Vegas. When the county refused to change its unconstitutional policy, the ACLU filed suit in federal court.
  
  They won all these cases, by the way.
  
  The ACLU defends more freedom of religion cases than any other organization, including churches.
  
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- TeriPettit
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 3:01pm
  The above was to 1MARINESTHOUGHTS about why the majority student opinion didn’t rule.
  
  I think JAYCEN has a stronger point when he points out that the prayer is very generic, referring only to “our Heavenly Father”, which while somewhat associated with Christianity, is not strongly so, and pointing out that non-denominational prayers addressing only God are allowed on the floor of Congress, and “In God we Trust” is on our currency.
  
  The Supreme Court, however, has consistently ruled, starting in 1962, that public schools should be held to stricter standards, since the power dynamic between teachers and students is very unequal.
  
  n 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Union Free School District No. 9 in Hyde Park, New York had violated the First Amendment by directing the Districts’ principals to cause the following prayer to be said aloud by each class in the presence of a teacher at the beginning of each school day:
  
  “Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country.”
  
  Note that the above prayer is also very neutral, just like the prayers said in Congress, and in the Presidential inauguration, etc. The Chief Justice, Earl Warren, was Republican, and was even the VP candidate in 1948.
  
  Now, it is valid to disagree with the Supreme Court rulings, and many Americans do. But there have been dozens of cases, and they have been bipartisan. So it isn’t a left wing conspira
  
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- martinob
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 4:21pm
  Criggsby…sorry to comment of your lead. I can’t figure out how to “comment.”
  That said…..I pray that the local officials appeal. With the awareness that the blaze has given us, we could stop this attack on prayer. How could anyone, even an atheist, find that prayer offensive. I just don’t get it. Hopefully I never will.
  
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- Gold Coin & Economic News
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 4:43pm
  The most insane thing about this is that not only does the Judge and this little girl not even have a clue about the Constitution, this freaking judge awarded legal fees to the girl.
  
  How in the hell did we get to a place in this nation where we allow our country to be destroyed from the inside while we fund the destruction with our own money?
  
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- TeriPettit
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 7:25pm
  @Martinob, who wrote “How could anyone, even an atheist, find that prayer offensive. I just don’t get it.”
  
  Well, try this thought experiment:
  
  What if the sign said exactly the same words, except that instead of beginning with “SCHOOL PRAYER Heavenly Father, Grant us each day…”, it began “SCHOOL ATHEIST PLEDGE Believing that there is no God, out of respect for our shared humanity, we affirm …”, and then continued with the same positive message.
  
  And suppose that almost everyone in the whole school, including teachers and students, were atheists, with just a tiny handful of Christians or other religious students in the school, so the sign reflected the majority beliefs?
  
  Would you find it hard to understand how a Christian student could possibly find that pledge offensive? Would she be wrong to ask that it be taken down, or that the opening passage be removed?
  
  I’d sure understand her discomfort. I’d think the Christian student would be RIGHT to ask that the School Atheist Pledge be removed or changed, even if she was the only non-atheist in the whole school, and even if she had to bring in the court.
  
  The same principle applies for Alquist. It’s really just the Golden Rule. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
  
  Something that isn’t too hard to understand. :)
  
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- commonsensefreethinker1
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 7:27pm
  Ya Whatever, some of you have to check your history, this country was not founded by christians in fact most of our founding fathers were Masons, which is not christian at all .
  Also George Washington, Abraham Lincoln,Thomas Pain and I could go on and on but they all believed in (a ) God ,but not your god . They belived in a great creator of the universe not what is in your 3000 year old fiction fairytale of how one should live their life.
  As far as prayer goes : Why is it that if someone says that they talk to god or jesus every day accepted as a normal thing for a person to do…. But someone that has a conversation with an invisable or imaginary friend on a daily basis called crazy, schizophrenic, or delusional oh!! I know why,,,
  BECAUSE THEY ARE!!! SO DON’T GIVE ME THIS CRAP THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU SAY YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO TALK TO YOURSELF. YOU BELONG IN A RUBBER ROOM ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER WACK JOBS.
  
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- its_time_to_arrest_our_government
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 8:56pm
  another federal judge who needs to find his self in jail. had enough yet America?
  
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- ghostsouls
  Posted on January 13, 2012 at 9:53pm
  Had this been anything about Muslims, we wouldn’t even be discussing this.
  
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- colt1860
  Posted on January 14, 2012 at 2:59am
  @commonsen “Most people don’t realize what this nation was like at its beginning. Even as late as 1776 – 150 years after a Christian group we refer to as the Pilgrims moved their church to America, we see the population of our country as: 98 percent Protestant Christians, 1.8 percent Catholic Christians, and .2 of 1 percent Jewish. That means that 99.8% of the people in America in 1776 professed to be Christians.
  
  Reverend Jonas Clark was a very influential man and the parson of Christ Church, which was “thee” church in a small town named Lexington in 1775. In his church parking lot, only a few feet from the church parsonage, the first shot of the Revelutionary War was fired and the first blood spilled. The people that were killed were members of his congregation. Clark looked down with great anguish at the bodies of those who had died and made this statement: “From this day will be dated the liberty of the world.” It began in a church. It began with a pastor that was part of the “Black Regiment” because of the black robes they wore. These pastors preached resounding sermons that resonated throughout New England about the evils of tyranny and the importance of liberty.
  
  Revolutionary leaders were devout men who could not have been more empathic in their determination that our national policy rested on Scriptural foundation. Of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention, 52 were Orthodox Christians.” http://www.alliance4lifemin.org/articles.php?id=23
  
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- Hossua
  Posted on January 14, 2012 at 11:25am
  I say remove the “School Prayer” part of that and I am OK with it as an atheist.
  
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- ron2win
  Posted on January 15, 2012 at 9:44am
  The left is grooming their next madelin o’hare.Remember “own the children and you will own the future”
  
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- just.me
  Posted on January 15, 2012 at 11:57pm
  jessica ahlquist and the judge are heroes to the constitution and the country.
  the god mentioned in the prayer is clearly the god of abraham (jew/xian/muslim), but what if it was a wiccan prayer? or, god forbid, in arabic? what if it said “our heavenly mother” instead of father? i have a feeling the dialog would be completely different.
  knowing this, what i don’t get is how so many people don’t understand the importantce in the seperation of church and state.
  yes we have the freedom of religion, but that applies to every religion, even those without religion.besides school is a place forlearning sciences, maths, and reading. some archaic prayer on the wall was clearly a distraction.
  one last ting america is NOT a christian state. it is a secular state that happens to be populatedby mostly by christians. the day america stops being a secular country is the day it stops being a free one. and all this talk of disband the court because you don’t like the call, no matter how ‘par for the course’ it is for conservative and the religious “right”, is ridiculous. if you want to live in a fascist theocracy try afghanistan. the gipper did endorse the country by comparing the taliban to the founding fathers. he was you model president right?
  
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- Bejeezuz
  Posted on January 17, 2012 at 10:36pm
  Barry Goldwater, the father of conservatism – maybe some of you too young to remember him, said
  “There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God’s name on one’s behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I’m frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in ‘A,’ ‘B,’ ‘C,’ and ‘D.’ Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me? And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of ‘conservatism.’ ” (1909-1998) US Senator (R-Arizona) Source: Congressional Record, September 16, 1981
  
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- Bejeezuz
  Posted on January 17, 2012 at 10:37pm
  Being a Conservative, I am not for my tax dollars going to support your religion, or anyone’s religion.
  
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- Bejeezuz
  Posted on January 17, 2012 at 10:43pm
  Kids can pray before school, to themselves during school, after school, they can go to church twice on Saturday and Sunday – There is nothing preventing them from paying, or even meeting after school in a classroom for a prayer club – why must you also force your religious views on the walls of taxpayer-funded school.
  
  Please keep your liberal ideas of how to spend tax money to yourselves.
  
  BTW – she has been threatened with bodily harm for this, by the good Christian folk of her community.
  
  Would Jesus threaten her with bodily harm?
  
  Report this comment
- 912er
  Posted on January 18, 2012 at 12:59pm
  Since the “Declaration of Independence” states our Rights come from God, she as an Atheist has no Right to demand the sign taken down…. Simple, end of story…
  
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- heykelli
  Posted on January 18, 2012 at 1:25pm
  If you don’t like it…don’t look at it! You don’t believe in God, the majority of society does. Why should we have to bow down to you. It’s not offensive, it’s quite nice actually, just take out the Heavenly Father and meditate on the rest. Sheesh! I hope you don’t celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Easter, Passover or Halloween as they all have religious beginings.
  
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- parentofcranstonweststudent
  Posted on February 1, 2012 at 8:20am
  As a parent of a current cranston high school west student currently enrolled there and she will be at that school until 2015…. I wonder if these distractions have caused her grades to fall for at least this school year so far 2011 to 2012… Maybe us parents who think this might be a factor should sue that family for the distractions to our children… Like they all dont have enough distractions in every day high school life….. ?????? What do you think about that !!!!!!!
  
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