Faith

Former HS Student Sues School District Over ‘Unwanted Exposure to a School-Sanctioned Prayer’

Max Nielson Sues Over High School Graduation Prayer | Freedom of Religion Foundation

Former student Max Nielson

Every December, media headlines are dominated by the annual War on Christmas. As time progresses, it seems the nation is also gripped each spring and summer by another increasingly-fervent battle: the War on Prayer.

This phenomenon generally involves graduation prayer dramas and it tends to erupt during the months of May and June. Earlier today, The Blaze told you about the atheist valedictorian in Texas who successfully petitioned to remove prayer from his ceremony. Now, there’s another story coming out of South Carolina in which a former student is suing over a religious message that was uttered at his commencement.

Max Neilson, an 18-year-old student at Irmo High School, is suing after a fellow classmate read a prayer during his recent graduation ceremony. In a federal complaint that was filed, Neilson claims he suffered, ”unwanted exposure to a school-sanctioned invocation/benediction/prayer/religious message/blessing.” The former student filed the lawsuit along with the infamous Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a well-known atheist activist group.

 

You can read the complaint letters here and here.

The lawsuit contends that Neilson was subjected to a violation of his rights under the First Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, according to the Irmo Patch. Interestingly, the Lexington-Richland School District Five, the defendant in the lawsuit, allows students to vote each year on the inclusion of prayer. Based on this premise, Neilson’s classmates opted to include it in the 2012 ceremony.

While the non-believing student allegedly attempted to prevent the prayer prior to graduation, meetings with the principal and superintendent, and a letter to the school board failed to resonate.

“I didn’t remove my cap. I looked toward the superintendent and let the time pass. I was obviously not a part of that part of the graduation ceremony,” Nielson told WISTV. “The district didn’t feel like it needed to find time for me and my non-religious or non-Christian friends.”

(H/T: Huffington Post)

Comments (263)

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  • mllyjul
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:53pm

    Gimmie a break. He had to hear a prayer at graduation? What?!! Wow, this kid is a pansie. Is this what the public schools are churning out these days? This kid and all like him ought to be dropped kicked into a country that really violates rights.

    Report Post »  
    • Git-R-Done
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 1:52am

      The same entitlement mentality that the OWS have.

      Report Post »  
    • cemerius
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 9:28am

      Nope!! Small baby steps to their ultimate goal and that is the 100% of God from our lives!!!!

      Tzun Tsu Art of War : Death by a thousand cuts…….

      Tomorrow, when God is not even a memory, you can look at these days as the reason!

      Report Post » cemerius  
    • Pontiac
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 11:14am

      [This kid and all like him ought to be dropped kicked into a country that really violates rights]

      So violate someones rights because you are violating their rights… Makes perfect sense.

      Report Post » Pontiac  
    • GETLIFE
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 4:16pm

      Why don’t they take a vote?

      Report Post » GETLIFE  
    • Pontiac
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 4:57pm

      @GETLIFE
      Because this is a Constitutional Republic which protects individual rights, not collective rights. Pray at church, pray at home, don’t pray on my time or on my dime.

      Report Post » Pontiac  
    • jhrusky
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 9:55pm

      Why have we allowed this FFRF to even be a voice in our culture? I haven’t followed any Supreme Court hearings regarding this, but does our Constitution (according to our Supreme Court) contain freedom FROM religion? Personally, I don’t read that into it, but I’m not a lawyer, either.

      Report Post » jhrusky  
    • Git-R-Done
      Posted on June 2, 2012 at 10:18pm

      There‘s nothing in the US Constitution that says that you’re free from being offended, which is what these crybaby atheists are screaming about.

      Report Post »  
    • John in Jackson
      Posted on June 3, 2012 at 5:37pm

      I can show this self absorbed where it says in the US Constitution where we all have the freedom to speak, I wonder if he or his lawyercan show me where he has the right to not be offended?

      Report Post » John in Jackson  
    • Pontiac
      Posted on June 6, 2012 at 3:24pm

      @John in Jackson
      You’re free to speak, however, you are not free to use and abuse the power of government to hold us captive while you speak.

      Report Post » Pontiac  
  • CatholicConservative
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:52pm

    What “damages” does he have from this that could be articulated in a lawsuit? That is because he believes his first amendment right was violated, he is suing for… money, an apology, an affirmation from the school that they will never do this again, the opportunity for this to go to a higher court who can rule that this will never happen again? I’m not sure how or if he wants to put a price tag on his “suffering” or if he’s going for a ruling.

    Report Post » CatholicConservative  
    • JGraham III
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 12:46am

      Oh dear! Another thin-skinned crybaby atheist who can’t stand the exposure to something that might actually benefit his nearly perfect life. If I were the judge I’d throw this fool out of court and tell him to suck it up because life is full of things and people who are going to offend him. As a matter of fact, why doesn’t some christian with deep pockets sue the ACLU and the Freedom From Religion idiots for denying them their right to worship in a manner keeping with their beliefs and constitutional rights? The road does go both ways after all. Freedom from Offence is not in the Constitution. Deal with it.
      The defendants in this case should demand a jury trial and have their lawyers load the jury with Southern Baptists…

      Report Post »  
    • Smokey_Bojangles
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 2:31am

      SO The only way to validate his own first amendment rights was to violate another person’s? He is not forced to pray but others are forced no to pray. “…or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..” So Simple even a Cave Man Communist can see it.Max Neilson is the one denying some one their Constitutional rights.

      Report Post » Smokey_Bojangles  
    • TheSweaterVest
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 2:48am

      The issue is not children praying, the issue is the government endorsing a religion. How would you feel if the school had voted to have a islamic prayer, or a animal sacrifice…. the only way to ensure that everyone has freedom of religion is to make sure the government dosent endorse any religion…

      Report Post » TheSweaterVest  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 6:23am

      heSweaterVest
      What denomination or religion are they making the denomination/religion of the federal government?

      I have agnostic atheists, apatheists, Congregationalists, Lutherans, Catholics, Baptists & former wiaccans in my family. An invocation does not bother me or my family at all.

      Maybe Max Neilsen needs psychological counseling, he seems fragile. I bet a good lawyer could fix him faster than a therapist could.

      Report Post »  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 6:26am

      TheSweaterVest
      You realize that for the last 4,000 years after a battle, the winning side always gave a speech that had the following 3 part form. They thank God(s) for the victory, appreciate their win & say let’s not get cocky.

      I guess you would like to rain on that parade too.

      Report Post »  
  • Angry Redneck
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:51pm

    Waaaaa! I got my feelings hurt! Suck-it up you big cry baby. Life sucks and it is not fare, so get over yourself!

    Report Post » Angry Redneck  
    • rickc34
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 11:29pm

      He just can’t find a job. So this wimp thinks he will take the liberal way out.

      Report Post »  
    • wzanesdad
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 3:06am

      awwwwwwww….poor baby, had to suffer through a prayer. whiny azz b***h

      Report Post » wzanesdad  
    • jesusismygunner
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 2:41pm

      You spelled fair wrong.

      Report Post »  
  • Maxim Crux
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:51pm

    How can this kid prove he is an atheist anyway? I know a good test. If he starts praying…then we know the lawsuit is bogus.

    Report Post »  
  • Abraham Young
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:50pm

    This is a bunch of collectivist hooey.

    We should not permit lawsuits against a group of unnamed individuals. Individuals call the shots, not collectives. Individuals are responsible citizens, not collectives.

    This youngster should be forced to take his case against individuals. Name a responsible individual , and SUE HIM or HER.

    We allowed the collectivists to manipulate us into believing in group conformity, and now they are using it to further the slide into collectivist hell.

    Bruce P argues against religious rights for individuals claiming that as a group they cannot oppress the minority.

    In so doing, Bruce P rationalizes his own oppression against Christian individuals.

    Irrationality is his argument and his line of reasoning. Will we let juvenile philosophers take away the liberties of us all for the sake of a few “offended” individuals?

    This is the argument of idiots to suppress the rights of the majority of people in the name of protecting the rights of the individual .

    If you don’t like to pray, fine. We don’t like NOT to pray. And we have just as much right to the public square as YOU do. If you don’t like it you can take your hide to a nation that feels as you do. This is America the land of the FREE not the browbeaten .

    Report Post »  
    • lrb14
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:56pm

      People like Bruce P have a long track record in the history of the human race, which is why the 1st Amendment was written in the first place. We are now entering a dangerous period in history: the tyranny of the easily offended.

      Report Post »  
    • Bruce P.
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 1:14am

      Abraham, there is no oppression of Christianity in the United States. Forbidding the government endorsement of religious displays is not the oppression of Christianity. You are free to practice as you wish, speak as you wish on your religion, but you cannot do so with force of government or at the expense of the taxpayer. You argue that it is oppression because you do not want to lose a place of favor and privilege. It is twisted, perverted double-speak to claim that your inability to oppress others is in itself oppression.

      Report Post » Bruce P.  
    • Bruce P.
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 1:14am

      LRB14 — The First Amendment was not written to prevent atheists from speaking their mind but to prevent government enforcement of religion.

      Report Post » Bruce P.  
    • Outcast
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 2:34am

      This is just more on the war against God. We are responsible for this. These people studied Cristianity and saw that we are a passive group of people who believe that people are allowed to sin. That not everyone is perfect. So they use this to say they are not perfect either so that we will promote them to better jobs and vote them into high office. Then they are in place as teachers, judges and polititians. The teachers program our kids to turn away from God. The Judges force us to remove reminders of our faith and memorials from public view. The politicians pass laws that allienate us and prevent us from getting promoted and elected to higher office.
      This is a Cristian country. However there is a organized effort to take it over from the inside. We need to ban together and prevent this country from falling into the wrong hands. We need to be better organized. We need to stop putting one church against the other. We all agree on the 10 commandments. Lets work towards that. Lets organize. Lets show our strength. Lets run these liberals out of town and out of country.
      Please excuse any misspelled words. I am in a hurry to post and run.

      Report Post » Outcast  
    • TheSweaterVest
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 2:58am

      @OUTCAST, the fact that you think this is a christian country shows how ignorant you are. this country was founded on secular ideals, in that the government holds no religion. That is why we have the separation of church and state. It is the only way to ensure freedom of religion, and the prevention of a state religion, like the one that the founding fathers left….

      Report Post » TheSweaterVest  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 7:05am

      Bruce P.
      The First Amendment was not written to prevent atheists from speaking their mind but to prevent government enforcement of religion.

      It was made to prevent the establishment of a state (read federal religion) religion such as Anglican,or Roman Catholicism. It was not meant to keep religion out of public life. Many of the original 13 colonies/state had state religions.

      There will be religion in the public sphere. We are just no going to settle on a particular denomination or religion. As we get mixed groups prayers / invocations get more “generic”, but they are still important. If you deny that then I think something like the “borg collective” fits you to a T, A BIG CAPITAL T. just saying

      Report Post »  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 7:47am

      I can think of only 1 time in my life that I found a christian overbearing, but the number of times atheists were are becoming uncountable.

      Report Post »  
    • commonsensefreethinker1
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 6:15pm

      @WALKABOUT
      Hey, I could say the same for your “brothers” in the christian faith that have started cults that have ended in many mass suicides and murder all over the world. So your little list is BS!
      Run away from the church children run! Don‘t be brainwashed by these people who can’t think for themselves.

      Report Post » commonsensefreethinker1  
    • Git-R-Done
      Posted on June 2, 2012 at 10:49pm

      Commonsense – If anybody is trying to brainwash children, it’s you atheists. Look at how your atheist utopian society of the Soviet Union turned out.

      Report Post »  
  • Carlinpa
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:49pm

    It’s Freedom of religion NOT freedom FROM religion. In order to have freedom from religion you have to stifle the rights of others to express their religion in effect suppress their freedom of speech. One amendment could NOT contradict another.

    Report Post »  
    • merik59
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 11:06pm

      I pray, therefore I’m damaged. Irretrievably. I admit I believe. So, crucify me, why don’t you. This kid sucks. Oh, maybe that’s really his problem. He can’t get it or get it up or get it out or whatever is wrong with his thinking. Well, he’s young & immature & he can’t define simple words because his education has focused on the wrong areas of his anatomy. It must be the hormones. Well, he needs to suck it up & get over it. I vote we inform him of his right to shut the h*ll up.

      Report Post »  
    • ModerationIsBest
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 1:15am

      “So crucify me”

      Lol wow.

      Report Post »  
    • LestWeForget
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 9:02am

      whackadoos believe I have to stop the practice of my religion when I come around someone who doesn’t share my beliefs. As if we wear tattoos on our foreheads informing us that we must stop exercising our rights where their noses begin. they quote that mantra all day long. trust me, I tried trolling Planned Parenthood’s facebook page yesterday. Needed a shower for my soul afterwards.

      they’re clueless on the Constitution, a short doc., we can’t possibly assume they can comprehend a complex and even more beautiful one that is the Good Book.

      Report Post »  
    • davecorkery
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 12:53pm

      Whatever. We’re winning. You’re losing. Get over it.

      Romney in 2012.

      Report Post »  
  • barber2
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:44pm

    Poor dear. Hopefully, his sensitive constitution win’t also suffer from post traumatic stress. Am sure some John Edwards like ambulance chasing lawyer will be contacting him shortly. Gotta milk this Discrimination bit to the max with the Democrats in power. Big Brother Democrats hate God and religion. Oh, and rules, and laws, and conservatives , and bankers … but I digress….

    Report Post »  
  • Abraham Young
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:41pm

    Bruce P

    P for Propaganda

    Its not your fault Bruce – you are the victim of cultural change

    just a product of your environment, nothing more.

    There is nothing higher than you and you shouldn’t be reminded that there may be.

     
  • dcraw21b
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:41pm

    He’ll be on unemployment his whole life… after working for 2 to 3 weeks at a time, and leaving each time because someone offended him. And eventually no one willhire him because he will have sued everyone… what a sham. People just want free stuff. Look at this guy, hoping to get something from the city or state just because he was offended. Common sense people.

    Report Post » dcraw21b  
  • SkyDiamond
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:41pm

    I suppose we should all pray for Max Neilson to get over his ego and stop this nonsense.

    Report Post » SkyDiamond  
  • momrules
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:40pm

    I am long past sick of the whiney atheists in this country.

    What is it with the atheists using kids now in their war against God. Are we supposed to be more sympathetic to them because of their age?

    Report Post »  
    • jesusismygunner
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 2:44pm

      Heaven forbid that a young man reasoned his way into a belief that isn’t your own. So if a Muslim student wanted to read from the Koran, would you be banging your fist on the table or smiling because some religion is better than none?

      Report Post »  
  • phrogdriver
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:39pm

    I clicked on the website and when the screen came up, all I saw was the words “Former Student Sues School”.

    How did I imediately know that it would not be a conservative suing over a REAL liberty issue?

    Report Post » phrogdriver  
    • Bruce P.
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 1:16am

      Judging from the so-called conservatives here, none of them believe in the exercising of our freedoms. Any time someone tries, the so-called conservatives here malign them or say such people should be subjected to violence. No different than progressives.

      Report Post » Bruce P.  
    • Git-R-Done
      Posted on June 2, 2012 at 10:21pm

      Bruce – That’s b/c you atheists act like you’re the only one who has freedom and nobody else has it. We‘re not going to be quiet just so that you don’t get mad.

      Report Post »  
  • Abraham Young
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:39pm

    This just in:

    George Washington taken to court for exposing the troops to indications of religious sentiment.

    Report Post »  
  • Bruce P.
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:37pm

    Would you not protest if it were a Muslim or Buddhist prayer?

    Report Post » Bruce P.  
    • Abraham Young
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:43pm

      That depends on your philosophy. Does your philosophy trump our right to religion?

      You collectivists are all the same. You think you own the public space and can dictate what goes on there, after robbing the individuals who provided you that space.

      You thought processes are backwards, unintelligent, and irrational, and a product of your enculturation which you unquestioningly swallowed and now are spewing on Joe Public.

      Report Post »  
    • Bruce P.
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 1:19am

      First, I am not a collectivist. You show a profound ignorance for assuming so.

      Report Post » Bruce P.  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 7:45am

      Atheists remind me of the borg collective.

      Report Post »  
  • Abraham Young
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:35pm

    Who are these boys’ parents? And why didn’t they teach him right from wrong? Why did he not learn tolerance for the views of others? I am SOO grateful I am not caught in the web of deceit lies trickery and propaganda and indoctrination that is now in our schools.

    CHRISTIANS – teach your children well. Take them out of the land of the Philistines and teach them yourselves.

    Report Post »  
  • Eaglesnest
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:35pm

    So, using his logic, if we ever feel uncomfortable, we should file a lawsuit?

    Why not just endure the prayer, if it bothers you that much, just tune it out.

    What have we become? I found an old bible that was given to my great grandmother when she was 7 years old, in a public school in PA, signed by her teacher in 1898, as a prize for winning a spelling bee. Can you imagine something like that happeneing now?

    Report Post » Eaglesnest  
    • lrb14
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:44pm

      Yes, I filed a lawsuit against my neighbor because his dog made me feel uncomfortable. Then, I was offended by my neighbors car because it was nicer than my car. My feelings were hurt so I plan to file a lawsuit against him. I am a victim of the self esteem movement, and I consider myself to be the center of the universe. Therefore, anytime someone does or says something that I dont agree with I believe I‘m entitled to be offended because they didn’t take my feelings into consideration. ..This kid is a joke-I honestly feel sorry for this kid.

      Report Post »  
  • FedUpAlready
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:34pm

    “The district didn’t feel like it needed to find time for me and my non-religious or non-Christian friends.”
    God, Love you kid, but, if you can’t find time, to respect your fellow students, and, their religious beliefs, then there is absolutely no reason to respect you and your beliefs. You, atheists won’t give an inch will you? Why must you spread, dark and gloom over all of God’s creatures? I feel sorry for you that you don’t see the beauty, in all things created by God, including yourself.

    Report Post » FedUpAlready  
  • rbcintexas
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:34pm

    Somebody needs to shoot him a couple of times and let him lay there bleeding out and see what he does. I can guarantee you that he will pray to God to save his sorry butt.

    Report Post » rbcintexas  
  • moussiagilda
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:29pm

    Speaking of unwanted exposure…no, I love exposing myself.

     
  • lrb14
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:27pm

    I’m going to file a lawsuit for unwanted exposure to this idiot. How about this? This guy is infringing on my right to religious expression

    Report Post »  
    • tzion
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 11:50pm

      He’s infringing on my (non-existent) right to be protected from learning of acts of blatant stupidity. I want my compensation. I‘m an entitled little brat who throws a tantrum if people don’t do what I say. The world revolves around me. ME. It’s all about ME.

      Report Post »  
    • TheSweaterVest
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 2:54am

      That is actually completely incorrect. You are completely allowed to pray as much as you want. All of the kids could have prayed throughout the entire ceremony if they wanted. the issue was the government endorsing the prayer.

      Report Post » TheSweaterVest  
    • tzion
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 7:45am

      @sweatervest
      How does the government endorse a prayer that the student, an individual who in no way was acting on behalf of the government, offered a prayer that he or she wrote for his or her personal speech? I don’t see Congress voting to endorse the prayer the student gave, do you? The school even let the graduates decide if there would be a prayer at all. As long as the person giving the prayer was willing there’s nothing wrong.

      Report Post »  
    • TheSweaterVest
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 9:41am

      The fact that the school authorized it (immediately after the vote), means that it was official. in speaking for the school, he was speaking for the government, giving an official prayer in a public school. This is something that has been consistently held up in court. Any amount of research you put in the subject will educate you greatly.

      Report Post » TheSweaterVest  
    • tzion
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 10:10am

      @sweatervest
      The school doesn’t have the authority NOT to authorize it, nor would they have the authority to determine what the prayer would be, what religion it would invoke, they wouldn’t even have the authority to assure that the wishes of the students expressed in the vote was carried out.

      In other words, the vote was irrelevant beyond the fact that it allowed the student who would be speaking to be aware of the feelings of his fellow students. Every other student could vote against the prayer and the student speaking could still offer one regardless because it’s his right to express himself however he wishes (though it might be seen as disrespectful and tactless). As long as this atheist wasn’t being required to offer the prayer himself, which he wasn’t, and the student who was offering it was willing to do so, which he apparently was, then nothing can be said against this.

      Report Post »  
  • Bruce P.
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:26pm

    A Christian prayer, endorsed by the school, is a clear violation of the Constitution, whether or not the students put it to a vote. We do not live in a tyranny of the majority where the Constitution may be rendered invalid by a simple vote.

    Report Post » Bruce P.  
    • Eaglesnest
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:31pm

      No, having a prayer read at a HS graduation is not tantamount to an endorsement and it certainly is not the establishment of a religion. You people are stretching the constitution to mean something that it was not supposed to. If anything, it allows for the freedom to have a the prayer, more than it does to not have it.

      Report Post » Eaglesnest  
    • lukerw
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:33pm

      MINORITIES do not RULE… We Tolerate them and do not Persecute them!

      Report Post » lukerw  
    • Bruce P.
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:34pm

      The simple fact of the school allowing a prayer is an endorsement.

      Report Post » Bruce P.  
    • Abraham Young
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:36pm

      BRUCE P you are a liar.

      And you know where liars go don’t you?

      Remember you will be held accountable in the day of judgment for every idle word spoken.

      Report Post »  
    • Bryan B
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:48pm

      Your wrong

      Under the ruling, U. S. Supreme Court in Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens, 496 U. S. 226 (1990)

      As long as it is a student group and it’s voluntary. Theres no violation of the law.

      Report Post » Bryan B  
    • tzion
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 12:24am

      @Bruce P.
      If the school were to forbid the prayer THAT would violate the 1st Amendment’s free exercise clause and would also violate the freedom of expression clause. An endorsement would be requiring the prayer to be said even if the student saying it didn’t want to or requiring the prayer to be of a certain religion or sect. The Constitution says that the school must keep its hands off entirely. The prayer is entirely legal.

      Report Post »  
    • Bruce P.
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 1:25am

      BRYAN and TZION — you are both right, IF it is voluntary and the school takes a hands off approach. And I would completely support student groups voluntarily engaging in prayer. Nothing wrong with that.

      However, the school is in the wrong here. By putting it up for a vote and making it an official part of the ceremony, the school got involved, thus crossing the line.

      Report Post » Bruce P.  
    • tzion
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 9:56am

      @bruce
      The school didn’t get involved. They just came out and said explicitly that they weren’t going to get involved. And besides, you still said that even allowing the prayer was an endorsement. You claim that they made it an official part of the ceremony but how can you be sure that it wasn‘t just part of one student’s speech that he or she would have given regardless. Perhaps the school allowed the students to plan that part of ceremony independently. You are jumping to conclusions that you want to find. Based solely on the information given I see no violations. If you want to prove this is wrong you’ll have to provide information that backs that view.

      Report Post »  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:25pm

    .
    Someone needs to shove that kid back in a gym locker and forget……….

    Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
    • Bruce P.
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:29pm

      Ah yes, you disagree with him, so he deserves to have violence inflicted upon him…

      Report Post » Bruce P.  
    • mbriz
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:33pm

      That would Blaze, Christian way.

      Report Post » mbriz  
    • Git-R-Done
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 1:13am

      Bruce – You atheists have no problem with taking away our religious freedom, so you reap what you sow.

      Report Post »  
    • Bruce P.
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 1:22am

      No one is taking away religious freedoms. You are as free as you ever were to pray, to preach, to worship as you see fit. You are not free to use government to subject others to your face.

      The fact you believe those that disagree with you should face violence shows just were you stand on “religious freedoms.”

      Report Post » Bruce P.  
    • Git-R-Done
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 1:50am

      Bruce – That’s b/c you atheists support taking away religious freedoms. So don’t whine about getting a dose of your own medicine.

      Report Post »  
    • TheSweaterVest
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 3:02am

      @GIT-R-DONE, the separation of church and state is protecting your freedom of religion. How would you feel is the graduation ceremony had a slamic prayer, or a animal sacrifice…. the only way to ensure that everyone has freedom of religion is to make sure the government dosent endorse any religion… everyone could pray if they want to, it just has to be the individuals praying, not the government’s agent (the school) doing the prayer.

      Report Post » TheSweaterVest  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 6:48am

      Bruce P.

      Violence? No. But shunning would work. If you are getting a lawyer & going to court by definition you are putting other people thru a lot of expense & sturm & drang.

      Report Post »  
    • golfer8805
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 8:31am

      Git-r-done literally has only 2 or 3 comments and repeats them over and over again.

      Git-r-done – “you want to take religious freedom away!!!”

      Atheist – “no, we just don’t want the government to pick favorites in terms of religious beliefs”

      Git-r-done – “you want to take religious freedom away!!!”

      WORK ON YOUR DEBATING SKILLS……..PLEASE.

      Report Post »  
    • jesusismygunner
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 2:46pm

      Spoken like a true Christian bully. Bravo trash bag.

      Report Post »  
    • Git-R-Done
      Posted on June 2, 2012 at 10:20pm

      Golfer – They’re not picking favorites, idiot. And if they’re not allowed to speak, then they’re giving you atheists a favor over the others by your standards. Excuse me if religious people have a right to speak and don’t care if you get offended or not.

      Report Post »  
    • Git-R-Done
      Posted on June 2, 2012 at 11:14pm

      Thesweatervest – It was the students themselves saying the prayer, not anybody else. So you’re not protecting me at all. In fact, people like you are trying to suppress my religious freedom.

      Report Post »  
  • Psychosis
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:23pm

    there is no protection for preventing you from hearing something or being offended

    get over it you little twit

    also for the ignorant THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

    though

    there is separation of church F R O M state ( for the idiots out there, the word “ F R O M ” means something , and it is not the same as the word “ of ” )

    Report Post » Psychosis  
    • Bruce P.
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:31pm

      The past century of jurisprudence says otherwise.

      Report Post » Bruce P.  
    • Abraham Young
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:37pm

      Well, that would be juris-im-prudence in your Case Bruce P.

      Report Post »  
    • Al J Zira
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 1:17am

      @BruceP: Because a bunch of liberal judges in liberal cities and town rules in favor of separation of church and state doesn’t make it jurisprudence. It means these idiot judges have either mistakenly or purposely distorted what is actually written in the Constitution. Probably the latter, you know how voters are?

      Report Post » Al J Zira  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 6:46am

      Bruce P.
      The past century of jurisprudence says otherwise.

      That is like saying I got my experts or judges than you do. Hitler pulled that crap on Einstein. The Supreme Court in the past upheld slavery. You are telling me that Supreme Court justices are always better than everyone else. So many people take basic philosophy in college or study it on their own. A judge (Blackmun?) around 1950 coined the term separation of church & state & he was in error. the mere fact that he was a Supreme court judge & it was a ling time ago (60 years) does not make that error any less of an error.

      Report Post »  
  • deimos
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:19pm

    get over yourself you dou*hebag

    Report Post » deimos  
  • Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:18pm

    Good grief, what a whiney, sissy, touchy feely generation we raised. Maybe if he wasn’t filled with evil, he could handle a prayer.

    Report Post » Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra  
    • KingDork
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:24pm

      there is so many levels of shame this kid should be feeling… I am reading this article and man this kid has major major issues. His generation just are such pansies.

      Report Post » KingDork  
    • Bruce P.
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:28pm

      Standing up for your rights, and violations of the Constitution, is not “whining.”

      For all the right’s talk of liberty, they hate to see the free exercise of it.

      Report Post » Bruce P.  
    • mbriz
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:29pm

      Says your prayer to yourselves, and don’t force it on others.

      Report Post » mbriz  
    • Bruce P.
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:33pm

      The Blaze, circa 1776…

      There are so many levels of shame these colonists should be feeling…I am reading this article and man, this George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin and Thomas Paine have major, major issues. Their generation just are such pansies.

      Report Post » Bruce P.  
    • Bruce P.
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:36pm

      Say your prayers in a house of worship, or on a street-corner, or anywhere. Do not do it in state-sanctioned venues, to the exclusion of other beliefs.

      Report Post » Bruce P.  
    • Abraham Young
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:38pm

      Bruce P
      your claims of knowing the Constitution have been greatly exaggerated.

      Report Post »  
    • lrb14
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 10:40pm

      @Bruce P. The constitution forbids the establishment of a national, government sponsored church. It clearly allows for religious expression, including at public ceremonies. Your progressive interpretation is inaccurate and perverse, and I suspect that at some point there will be a backlast against those who have chosen to blatantly disregard the 1st Amendment. By the way, I’m not even that religious of a person. What angers me is how progressive deliberately twist words, hide behind thinly veiled euphemisms, and use what Thomas Sowell calls “verbal virtuosity” to hide behind an agenda of diminishing traditional institutions.

      Report Post »  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 6:41am

      Bruce P

      Graduation ceremonies are by their nature religious. The very word ceremony is derived from the name of a god.

      If atheists devolve Institutions & traditions much further, then the graduation ceremony will devolve to a picture of a graduate in a cap & gown in front of a school saying “ I got my stuff”. Oh & there might be a reading of names.

      The importance of a ceremony is to impress the importance & solemnity of events on the people gathered. But why used the word solemnity. I feel like I am talking to a wall. By the time atheists are done rearranging society, people can return to their CUBBYHOLE like a ‘borg’ does after work & plug into the net until it is next needed.

      Report Post »  
    • fixer
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 11:10am

      hey Bruce P…before you start lecturing everybody on the Constitution,why don’t you tell all your commie buddies to quit using the Constitution as toilet paper. They haven’t adhered to the Constitution since they got in there. STFU and move to Cuba with the rest of your commie buddies.

      Report Post »  
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