(1987) Sat 22 Mar 97 15:03 By: Rod Swift To: All Re: School prayer St: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ @EID:b1b0 22767860 @MSGID: 3:690/660.0 3333843c * On 13-03-97 at 00:42, KEN YOUNG wrote to JASON HARMON, on the topic of "Re: J.J. needs to be Hitt" in echo Holysmoke: KY> KY> Oh, silly me.. And here, all this time, I thought it was when they KY> KY> took prayer out of the schools. KY> JH> When did they take prayer out of schools? Why, just today I passed KY> JH> someone praying in the hallway. Or by "taking prayer out of the KY> JH> schools" do you mean "stopped FORCING prayer in the schools"? KY> No, I mean ORGANIZED prayer. Organised prayer has not been removed from public schools. Students and staff at schools are still quite able to organise and lead prayer with other staff and students on school campuses. They are not, however, allowed to force others to participate in prayer, or make prayer part of compulsory activities within the classroom environment. And, believe it or not, the latest court decision on the issue came from Alabama, where a woman and her children were being victimised due to their faith. You see, they were Christian. A large majority of the school was also Christian. Prayers were read over the public address system at the school. The woman complained, so *students* started reading the prayers over the public address system. Her students were given the option of leaving the classroom during these enforced prayers. Her children did, but this caused their ostracism. They were bullied, physically assaulted, called "satanists" etc, etc. She sued, and won. The woman believed her children's religious rights are being violated because her faith and her children's faith do not allow public prayer, as commanded in the bible at Matthew 6:5-15. The court recently ruled on a SIMILAR case, the AA story is attached. ___----------------------------------------------------------------------- JUDGE FINDS ALABAMA PRAYER LAW UNCONSTITUTIONAL The Ruling Will Fueled An Already-Heated Controversy, And Possible Make Judge Ira DeMent A Target As A "Judicial Activist" * A federal judge ruled yesterday that a controversial school prayer law in Alabama fostered "excessive entanglement: between government and religion, and was thus unconstitutional. Judge Ira DeMent ruled that the 1993 measure which required all school events to permit "nonsectarian, non-proselytizing student-initiated, voluntary prayer" fostered a situation where some students had "no choice but to listen to the prayers of their peers." DeMent also found that the Alabama prayer law does not provide any forum who students who wish to "verbally object to prayer." According to the Los Angeles Times, CNN and other media sources, Governor Fob James said through a spokesman that he was still taking the position that the First Amendment allows everyone to pray "whenever and wherever" they wish, including public school classes and government venues. The Times observed that James "would not tell the people of Alabama to obey the ruling." The school prayer law was challenged by Michael Chandler, assistant principal at Valley Head Middle School in Talladega County, and a student's mother. Both contended that the ritual forced teachers to permit students to pray out loud during class time and give readings from the Bible; students who did not wish to participate were given the "option" of standing outside the room. Chandler noted that the orchestrated prayer even took place in the school lunch rooms which his 8-th grade son attends, and involved up to 175 students. Following yesterday's decision, Chandler told reporters: "I will be curious to see if the ruling is obeyed." Judge DeMent, a former U.S. Attorney and Republican appointee to the federal bench, cited Alabama's long history of futile attempts to mingle prayer ritual and government. He noted that the state's 1981 "moment of silence" law was ruled unconstitutional, as was similar legislation enacted the following year that specifically conjured "that the Lord God is one." According to the Huntsville (Alabama) Times, the 1982 law included a "suggested prayer" written by one of the governor's sons. DeMent did, however, list various forms of student religious expression which were permissible. They included wearing religious symbols on clothing, group prayers outside of classes, and homework essays or activities that might reflect a particular religious belief. The decision also singled out the displaying of insignias and icons, "even replicas of the Ten Commandments." ___----------------------------------------------------------------------- * OLX 2.1 TD * Jesus saves? Not on my salary he doesn't. --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: The Perth Omen (3:690/660) SEEN-BY: 12/12 24/888 102/2 943 106/2000 109/7 112/101 114/262 271 124/1 SEEN-BY: 124/1208 2342 5125 8001 9000 9005 130/1 1008 133/2 140/3 143/1 SEEN-BY: 147/34 2021 167/166 170/400 202/777 1207 213/213 218/890 907 SEEN-BY: 270/101 275/429 280/1 169 282/1 62 283/120 284/29 290/14 300/603 SEEN-BY: 310/666 322/739 323/107 324/278 343/600 346/250 352/3 356/18 369/32 SEEN-BY: 371/42 377/86 380/64 381/900 382/92 388/1 396/1 2 690/660 730/2 SEEN-BY: 732/10 2401/0 2442/0 3603/420 3606/10 3612/41 3615/50 3619/25 SEEN-BY: 3632/21 3651/9 3652/1 3667/1 @PATH: 690/660 396/1 124/1 9005