markwusinich's Journal: Speaks for itself (or does it)

I received an e-mail this morning from a dear friend of mine with the following text. At the end it asks that if you do not agree with the contents to delete it. I believe that my friend would rather discuss it than have me shut up, so I dedicate this space for discussion.

This speaks for itself.

Samuel Thompson wrote:

I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for
singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December.

I don't agree with Darwin, but I didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my
high school teacher taught his theory of evolution.
Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because
someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game. So what's the big
deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire book of Acts.
They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety
to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game.
"But it's a Christian prayer," some will argue. Yes, and this is the United
States of America, a country founded on Christian principles.

And we are in the Bible Belt. According to our very own phone book,
Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So what would
you expect-somebody chanting Hare Krishna? If I went to a football game in
Jerusalem, I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer. If I went to a soccer
game in Baghdad, I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer. If I went to a
ping pong match in China, I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha.
And I wouldn't be offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit. When in Rome...

"But what about the atheists?" is another argument. What about them?

Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass the
collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds. If that's asking too much,
bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the
concession stand. Call your lawyer. Unfortunately, one or two will make
that call. One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do. I
don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's
foundations.

Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our
courts strip us of all our rights. Our parents and grandparents taught us
to pray before eating, to pray before we go to sleep. Our Bible tells us
just to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are
telling us to cease praying. God, help us. And if that last sentence
offends you, well..........just sue me. The silent majority has been silent
too long.. it's time we let that one or two who scream loud enough to be
heard, that the vast majority don't care what they want.. it is time the
majority rules!

It's time we tell them, you don't have to pray.. you don't have to say the
pledge of allegiance, you don't have to believe in God or attend services
that honor Him. That is your right, and we will honor your right.. but by
golly you are no longer going to take our rights away ..
we are fighting back.. and we WILL WIN! After all the God you have the
right to denounce is on our side!

God bless us one and all, especially those who denounce Him...

God bless America, despite all her faults.. still the greatest nation of all.....

God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right to pray and
worship God...

May 2003 be the year the silent majority is heard and we put God back as the
foundation of our families and institutions.

Keep looking up......
In God WE Trust

If you agree with this, please pass it on. If not, delete it!!

My reply

[markwusinich]

First let me agree with you that the current situation of excessive suing is doing more harm than good. My personal belief is, this is rooted not in a poorly designed legal system, but corrupt citizens who shrink away from their duty to serve on juries. One or two people skipping jury duty will not harm our way of life, but it no longer is one or two people. Here is a test, count how many people at your work place who recently served on a jury. Now count how many got out of jury duty. If more reasonable people served on juries then eventually you would be able to do all the things you ask in this text.

I see five parts to your argument.
#1. Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game.
What is wrong? Prayers at high school football games have been banned.

#2 Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. When in Rome...
Why it is wrong? There are more of us than there are of you. We get to do it our way.

#3 I don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's foundations.
What is the down side of us getting our way? It is not like the world is going to come to an end if we get to pray at a public high school football game.

#4. Our Bible tells us just to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying.
What is the down side of us not getting our way? The very foundation of our religion will disappear. If we can't pray at public high school football games, then that is the same as we must cease praying.

#5 (Y)ou are no longer going to take our rights away.
What should be done? We are going to be able to pray, if you like it or not!

To your first point: Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game. Prayer has not been eliminated at all high school games, only the public school ones. If you can't afford private or parochial schools and praying is this important to you before a football game, then apply for scholarship. If you go to a high school football game in my neighborhood, you have three choices: the free-government-subsidized choice, the Catholic school choice and the private school choice. Only one of them does not have a prayer before the game.

To your second point: Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. When in Rome... Just because we outnumber anyone does not mean we get to dictate to him or her our way of life. The limitations on your freedom exist in public school just as they do at most work places. How would you feel if you win and public schools could choose a prayer before every school day and every school event? How would you feel if when the final vote was taken it turns out that there are more Muslims in the school district than you realized of your cross-town rival? How comfortable would you be watching your child have to remove his helmet and bow in silence while a 30-second prayer was said in Arabic praising Allah?

To your third point: I don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's foundations. It seems obvious that you do not think much of the prayer you are fighting so hard for. I would guess that very few religious leaders would agree with this point. It was this point alone that caused me to reply to your text.

To your fourth point: Our Bible tells us just to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying. Now I feel like I am arguing with my eight-year old daughter. If she can't eat now, I am trying to starve her. There are ample opportunities to pray. In fact there is nothing stopping you from praying before the game, just don't ask everyone to stop what they are doing while you pray.

Finally to your fifth point: (Y)ou are no longer going to take our rights away No one is taking any rights away. You have the right to pray. You have the right to organized prayer. Just don't hold up the football game for it.

During the 30-second prayer

[stefanlasiewski]

Well, if the school is going to have the 30-second prayer in violation of the "Separation of church and state" principals, I encourage all athiests to stand up and yell to their hearts content during the prayer, just as they would during the rest of the football game.

After all, you could just argue that this is the Athiests prayer.

And it's not like you're forcing them to be unbaptised or anything.

Re:During the 30-second prayer

[markwusinich]

Your method of replying seems a little over the top. Rude even.

I guess I don't see the difference between disrupting the prayer during an event that should maintain separation and one that does not, like at a Catholic H.S. football game?

If this is your only other option, I would prefer that you sue.