UCLA Prohibits Student from Saying 'Jesus' in Graduation Speech

Where did I mention Christian? I didn't.

But YOU did. So basically you are making this personal - because it is your faith.

Please - show me where I said I do not believe in a God.

reply to post by Annee

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I'm not following you on your justification of religion being left in the home or place of worship. Colleges are supposed to be places where people can exchange ideas in a free and open environment, because last time I checked this is not Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia.

Citizens here can and should be able to say what they wish and of all places at the university. If the person wants to thank Christ at their commencement that shouldn't be hindered by university bureaucrats at anytime. So now universities are in the censorship business?

Schools in the past have withheld diplomas/degrees for people's doing that such thing. Jesus is worth more than a scrap of paper, of course, but still don't fail to expect retributions from the atheist crowd.

reply to post by Annee

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There is no draw to it, this is America, she has her right to freedom of religion its as simple as that. That also means people have the right to be offended.

If they don't like what she has to say or who to thank then somebody should have worked harder to where she couldn't make her speech.

There are no compromises on rights, rights are rights.

You don't have to say it because if you did then you would not find it offensive.

Let's get it out in the open then. Do you believe in God?

BTW, way to only address one small portion of my response. I will repeat the rest again:

Why should anyone in the audience be offended by hearing someone say the word God? Will your ears bleed? Will your head explode? Why should anyone care who she thanks? Will it change your beliefs?

If not, then people should just mind their own business and stop trying to implement their secular beliefs on everyone else in the audience.

Its a state law.

I believe many schools have religious study curriculums - - for those students who CHOOSE to debate beliefs.

GAWD - - nothing annoys me more when poster start throwing around Communism/Nazis - - blah blah blah. Too easy.

I believe in a Creator and gods.

Next.

All Christian alumni and university financial supporters should cut-off support to this university until they make a public apology. Their request is just plain ridiculous and they have no right robbing that graduate of one of the most important days in their life. If they want to thank Jesus, let them. This makes me want to throw up! Welcome to the brave new world we live in and it continues to get worse each passing day.

I don't get it... Christians are the war party, you'd think the government would force the schools to bend over backwards for them. I'm not Christian but I wouldn't care if someone said Jesus in a speech. It's not like they were trying to beat me with the bible.

There is no state law which states that students cannot mention God at college graduation.
Please enlighten us on this supposed law.

What worries me is that the more people who think like this prof or Annee will do nothing but erode our rights.
"Lets roll over and not offend"
One of the truely great things about this country is the constitution. (Thanks Magna Carta)
But the way society is going these days we could see people being arrested for wearing ashes on their foreheads, or palm leaves pinned on their shirts.
And yes, I'm using christian references because that seems the only religion that is being told to shut up.

Why do you keep ignoring my post by only picking out one sentence which you believe will help you make your lame point.

I will post it again:

Why should anyone in the audience be offended by hearing someone say the word God? Will your ears bleed? Will your head explode? Why should anyone care who she thanks? Will it change your beliefs?

If not, then people should just mind their own business and stop trying to implement their secular beliefs on everyone else in the audience.

[edit on 6/5/2009 by WhatTheory]

Hey well being 62 - - I can tell you in our country there was major Christian dominance in many areas.

Laws have been enacted not to stop Christians - - but to allow space for all other beliefs.

Its that simple. We are NOT a Christian nation.

Since when? Last time I looked, our country was founded on judeo-christian beliefs. In the preamble (please correct me if I'm wrong) it says we are endowed by our creator. . .
Not by allah, budda, zen, lucifer, whatever. . .

reply to post by Annee

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I'm just saying... I think everyone should have freedom, not just me. If they want to say God it's not hurting me. If her whole speech was about how I should believe in her God that would piss me off unless I had equal time to tell everyone about my God.
That's all.

I'm not going to get into that - there are plenty of threads on that. Most of our founding fathers were Diests - Atheists - and Agnostics. Yes there were a few Christians too. PLEASE - go find the right thread for that discussion.

OK - Done - said all I have to say.

Carry on.

I smell some money for ACLU lawyers here... I think some group should take this on. I am practically Atheist myself, and dislike organized religion especially, but it's not like she wanted to quote some Leviticus on who should be put to death. All she wanted to do was thank her god, which I couldn't care less about, that's her business.

Free speech goes both ways, as an Atheist I want my right to be critical of religion, and I accept religious peoples right to be critical of my views, as long as no-one is advocating some violence in this aims.

Perhaps if I were graduating, I might take the oppurtunity to thank "sky-daddy" or the "flying spaghetti monster, as a gesture of my own, and would be unhappy if that was restricted. Of course at a graduation it's no time for a long winded political speech, but if people want to make some short statement, I say let them at it.

reply to post by Annee

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I'm curious.

How does hearing the word Jesus deny your rights or cause you harm?

It seems to me since it would not that this is kind of like arguing for the sake of arguing?

Our ages are similar which means you actually took Civics and likely know what the Constitution says. You must also be aware to use the Constitution as a tool to stop someones Free Speech in this regard, you have to lie about what it says.

What this is, is the suppression of Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Speech. In other words it is a small group of intolerant people forcing their beliefs and rules on everyone else.

If you can prove to me that simply hearing the word Jesus spoken in a graduation speech can cause you harm in any way, I will reconsider.

If this goes to the Supreme Court, the school will loose. It has been tried many times. The tiny vocal minority of people who falsely claim that others speech should be controlled because hearing certain words harms them just will not give up. I think because it is a hatred very much akin to Racism and is most definitely a form of Bigotry. With some, they are just control freaks.

Why is there some push to not offend anyone these days? People have become too sensitive and there is to much PC. There is no such thing as universal approval, nor can you make everyone happy, so why waste time trying to please everyone? I think people who get offended by small things like this are weak minded idiots. She wanted to thank Jesus, oh cry me a river. I think people need to get over themselves. Again, if I were this girl i would have said it anyway and would have told added that if anyone who is offended by that, I'd tell them where to stick it. I do tend to make a lot of people mad on a day to day basis, but I don't care, no one is going to do anything about it except cry and moan about it.