Local lawmakers lead push for prayer in schools bill

Yep, here we go again. And this time, it's southern Democrats that are pushing for this bill:

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) -- A bill to put prayer in schools introduced in February is getting a renewed push from several local lawmakers.

The bill would require schools to give students a moment of silence at the beginning of each school day.

Students who don't want to participate would be allowed to leave the classroom, the bill states.

The bill was introduced on Feb. 7 by Reps. Wendell Gilliard, Robert Williams, Joseph Jefferson, Carl Anderson, Liston Barfield, Bill Clyburn, Heather Ammons Crawford, Lonnie Hosey, Robert Ridgeway III, and Don Wells.

www.abcnews4.com...

Your tax payer money at work here folks, wasting time and resources on forcing religion in school. But hey! If you don't like it, your kid can get up in front of all the other kids and leave the class! So very kind of these representatives to consider those who did not wish to participate

What's wrong with church these days? Not enough attendees I take it? I can see why the religious right are taking more steps in forcing Christianity down the throats of others. I mean with church attendance reaching all time lows and the belief system changing (away from established religion) in this country, the religious nuts are getting desperate. So they'll parade their bibles and prayers in schools and what not and cry wolf about these imaginary attacks on their rights to belief in order to bring attention again to themselves. Astounding. Only in america can these nuts get away with pushing this nonsense.

What's so wrong with praying before you get to school? Are kids these days so strapped for time before making it to school they can't take a minute or two out of their morning to say a prayer? Why does it have to be in school? You are probably right OP, this is really just a way for religious people to parade their faith in front of non-believers. Again.

Actually, it's calling for a 'moment of silence' but that's obviously wanting the little darlins' to pray to the god of choice according to the bill-writer's conscience.

I say let them have it. Half the kids will gleefully 'walk out' on the moment of silence (how far exactly will they get before the moment is over?) and the other half will soon realize that praying instead of studying won't make a damn bit of difference on the upcoming test.

Consider it a test kitchen for prayer versus results. Maybe it will actually end up being instructional, and God Knows (heh) that South Carolina needs all the reality-based education it can get.

And what's wrong with letting kids who want to pray in school?

reply to post by Southern Guardian


A moment of silence is such a big deal? You can give thanks to the furry cheese ball if you want or just meditate or just think about the hot girl in the seat in front of you.

This isn't a big deal and it isn't a 'prayer' it is a moment of silence.

Get something real to worry about.

reply to post by Southern Guardian


3 out of the 10 are republicans.

yet you accuse the "religious right"?

And the way our society is going, prayer might be a good thing.

Lord knows the government won't help!

ketsuko
And what's wrong with letting kids who want to pray in school?

There's nothing wrong with letting kids pray in school during lunch time or break time or just before and after school, nothing wrong with it. However forcing religion as part of the school curriculum is wrong, it's against the constitution and that is not the purpose of public schools. What's wrong with sending your kid to a christian school if you wish to involve your religion in their teachings? Why can't you do that? Nope, you have to force your religion down the throats of the kids of others. I'm sorry but that is total BS.

reply to post by Southern Guardian


Here is the proposed bill. As of right now, it is still in committee in the South Carolina House.

I do not have a problem with schools providing time for students to reflect/bow their heads/say a prayer/etc. I do however do not like the language of the bill presented.

"Section 59-1-443. All schools shall provide for a minute of mandatory silence at the beginning of each school day, during which time the teacher may deliver a prayer, provided the school allows a student to leave the classroom if the student does not want to listen to or participate in the prayer."

A few words in there that are always, regardless of what angle it comes from, bad news. "Mandatory" is not freedom. If I had my voice in the House, I would strike out this entirely, "...during which time the teacher may deliver a prayer..."

That all said -- I am not in South Carolina and it is up to the People of that great state to determine if they so want this; not the internet and crying folk from elsewhere in my opinion.

beezzer
reply to post by Southern Guardian

 

3 out of the 10 are republicans.

yet you accuse the "religious right"?

And the way our society is going, prayer might be a good thing.

Lord knows the government won't help!

Wow Beezzer, I figured you were smarter than this. You do know that there are conservative Democratic congressman and senators? Are you that partisan to just assume it's black and white? Why don't you open your mind alittle.

signalfire
Actually, it's calling for a 'moment of silence' but that's obviously wanting the little darlins' to pray to the god of choice according to the bill-writer's conscience.

While yes it is calling for a moment of silence, it also has language (see my previous post) in which a prayer is led by the teacher.

We continue to fall farther and farther behind in education and
these yahoos want waste time and money on this, yeah this is
exactly whats wrong with our country. Why fix the problem
when you can just wish it away with prayer... lazy lazy lazy.

reply to post by ownbestenemy


I think you're right. I think that'll last one round through High Federal Court and never even need to see the Super Court.

It strikes me as just fine too, as a moment of silence or reflection or framed almost any way they want. I wouldn't even mind it being made clear students are welcome to pray to themselves, as long as not audible to others to disturb their moment of reflection.

I think it does a Constitutional faceplant the moment prayer is put in the law specifically and violates law outright when a teacher is involved in prayer. Captive audience.....and the burden should never be on the student to escape the 'offense', addressed in the Constitution.

This won't end well for them, I'm thinking.

bloodreviara
We continue to fall farther and farther behind in education and
these yahoos want waste time and money on this, yeah this is
exactly whats wrong with our country. Why fix the problem
when you can just wish it away with prayer... lazy lazy lazy.

What money is wasted, I do pray, -- yes it is a bad pun -- ask? What time is wasted of one minute; in which my guess is children are already setting aside time to reflect on their own, regardless if it is State mandated.

Southern Guardian

beezzer
reply to post by Southern Guardian

 

3 out of the 10 are republicans.

yet you accuse the "religious right"?

And the way our society is going, prayer might be a good thing.

Lord knows the government won't help!

Wow Beezzer, I figured you were smarter than this. You do know that there are conservative Democratic congressman and senators? Are you that partisan to just assume it's black and white? Why don't you open your mind alittle.

You blame southern democrats, then the religious right.

And you accuse ME of being partisan.

LOLZ

Southern Guardian

ketsuko
And what's wrong with letting kids who want to pray in school?

There's nothing wrong with letting kids pray in school during lunch time or break time or just before and after school, nothing wrong with it. However forcing religion as part of the school curriculum is wrong, it's against the constitution and that is not the purpose of public schools. What's wrong with sending your kid to a christian school if you wish to involve your religion in their teachings? Why can't you do that? Nope, you have to force your religion down the throats of the kids of others. I'm sorry but that is total BS.

But it's not forcing religion, it's a moment of silence. That's not forcing religion because no one is telling anyone what to do or think or say during it. Are atheists no fundamentally opposed to any and all "moments of silence" now? Does that mean that if you are somewhere, anywhere and they ask people to observe a moment of silence for any reason, you loudly talk right through it to show your opposition to it?

What my 1st grade teacher did in making us all say the Pledge of Allegiance and then The Lord's Prayer is more the tree you want to bark up I think.

reply to post by ownbestenemy

I do not have a problem with schools providing time for students to reflect/bow their heads/say a prayer

There's plenty of time for kids to do their religious prayers outside of the school time. Heck, even during school time they can pray in lunch, during breaks, even just before and after school. Heck, there's the weekend. There is ample time for kids and their parents to, what you say, bow their heads, pray to allah, whatever. How about we allow more time for muslim students to do their 5 prayers a day during school time? Let's push the envelope further shall we? But you sure as hell won't see anybody on the right support something like that. Get off it please.

Southern Guardian

beezzer
reply to post by Southern Guardian

 

3 out of the 10 are republicans.

yet you accuse the "religious right"?

And the way our society is going, prayer might be a good thing.

Lord knows the government won't help!

Wow Beezzer, I figured you were smarter than this. You do know that there are conservative Democratic congressman and senators? Are you that partisan to just assume it's black and white? Why don't you open your mind alittle.

Not in the South, remember? You guys tell us all the time that they long ago switched to the Republican party ...

Boy, church attendance must be low for you fellas that you now have to try and take up school time. Doing gods work right? Right.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


The question remains though. Why is a moment of silence even necessary? It's not like someone just died and we want to reflect on that person. What does an atheist need to reflect on in the morning at the start of class? His homework that he didn't do the night before and is desperately trying to finish before the start of class? To me this just looks like a waste of time to placate the religious people who could have easily spent the minute or two saying a prayer while at home, on the bus/car ride to school, or before class. Why do we need to waste actual class time with this nonsense?

reply to post by Southern Guardian


Why not? They already let them stay out of the lunch room when they are fasting for Ramadan.