From: kevin@nuchat.sccsi.com (Kevin Brown)
Subject: Re: HYPOCRISY of Prayer in Public Schools
Organization: I can't see any in the immediate vicinity...
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 15:56:04 GMT

In article <74162@hydra.gatech.EDU> rpitts@emperor.gatech.edu (Richard Pitts) writes:
>In article <ksand-061192225316@wintermute.apple.com> ksand@apple.com (Kent Sandvik ) writes:
>|In article <73890@hydra.gatech.EDU>, rpitts@emperor.gatech.edu (Richard
>|Pitts) wrote:
>|> Kent, I thought I made it clear - it is not a time for a
>|> pray session lead by some leader, although it can be, but it
>|> is a time of pray.  If one wants a leader within one's faith
>|> to lead those of that faith, then that's fine.  It is not
>|> promoted that we are forcing everyone to pray with one person
>|> or even in group pray, but individual prayer.
>|> 
>|> I think you are assuming it is group lead prayer - not I.
>|
>|So you would not mind if a Satanist cult priest attended the school
>|yard and asked interested parties to join in for an officially
>|sanctioned prayer, right? There's a reason I'm very sore about this,
>|I will soon put my son in pre-school, and I don't want anything like
>|this to happen...
>
>THE MOVEMENT IS FOR A TIME FOR VOLUNTARY PRAYER

That time already exists.  It's called "recess".

What is it that you *really* want???

>- you and others swing
>to mandated prayer by someone you don't approve of.  I well 
>understand your concern.  Teach your child how to stand in what he (you)
>believe - I'm going to do the same for my children.

I'd rather teach my children how to make up their own minds about what to
believe.

>However, as I've said before, I believe the movement wants to publically
>allow/recognized the IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER in our public institutions.

Objectively demonstrate the importance of prayer.

What?  You can't?  Well, then the government has no business allowing or
recognizing such a thing.  At best, it can recognize that some people
believe prayer to be important.

But, by allowing people to do whatever they wish with respect to such
things, the government is effectively *already* recognizing that some
people believe such things to be important.

Face it:  what your movement really wants is *official* recognition of
the validity of your beliefs about prayer (and probably about other
things as well).  And since your beliefs haven't been demonstrated to
be valid in objective, real-world terms, what your movement asks for is
therefore unreasonable.

>To my understanding, the move is for a time or prayer/meditation and not
>a mandated teacher or offically or clergy led prayer.  

And just *why* is recess not sufficient for this???

>Again, I think
>it would probably be better to have places for each faith to pray, so 
>that they could pray in groups if so desired. 

The state has no business encouraging or sanctioning religious
discrimination, which is what this would effectively be doing.  Kids
are divided enough about things as it is...

>Sincerely,
>Richard Pitts


-- 
Kevin Brown					kevin@nuchat.sccsi.com
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