For all the court's attempts to keep schools and government neutral on the issue of religion, there is nothing neutral about this ruling. Even as I revel in the decision's consistency with our country's unflagging commitment to secular government, I know that it is a slap in the face to the culture of Texas and places like it. To fervently religious Texans, prayer is a group activity that reaches out to everyone and everything around them. They believe that all of their work and leisure is supposed to belong to God. To separate religion from shared daily life is to compromise that religious conviction.
Worship is as public as it is private.
Prayer is as constant as conversation. It is the backbone of social life. No, it wasn't. But neither were the games, when you think about it. That was part of living in Texas.