I am a Christian, and believe wholeheartedly that spreading the news of Christ is one of the highest callings in the world, and I would like nothing better than to have everyone on earth share my faith. Not because I am going to condemn them to Hell if they do not, but simply because Christ brings a peace, truth, and love that cannot be imagined without accepting Him. That being said, this country has an explicit separation of church and state that I also wholeheartedly support. This means that, though I will offend some of my Bible-belt friends, that having school led prayer in public schools is unconstitutional, and whether you feel that times were better when this was overlooked, that does not change what the Constitution says. Now, allowing students to express their religious beliefs without being led by the school is perfectly fine, and this should NEVER BE HINDERED. However, allowing someone to simply write God to receive credit for an exam others studied for, allowing someone to stand up in a science class and interrupt others’ learning by preaching the Gospel, even assuming their intentions are pure, and worst of all, allowing others the opportunity to wield the Bible as a weapon to bully students whose only crime is being different to the bullying students perspectives is NOT a protection of the first amendment. It is a violation of other students’ right to an education and LAWFULLY lies out of the realm of simple free-speech because it falls into the category of libel and slander, defined as two primary categories of defamation consisting of “any intentional false communication, either written or spoken, that harms a persons reputation; decreases the respect, regard, or confidence in which a person is held; or induces disparaging, hostile, or disagreeable opinions or feelings against a person”. These categories are not under unlimited protection of the law and can be criminal in the same way as someone yelling “fire” or profane remarks in a public setting. All in all, Christ is my rock, but it is not my place or anyone else’s to try and force this faith onto anyone. Accepting this path is about an inner change of heart that cannot be achieved through persistent harassment or guilt from a third-party; it is between you and God. Whether or not you agree with the opinions of this post, please be civil enough to accept that the Constitution explicitly states in the first amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…”, and this bill, putting aside any political bias or caustic intention, would violate this establishment clause. Though the bill goes on to continue that Congress shall not prohibit the free exercise of such an establishment, an argument cannot be made that dismissing this bill prohibits any exercise: the law currently does not stop a student from praying or expressing any religious belief as long as that expression does not harm others’ rights to expression as well. That is simply my “two-cents” on the issue, and I hope you all have a wonderful day. (Furthermore, if you feel like calmly discussing this topic and sharing your viewpoints, feel free to message me rather than commenting below).
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 16:38:25 +0000
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