Talk:US/education/primary/public/prayer/2006

Midian says

While the first amendment specifically prevents Congress from making a law respecting an establishment of religion, it does not prevent govermental bodies from engaging in prayer. This is neither making a law, nor establishing a religion, only practicing the "free exercise thereof," also included in the first amendment.

The free exercise means anyone at anytime has the right to practice their religion, either publicly or privately, up unto the point where it infringes on someone else's rights.

No one has the right to not be offended, despite our current PC culture.

Freedom of religion does not mean freedom from religion. Midian 13:03, 2 August 2006 (EDT)

response from Woozle

I think I've outlined the overall issues pretty thoroughly in separation of church and state (just now, I mean; I've added some chunks since you posted the above, Midian).

I look at it in two ways:

• legally/objectively:
  • A teacher is both the voice of the state (which is constrained by the establishment clause) and a private citizen (who has the rights of free exercise and free speech). Which one applies?
  • I'm not going to argue that students should be prohibited from private prayer; that seems like a clear case of free speech being stifled by Political Correctness.
  • Should students be allowed to use government property to assemble for religious purposes? This one is more tangled, but there is room for solutions (don't have time to expound right now).
• personally/subjectively: will have to write this later; I have to be somewhere in a few minutes...