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Should Illinois change its Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act to make a moment of silence at the start of the school day a voluntary act, rather than a requirement?
Results so far:
| Yes | 60% | 58 votes | Total: 97 votes | |
| No | 40% | 39 votes |
Yes
by Alexander Bleddyn
Created on: February 20, 2009
There is absurd war on religious freedom being waged in the US by those who relish the idea of turning schools in Illinois into quaint little Christian madrasas. Illinois is at the center of this controversy due to our wonderful Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act, which was vetoed by then IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich, overridden by the IL General Assembly, struck down in federal court and then subsequently suspended in May of 2008; and the modern day Pharisees otherwise known as the Christian right are up in arms.
In a recently sponsored bill by Representative John Fritchey (D-Chicago), the law would be changed to make it voluntary, instead of mandatory, moment for "silent prayer or for silent reflection on the anticipated activities of the day." Religious zealots are not happy with this proposed change, and fail to see the hypocrisy that lie in their desire to have government mandate obligatory religous practice. These are the very people who feign outrage in regards to supposed government intrusion into their beliefs and daily lives; but when it affects non-fundamentalist Christians...it is more than acceptable. No other religious group, be it Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, etc., is making a fuss over the propposed change; and it is not like the law is forbidding reflective silence or silent prayer.
Our modern day Inquisitors and Puritans should understand that enforcing a mandatory moment of prayer or reflective silence is not going to end the problems plaguing our public schools; it is not going to end bullying, drugs, unruly students from misbehaving...nor will it prevent guns and other weapons from entering our schools. Our modern day witch-hunters seek to sneak religion into a sphere of society that will not benefit from its enforcement; and instead of blaming the ills of society on liberals, secularists, atheists and the producers of Will & Grace, they should spend their energies like the rest of us; on matters that truly are of consequence (like the economy).
If a teacher or student wishes to take a moment to step outside of a classroom to a designated area for a moment of silent reflection or prayer, more power to them. But the legislators and religious zealots pushing for mandatory reflection or prayer need to back off. Just as they would not like their children to be forced to observe a moment steeped in religion, they should not be so callous and disrespectful to force children who are not their own to do the same. As a taxpayer, there is a lot that I would like to see done in Illinois' public school system; but mandatory religion is not something I am keen on paying for or having my representative to vote on. If a parent wants his/her son or daughter to pray or observe a moment of silence there are numerous parochial schools and there is always home. Let's keep religion a private matter. America was founded on the principal of religious freedom; where an individual was able to worship, or not worship, free from not only government intervention but also from those who have nothing better to do than be concerned with what others are doing. It is time to end the war on religious freedom being waged by a small sector of society that have their knickers so tightly bound that they can barely fit their heads up their own keisters anymore.
Learn more about this author, Alexander Bleddyn.
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No
by Elton Gahr
Created on: February 17, 2009 Last Updated: April 28, 2009
The idea of simple majority rule is something that makes e a little uncomfortable, yet there is something even more uncomfortable about the idea of a vocal majority hanging laws that are controlled by the use of lawsuits. This question becomes even more touchy when it comes to the idea of religion and our children.
No one likes the idea of someone stilling religious beliefs in our children that we do not agree with. The question of a voluntary moment of silence is not a question of any religious indoctrination because there is nothing innately religious about the concept of a moment of prayer and, because it is not a religious act there is no reason that we need to make it voluntary.
But, that alone doesn't mean that the choice shouldn't be a voluntary one. What is the point of forcing children to have a silent moment of reflection at the beginning of the day. Why not simply make it a voluntary choice? The answer is a simple one. You cannot have a moment of silence in a classroom unless everyone is silent. If this were a moment of prayer, as the fear is, then this true silence wouldn't be necessary, but silent reflection can be interrupted by a single voice, and more importantly those who are pushing this lawsuit know that.
This lawsuit isn't about children having a few moments of silence at the beginning of the school day. This is a political attack and power grab by a vocal minority and anyone who states that this is an attempt to force young children to think in a specific religious way is complicit in that deception.
It is this issue of an overzealous judiciary that is far more dangerous at this time than the establishment of religion, but it is very evident in the intentional misreading of the united states constitution by trained judges.
The most important point in this is that the law which was passed was a law passed by a state legislator. This is important because any legal scholar will tell you that the constitution did not intend for this law to limit the right to have state religions only a federal religion. That is why it is not unconstitutional for Utah to have a state religion. Even more important in the understanding of this though is the knowledge that at the time that the freedom of religion clause was passed there were several state religions and it was those states that insisted on the law that be passed in an attempt to stop exactly what the judiciary has done.
And that is the biggest irony. The very point of the freedom of in the united States constitution was to ensure that states could have religious laws yet that right has been taken away not through a constitutional amendment process but by judges who believe they know better than anyone else.
Learn more about this author, Elton Gahr.
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