LifeHiscost Posted May 10, 2013 Posted May 10, 2013 ____________is the beginning of the end of humankind's religious freedom. Quote: Religion Is Not Welcome: How a Prayer Wrecked a Graduation The debate over school prayer has reared it's head in Arkansas this week. Two sixth grade graduations were cancelled in Riverside Unified School District after a parent protested against a prayer that was to be recited during the ceremony. “Those campuses for the last several years had discussed whether we should continue with sixth grade graduation or not,” Tommy Knight, the superintendent of the Riverside School District told Fox News. “The controversy arose out of this one. When it came to my attention, the board and I decided to go ahead and discontinue sixth grade graduations.” The school received a letter from Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin’s nonprofit with a mission to educate the public “on matters relating to nontheism, and to promote the constitutional principle of separation between church and state.” A group of Arkansas freethinkers called the cancellation “selfish.” The rest of the story. http://news.yahoo.com/religion-not-welcome-prayer-wrecked-graduation-011057379.html God cares! Quote Lift Jesus up!!
Members phkrause Posted May 10, 2013 Members Posted May 10, 2013 Pretty sad indeed. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
CoAspen Posted May 10, 2013 Posted May 10, 2013 Public School......is there something I am missing? Public schools are open to all persons, regardless of belief systems, nationality, height, weight, hair color, etc, etc. Why prayer would be an issue is beyond belief! Prayer is and has been always associated with a spiritual belief of some type. The last I checked public schools are about education not religion!!! Those that continue this endeavor of trying to inject some form of a religious practice into public schools have an agenda and it is not wanted or conducive to public education. Not having prayer in schools does not and is not government restricted education, a ludicrous suggestion. Go to your own place of worship, home, institution or whatever, for religious/spiritual instruction! Good grief!!! Quote
LifeHiscost Posted May 10, 2013 Author Posted May 10, 2013 Quote: Not having prayer in schools does not and is not government restricted education, a ludicrous suggestion. Go to your own place of worship, home, institution or whatever, for religious/spiritual instruction! Duly noted. However since the Christian faith is not allowed and homosexuality cannot be forbidden, just because it's only a different lifestyle, you will get what you want. Enjoy it while you can for it has never had a surviving government beyond a certain amount of time, while Christianity will last beyond the millenniums. One can get educated without becoming wise. “Look, I now teach you these decrees and regulations just as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy. Obey them completely, and you will display your wisdom and intelligence among the surrounding nations. When they hear all these decrees, they will exclaim, ‘How wise and prudent are the people of this great nation!’ For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him?Deuteronomy 4:5-7 NLT God cares! Quote Lift Jesus up!!
Administrators debbym Posted May 11, 2013 Administrators Posted May 11, 2013 If it was a Muslim prayer, or a Buddhist prayer, lots of Christians might be glad that the FFRF organization was protecting their children from religion at school. Quote deb Love awakens love. Let God be true and every man a liar.
LifeHiscost Posted May 12, 2013 Author Posted May 12, 2013 If it was a Muslim prayer, or a Buddhist prayer, lots of Christians might be glad that the FFRF organization was protecting their children from religion at school. That is seen by myself as the major reason we and our children, as they had children of their own, chose to home school. Every one that adopted that plan now have all of their children, as practicing Christians, and while we (my wife and I) have something like 32 grandchildren so we're not certain just how many, now pursue as adults, missionary endeavors in foreign countries. God cares! Quote Lift Jesus up!!
Administrators Tom Wetmore Posted May 12, 2013 Administrators Posted May 12, 2013 If it was a Muslim prayer, or a Buddhist prayer, lots of Christians might be glad that the FFRF organization was protecting their children from religion at school. Precisely! The whole idea of the First Amendment protection from the government establishing religion is to keep government out of the religion and religious practice. Public schools are a governmental function. Once government adopts or engages in any form of religious practice as part of its official functions, it crosses over into that territory and some group will be disenfranchised. Even among Christians, a prayer in this context can be offensive. Imagine the local Catholic priest giving the prayer invoking the name of the holy mother of Jesus. Or bringing it closer to home, consider the long protracted debate here over the Trinity. A standard Christian prayer will offend the anti-trinitarians among us. It matters not that the majority are Christian. The primary purpose of the First Amendment is to protect the religious freedom of everyone. It is to protect the religious practices of the minority from the imposition of the religion of the ruling majority on them by use of governmental resources and functions. Once you put the power of the State behind any religion you erode the religious freedom of all. I am dismayed that so many of even our own fellow Adventist have lost sight of this value that we have so vigorously championed for most of our history. I see too many clamoring for the populist view of putting religion into government. Few seem troubled anymore when government is being used to promote and enforce religious values and practices. Quote "Absurdity reigns and confusion makes it look good." "Sinless perfection is such a shallow goal." "I love God only as much as the person I love the least." *Forgiveness is always good news. And that is the gospel truth. (And finally, the ideas expressed above are solely my person views and not that of any organization with which I am associated.)
LifeHiscost Posted May 12, 2013 Author Posted May 12, 2013 Interesting to note that it wasn't the government involved in the beginning, it was the freedom of someone on the team giving a hand signal in Who he put his faith. When we find it necessary to, by the authorities whoever they might be, to give the right to keep a person or persons from letting anyone know who they freely give credit to for there reason in succeeding, we effectively intervene in God's intention for His people. "Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come."Matthew 24:12-17 NLT I would like to suggest God has permitted the former choice, to restrict the latter, to be available on this earth and will deal with the former in His own good time as He dealt with it in Heaven when war broke out. God cares! Quote Lift Jesus up!!
Administrators Tom Wetmore Posted May 13, 2013 Administrators Posted May 13, 2013 Sounds like a different story... Quote "Absurdity reigns and confusion makes it look good." "Sinless perfection is such a shallow goal." "I love God only as much as the person I love the least." *Forgiveness is always good news. And that is the gospel truth. (And finally, the ideas expressed above are solely my person views and not that of any organization with which I am associated.)
Moderators Jeannieb43 Posted May 13, 2013 Moderators Posted May 13, 2013 Comparing apples and oranges. Quote Jeannie<br /><br /><br />...Change is inevitable; growth is optional....
LifeHiscost Posted May 14, 2013 Author Posted May 14, 2013 Quote: Sounds like a different story... Quote: Comparing apples and oranges. Exactly! God cares! Quote Lift Jesus up!!
Moderators Gregory Matthews Posted May 18, 2013 Moderators Posted May 18, 2013 Quote: If it was a Muslim prayer, or a Buddhist prayer, lots of Christians might be glad that the FFRF organization was protecting their children from religion at school. Point well taken. I was once at a service, where some people were required to attend, where the prayer offered was a pagan one. Quote Gregory
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