dids

Maybe I'm missing the real point, but I honestly don't see how somebody saying a prayer before a football game could be offending. If YOU don't want to say the prayer, just don't. Nobody's forcing you. Let other people be, and they'll let you be. I fail to see how this is a big deal, no matter what you believe in. If a Muslim wants to say a Muslim prayer before a football game in the U.S. I'm sure there will be nobody holding him back either.

I live in the only Italian region where you have Catholic religion class in all your 13 years of school. There's a cross in every building, in every class room, on mountains.. There are only churches. I think there are a maximum of 10 families who aren't Catholic over here. Since my mom isn't Catholic, she had me signed out of Religion every year, and it was never a problem. People asked whether the cross offended me, but why should it have? I honestly just don't see how a cross could offend someone. I think one of the reasons there were never any problems is due to the mutual respect. That's what it boils down to.

Lenghthen

Thank you for posting that Errick. I am very tolerant of other religions, I mean after all, who am I to judge what someone wants to believe in? I wouldn't want them to tell me what's right and what's wrong in what I believe. To each their own.

Wdnesday

They think that by having to say "In God we trust" or "one nation under God", their constitutional rights have somehow been offended. The first amendment reads that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" (source). In other words, prayer and God shouldn't be in our public schools because that would be respecting a religion, thus violating a person's first amendment rights, should they have already chosen not to respect any religious institution. So people complain about anything religious that they feel violates this.

Now recently there was a man who objected to having his daughter say "One nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. I'm willing to bet that this very same man would come together in time of a crisis and look to God for guidance and safe-keeping. This is the hypocrisy of our nation.


America does not have this respect. In order to learn about religion, ANY religion, I have to go to the specific church or pay to learn it. Religious schools are private schools and typically very expensive. When I was a kid, I went to a private Christian school, but only because it was between the two towns that my parents lived in. When my mother moved, I was taken out of the school because it was just too expensive. We went to church, but eventually stopped due to life just happening.

In a public schoo,l, you will not learn about God or the idea of creation. In a private religious school, you will not learn about evolution. Creationists continually battle with public schools to teach creationism (the universe was created in six days, literal translation of Genesis) along side evolution, giving them equal time. But I'm willing to bet that they wouldn't give evolution any time in a private school.

stardust

Although this was written with a good intent, it did what organized religion has done for, well, ever. It took a beautiful idea and mangled it.

(errick this is in no way an insult to you, i commend and respect you for posting it) but,

Although you have the right to practice any religion you wish, (which is a law) there is another law that says the government should not make any law establishing a religion. Now, since the school system is a federally run institution, they have to abide by that law, and saying a "christian prayer" at the begining of a football game is in fact establishing a religion.

"If I went to a ping pong match in China, I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha."
-then your expectations would not be met. A) china is a communist country - they arent allowed to pray B) buddhist DO NOT PRAY TO BUDDHA!!!!!!!!!! Buddha was not a god, Buddha was a prophet.

"Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights."
-no one is stripping you of your rights. if you want to pray before a football game, no one is going to stop you. The gov. is just trying to UPHOLD your rights, and others, by not making it a groop thing. I mean, a large percentage of the people at my school are muslim, but we dont practice Salat.

"The silent majority has been silent too long"
-in order to be a silent majority, 1st you must be SILENT, and second you must be a majority.

"After all the God you have the right to denounce is on our side!"
-i thought you christians believed that God was on everybody's side?

CrAZyBeAuTiFuL4

This man ranting is not respecting a culture at all. Just because he is tolerant of other religions doesn't mean that other people should be, or have to be, it doesn't mean that they are. If he can sit there and say that as long as those who don't want to hear the prayer or be involved with it can just walk away, or turn their backs, put in some ear plugs for 30 seconds, doesn't that also mean that we should do that in cases of Satan worshipers, hate groups, etc.? However, I think it would be almost impossible for a devout Christian like this man to turn his back to those types of things. All the other reilgions he mentions are similar to Christianity is some way or another. However those religions that differ drastically from Christianity, I doubt he would be so open minded to.

If he has the right to demand that non-believers give him the right to pray, those non-believers have the right to tell him they don't want to listen to it.

[ SARAH ]

I may be bias because I am Christian, but in my school they have taught about religions, except of course for Christianity. I have learned about Islam, Judiasm, and Buddha. However Christianity was somehow excluded. I don't know, maybe it's just me but people seem to complain more about Christianity then about any other religions, IMO.

CrAZyBeAuTiFuL4

I think that's because Christianity is the religion, other than their own, that most people seem to know about. Not to mention the fact that it's a huge religions with many different sects and branches and many different beliefs. A lot of people just don't know enough about Buddhism, Judiasm, Islam, Hinduism, etc., to make comments on it and so they don't. Also, in many places in the US, some version of Christianity is the main religion practiced. There are those who have different religions, but they're not as wide spread and people don't know that much about them. I dunno...this is just my opinion on that...

IamA-BFG

They don't have to listen to it, but, then again, they also shouldn't be preventing the original people from praying in the first place! They can, as you have said, simply cover their ears for thirty seconds or whatnot.

CrAZyBeAuTiFuL4

I think you missed my point. I was pointing out that this guy is pissed that people are telling him not to pray in public and he's saying that they are wrong and can simply respect his right to do what he wishes...while he's not exactly respecting their right to do what they wish in asking him not to pray in public. I just found it very hypocritical, that's all.

IamA-BFG

Well, to praying people, this isn't just something little like (Oh, I can just not do this because so and so over here doesn't want me to).

Perhaps, to put this in perspective for you, say, suppose (hypothetically) there was some person from a foreign culture, and it greatly offends anyone in that culture if you sit down at any time during the day except for when you sleep, which is only supposed to be at a certain exact hour. Now, suppose this person asks you to not sit down because it offends him/her. Also suppose you have a seat right handy and that you will have to be around in that area waiting around for a long long time (over eight hours), and you can't move one way or the other because it is so crowded. Now, would you honor that person's wishes and stand up the entire time, or would you consider that something ridiculous to request and sit down?

It is something ridiculous to request, as is to request praying people from not praying. It is that simple.