Different as Night and Day

If, at the next Bear Creek football game, a prayer was broadcast over the PA, I probably would not be offended.

How could I be? Well, unless I get insulted every time I hear someone "Hope to God" that they do well on a test, or pray that their progress report gets lost in the mail, I would not be offended.

People can be heard all over the school speaking about religion in one way or another. Face it, religion is so ingrained in our society, it is always a hot topic. Does it really make a huge difference if a school district supports student-led prayer?

School districts in nine states already support it at graduations and convocations--why not at football games? Are all of you football fans out there too wild to appreciate a moment of silence before the game?

Four students and their parents in Santa Fe, Tex., do not want student-led prayer.

A federal judge ruled that they prayers could be announced at the games, but an appeals court overruled that decision and said that prayers were not suitable for football games. Santa Fe Independent School District, as school districts are wont to do, stepped in after much confusion. They have appealed to the Supreme Court, requesting that student-led prayer be allowed at the games.

Texas and eight other states--Alabama, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, and Tennessee--as well as Texas govenor George W. Bush are supporting the school district in its appeal.

But back to the four students. These people are spending time and money on a case that will only delay reality for high school students. Even if prayer is banned from a school, students still can be found praying before school starts. People pray. They pray everywhere. In the real world, you can't sue the homeless person who preaches on the corner.

These students do not seem to realize that they are going to have to deal with the outside world. Not everyone will be willing to go to court because they might have offended the beliefs of another.

Nearly all of my school career, and I'm willing to bet, nearly all of yours, we've been taught tolerance. Tolerance for that annoying kid who stole your graham crackers in kindergarten; the one who, in second grade, broke all of your crayons, or at least all of the "good ones"; for the principal you just couldn't get along with; for that teacher who seemed old enough to have taught your grandparents.

But in high school, tolerance seems a thing of the past. People don't "deal with it" anymore. Fights break out regularly due to imagined offenses. Conflict Mediators do what they can, but they cannot help all of the time.

Those four teenagers may be bothered by student-led prayer, but it does not really affect their schoolwork--in fact, missing school for court dates may hinder it. Prayer is not a bad thing, and no one is being forced to pray. My advice: concentrate on the really important things, not just the ones that get under your skin.

What's your opinion?

Back

For thousands of years, people have had the right to pray to any god or gods they chose. Just don't do it around other people.

Just over a year ago, on Dec. 5, 1998, students at Katy High School were not allowed to pray at their quarterfinal football game held in the Astrodome in Santa Fe, Tex. Students had decided to lead the prayer over the intercom for the spectators duringthe pre-game program. Minutes before, the student was told by the school that he couldn't commence.

Since then, the incident has turned into a major debate and a federal case between Katy High School students and Katy Independent School District. The students and their lawyer, Kelly Coghlan, are asking for a referendum to be approved by the school board so that the prayer can be allowed.

The president of the Astrodome, Mike Puryear, has no problem with the prayer.

"When I lease the space, it's their event," Puryear said to the Associated Press. "They can do it however they want to do it. If they choose to have a prayer before the football game, they can have one."

The students hope for a decision from the Supreme Court by late June, but the case does not look good because of the track record concerning matters of prayer and school.

In 1992, the court barred clergy-led prayers at public school graduation. In 1995, a federal judge allowed four students to commence with the student-led prayers if they were "non-sectarian" and "non-proselytizing," but then a three panel judge appeals court in New Orleans voted against prayers in games, stating that student-led prayers are always out of bounds.

The lawyer for the students argued that not allowing them to pray was inviolation of their First Amendment rights. A lawyer of the district states that the separation of church and state law was made so people wouldn't feel alienated because of their religious beliefs.

First of all, who said God wanted to hear about it? God has to deal with death, wars and famine. What the heck does he care about a stupid football game? Secondly, if one side is praying to win, and the other side is also praying to win, then what is God supposed to do? Do you know how big people's egos would be if God chose a favorite football team? Football is based on athletic ability, not divine intervention.

The separation of church and state law was created for a reason: so no one would feel bad about what they believed.

What right did the student have to impose his prayer, and in doing so, his religion, on the people in the auditorium? Did the students ask everyone in the stands if the prayer was OK with them? No. I do not like it when they show religion all over television. Now I have to hear it at a football game?

Prayer should not be at a football game. There is a time and a place for everything and prayer has no place with a bunch of yelling fans, telling their team to kill the other team. Have prayer at home, have it at church, but don't have it at the Super Bowl.