This District Is About to Get Sued…

I will make a donation tomorrow, for sure, and post it about to my very limited circle, cause it’s too late tonight, but I don’t want to forget so please keep this one in our faces for a few days. That kid’s a hero.

For crying out loud, America is a big joke when it comes to religion. As hate fuelled as between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in Iraq & Afghanistan.

Well, what do you expect when it’s ‘One nation, under ‘god”….pitiful.

I’ve been following this on Reddit. I didn’t send the info, because I figured another redditor would. That video was horrible!

To me, a prayer at an event in which we know not everyone there is religious, is just like standing up at that podium and shouting “White power!” It makes just as much sense as “Let us pray.” If only pushy theists could understand that, and I often think they do understand it. But that’s the power of religion. It’s sometimes more powerful than the user.

Another story out of Louisiana. Another reason why I won’t be moving there any time soon.

i have .67$ in my bank account right now. but when i have 10$, they will go to this kid. this rocks.

“Call the American Civil Liberties Union all you want to, buddy. However, I’m praying at MY graduation. If you do not want to participate in prayer, then don’t bow your head. You may not believe that there is a God above, but I sure do.”
— Sarah Beth Barlow

http://i.imgur.com/oToVR.jpg

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/05/never_trust_a_christian.php#comment-3926681

http://i.imgur.com/bBpzy.png

*nods* Yep.. It’s about time to start building the deprogramming camps.

She has freedom of speech and the government cannot tell her that she is not allowed to pray. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech,” Oh, and she should be able to go up and yell “white power” too. She can say what she wants and everyone has the freedom to hate her for it.

That being said, I completely agree with him petitioning to taking the prayer out of the ceremony. And everyone has the right to hate him too.

Just to add I find it really disgusting what is happening in that youtube video. Also I find it disgusting, but not surprising, the reaction that Damon got from his mother. Apparently she is a really extreme fundamentalist. The only upside that I can see is that he has gotten out of that town. Have to say i’d love to see that teacher fired. Anyone that would insult a student like that deserves to be fired.

I live in Brazil, a nominally “catholic country”. Yes, the intrusion of religion into public and private life is far less here than in the de facto theocracy that the USA has become.

That’s one more reason why I will never again live there or even visit. The country is soon to disintegrate and my efforts are to get my family out before that happens.

$4.95 in my paypal account -> $4.95 towards Damon’s fund. Always good to see kids fighting for the constitution.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Damon said that during this rehearsal students and TEACHERS were saying cruel things to him. It’s added as a p.s. to his original reddit post.

It seems that Bastrop,LA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastrop,_LA is a dying town and a fearful and cowardly townsfolk are striking out anyone they can.
Obliviously locked into praying for better days whilst attacking anyone that threatens that delusion.
“Bastrop was founded by the Baron de Bastrop (born Felipe Enrique Neri), a Dutch embezzler who falsely claimed to be a nobleman”. Seriously, WTF, no wonder the town is dying, closed minded, ignorance abounds.

It looks like someone has changed the town’s Wiki page to reflect what’s going on now. Not too sure how long it’s going to stay that way before someone changes it back. . .

OK, I watched the video, fully prepared to get my blood boiling with righteous indignation. But maybe I’ve spent too much time in religious places–really, I didn’t think it was that bad!

She went out of her way to say she respected other beliefs, she made it clear the prayer was her own doing and not part of the official school program, and she only asked those who shared her faith to bow their heads. She got a big response, but high school kids on the verge of graduation are so hyped up they will whoop and holler at anything remotely agreeable.

Was the prayer divisive and unnecessary? Yes. Was the reaction from the flock disgusting and tribal? Certainly. But I think it could have been much, much worse, and any attempted lawsuit will quickly fall flat.

This young man has an incredibly daunting array of forces against him. To risk everything – friends, family, safety and any hope of acceptance in the community which “was” his hometown. That takes a kind of courage which is so rare. And young Damon will need the support of all who admired his courage in the coming months as the psychological punch of this brutal experience hits home. So glad he has the firm support of his brother. Damon, you inspired this 50 year old mother of five. Paying for college is hard (I know because we still have two to go!) but you deserve a helping hand as much as any young person I know. I am gladly donating $100 to Hemant’s scholarship fund for you and I wish you a bright and joyful future!

Kurt, you should read some of the comments on PZs blog about this.

Apparently, this sort of thing has come to trial before.

It’s interesting to read about it, because it reminds me of little kids doing the “I’m not touching him” crap to their siblings, after Mom / Dad tells them not to, then gets assss cloosseee as possible.

Seems sort of the same mindset.

I suspect that a student “spontaneously” leading a prayer at a school function would be a whole ‘nother Establishment can of worms. And given the somewhat unpredictable nature of religion clause jurisprudence (seriously, the Court’s all over the place on establishment and free exercise) I don’t know how it would play out.

I’d imagine that the post-Rehnquist Court would allow the student speech. The student is not a school official or an authority figure. So her prayer might not be held to violate establishment. If it were held to do so, the Court would have to layout some way for school administrators to prevent a similar event from occurring. The school officials’ campaign of harassment might, however, be construed as a wink-and-nudge establishment. Again, don’t hold your breath with the current Supreme Court.

As a sidenote, Wallace v. Jeffree did not strike down all instances of the “moment of silence.” Rather, it struck down a particular statute where the legislative intent was to encourage prayer, and where prayer was indicated as a “preferred use” of the moment of silence. A moment of silence statute with a more neutral intent could probably pass constitutional muster.

“Christianity is love”, my shiny metal bottom.

Ditto on ditto of rich wilson’s post. Don’t let them put this on you Damon. They are the ones who have this ‘problem,’ not you! I’ll add to the scripture quoting, as inappropriate as it may be, I, an atheist do find wisdom in the Bible. Such as forgive them, for they know not what they do. The hate is on them, not on you.

And ditto on the kudos to brother Jerret as well. You know what you two are? You’re stand-up kind of people. Rarer than you may think. NEVER let them shut you up.

Thanks for picking this up as well, Hemant. I saw this pop up on PZ’s blog yesterday and it’s unbelievably sad. While the reaction of the town and students is bad enough, what’s really gotten to me is that the teacher felt it was appropriate to voice that kind of criticism of one of her students. Not to mention that she’s an educator who clearly doesn’t understand the distinction between banning students or teacher from engaging in private prayer in public schools (unconsitutional) and banning public schools and school officials from endorsing, or giving the appearance of endorsing, one religious belief over another (Separation of Church and State), AND seems to have no problem accepting the principle of tyranny of the majority. She’s a TEACHER, and she’s clearly abused her position of authority, giving a green light to others that she won’t protest any poor treatment of Damon because she thinks “he hasn’t contributed anything to the school.”

Um, what am I missing here? “The longest prayer you’ll ever hear at a public school event”? “…the fact that you let it go on for three minutes is a crime”?

The prayer lasted less than 30 seconds. The girl wasn’t even at the microphone for 3 minutes.

“This girl used prayer as a weapon to separate the Good Christians from The Others. To alienate. To shun. To mock.”

This is a completely baseless accusation. Any lawsuit based on such an accusations will be thrown out as frivolous in record time.

Surely there are more substantial issues to get angry about than this?

@ Dan

“Surely there are more substantial issues to get angry about than this?”

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Concern_troll

What happened to “don’t be a dick”. I know schools are not supposed to sponsor prayer, but come on. It sounds like most of his classmates wanted it. He basically threatened his school to get it pulled, why are you surprised to see threats greeted with hostility? It’s nice that people are going to help this kid get an education, but I see no reason to call someone a hero for throwing a fit.

Why does he have such a problem with a prayer during graduation? I am an atheist as well and have no problem letting people putting their hands together and mumbling to themselves, or listening to someone thank their God for a few minutes. What does it cost me? Pick your fights man; winning this one won’t get you anything other than grief.

Rarely do I contribute to online drives. I’m making an exception for this kid. Donation in!

For those of you who share the same, the same beliefs as I do, I ask that you please bow your heads and pray.

It would be less bad if people who DON’T share the same beliefs got the chance to go up on stage and give their own thanks.

Mitzi Quinn was my high school english teacher. Each day we were to read an assigned Bible passage and write a summary of it to turn in the next day. She said it was using the Bible as a literary work.

I am glad she is finally getting what is coming to her.

Also, there are other teachers doing the same.

This is making a giant deal about nothing. He should have just settled down about the whole thing. Grin and bear the prayer, never have to do it again, go on with your life. It’s high school graduation. It’s irrelevant. In the end, it’s a huge deal about something that’s not at all a huge deal. It’s not bravery. It’s a knee-jerk reaction to a prayer that, while pointless, while unneeded, and while illegal, is just a prayer. Nothing more. It wasn’t going to cause him strife for years to come because there was an invocation at his graduation.

Then again, that’s what so many American atheists like to pretend: that every single prayer is an affront and insult unto their lives. As if there is some MASSIVE social persecution of atheists in America. I went to a Catholic school in Texas, and no one gave two damns about my atheism. Or anyone’s.

I chipped in $5.00 (not much but hey I’m a student too) and hope that wherever he goes to college that he can surround himself with more intelligent,respectful people. Best of luck and congrats to Damon!

I’d just like to say that I’m a Christian and I fully support Damon in his stance. It’s so sad that this is happening and it sickens me that a bunch of ignorant people are giving the entire Christian faith a bad name.

Guys, please don’t modify the Bastrop article on Wikipedia until this is covered by reliable sources. Once reliable sources like newspapers are discussing it, we can include content. But right now, the sourcing policy limits very strongly what we can say, especially because this involves living people and we have strict policies about what we can say about living people due to libel and other concerns. The content added to Wikipedia was also non-neutral. One might think (and I’d agree) that the behavior is hateful and bigoted, but we can’t say that in a Wikipedia article. For any further issues please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:NPOV and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:RS

As someone who left her high school in the middle of her last semester due to religious differences, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to stand up for your beliefs at that age. I was prevented (by my parents) from stating to my friends and classmates what was going on, and my parents still disagree with my choices (and don’t let me forget).

Damon (if you ever read this), your generation needs more kids who are willing to stand up not only for what they believe, but for what the law says. It’s hard to do something that makes your parents distance themselves from you and makes your peers threaten you, but it is possible. You’ve found plenty of support online, and I hope that you’ll find more support locally. I wish you the best of luck, and stay strong.

Really? Is this serious? Suddenly this kid’s a hero for threatening to sue the school because they talk about god? And all these people willing to give him money for that? Really? No, like, really? I’m finding this very hard to believe. A good way to make sure you keep the world believing all this religious nonsense is to be so whiny about these stupid things and try to start a crusade. The sooner you start showing that you just don’t care the sooner others will not care. This whole business of “we must cure all the believers of this illusion for the greater good” just makes it sound like another fanatical religion. So what if they say what they want at the graduation? Tons of douche bags say douche baggy things at important ceremonies, and just because it’s legal doesn’t make it any better than someone saying they have a hard on jesus. Really, you guys are doing your best to make atheism look like another fundamentalist religion. If the guy speaks out his mind good for him. Pat on the back, some clapping if you will, I’ll even be ok with the most annoying ones yoohooing but getting him a fund-raiser?? Really? Don’t you have a lot better causes you could help? Doesn’t someone else need that a lot worse than some random kid who stood up at some point in his life to say that something is wrong? I don’t know a single person who hasn’t done that at some point in their life. We’re all heroes! Yey for everybody! We all win! So much for logical clear thinking that you keep telling everyone that you have so much better than everyone else. Starting these senseless dialectical battles only makes the religious more paranoid, more extremist and it gives them a “satan” to fight to make them feel like they’re doing the right thing. I will hear plenty of bullshit in my life just sitting around in a public place but getting all heroic criticizing it doesn’t make me a better person. It makes me annoying. Atheism is not a community, it is not a group, it is not a “special” club only smart people can join, it is not an oppressed minority, it is not a secret group of intellectuals that have a secret handshake. Being an atheist does not make you special. Get it in your head. It just shows you have some common sense. Big golden medal for you. Get over yourselves, please. What a load of arrogance for nothing.

Chipped in, kudos go to Damon as well. That teacher’s retirement needs to be part of the settlement the school district will be paying.

I think your all full of crap!! You will all pay for your non-belief one of these days very soon!! Is all Damon wanted is attention and thats exactly what ya’ll gave him!! I hope his classmates never speak to him again!! He is ruining all of his classmates graduation, he is just thinking of himself, which makes him pretty selfish in my book!!

One of the saddest things about our society is that we have developed such a strong concern for conformity. This inhibits scientific progress, causes the atheist to hide, and weakens us when we need to stand strong and support very reasonable, very necessary American change.

I implore those of you who are closet atheists to find courage and support your intelligent and accurate findings. There is no god. No heaven above, Jesus was merely a power hungry carpenter with strong fears and an out of control narcissistic personality, and the bible was written by delusional, fearful men, not someone receiving orders from heaven. That concept is silly.

Today, anyone acting like the figures in history would be on my couch, receiving the assistance they needed to live in society and find reality.

They could not function in society today. It’s a different time and the ancient myths are of little use to us.

The followers who support that ancient myth today may not realize how strongly a few need to have them continue believing. These few could not survive if the masses suddenly gained an ability to think independently and question that myth. What would those dependent on religion for an income do?

When we realize that god is simply a myth supported by the most successful brainwashing in history, hoards of very wealthy, very powerful people will be out of work, and they will be upset.

The myth of some all powerful god that hears and understands seven billion simultaneously screaming minds is not only useless today, it is harmful. While the myth may have been effective in more perilous times, drawing the masses to one tribe in search of increased security, today it is dangerous!

Those of us with the courage and intelligence to realize we are not alone as atheists, can assist those who continue to suffer that false belief.

In truth, all religion is brainwashing that was begun in our formative years with bedtime prayers and weird concepts, then continued throughout life. The brainwashing is supported with once-a-week sessions that strongly deny any opposing thought, and any search for truth and reality.

Soon we believe that our faith was our own idea, not that of a massive brainwashing effort supported mainly by those who find power and riches selling religion. It is they who need to continue the myth. Without it they would have nothing, and they know it well, but will never tell you.

We are even taught to continue the brainwashing on innocent and unsuspecting children. Thus the deadly cycle continues forever.

There are many who know the truth but lack courage and direction, preferring instead to follow because they feel the social expectations of mass conformity, and the strength in numbers. These are the truly weak in society and they need our help.

We can help them escape that ancient myth, break the bonds of brainwashing, and enjoy the clarity and openness a real world provides.

Speak up, speak loudly and with conviction! You will find there are many who were not so successfully brainwashed and are willing to join others in support of truth. They do need a bit of assistance. If more of us speak up, more will find courage to think about what it is they believe. They will begin to think in terms of reason, and when religious people are allowed reasonable thought, there can be no religion because it simply doesn’t make any sense.

Atheism isn’t a religion. It is just a word that identifies those who have broken the bonds of brainwashing to realize the truth. They have come to find that religion is only an ancient myth, much like Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy.

To those who are here to criticize this young hero: I’m sure “the rest of us” wouldn’t feel so very “uncomfortable” if we were absolutely, 100% sure that other beliefs and value systems would also be accepted and respected at a public school function. As it were, I’m a naturalist, so that means I’ll be there in my birthday suit, ‘kay? Pray all you want while I’m airing out the girls… but be sure to leave the mic up there for the devil worshippers, who have a few words to say after your turn.

As an atheist teacher I 100% support this kid. I cannot believe another teacher made this statement publicly (from reddit). “[In the past, non-religious students] respected the majority of their classmates and didn’t say anything,” [Bastrop High School staff member Mitizi] Quinn said. “We’ve never had this come up before. Never…And what’s even more sad is this is a student who really hasn’t contributed anything to graduation or to their classmates.”

This is sickening and unprofessional behavior. Ms Quinn should have her teaching license revoked immediately.

There is a Facebook page called Fire Mitzi Quinn, not sure who started it, but if you want to show support, search it and like it!

They’re tweeting right now from Damon’s graduation ceremony that not only did the girl say the prayer just as she rehearsed it but that the speaker said in order to be a success in life you have to accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior. The second bit is mean and annoying, but the first bit couldn’t be a clearer violation of the first amendment. She’d even rehearsed it that way. Links should be on the support damon fb page and it is also being covered by reddit/r/atheism

Samuel, sorry, but student-led prayer was deemed unconstitutional by SCOTUS in 2000.

http://www.civilrights.org/monitor/vol11_no4/art2p1.html

And the fact of the matter is that it wouldn’t matter if 100% of the student body was Christian and wanted to pray, prayer in a public school still violates the Constitution.

I just found video of Damon confronting his mother before she disowned him. Also donated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8Aq00yJSxo

“I think your all full of crap!! You will all pay for your non-belief one of these days very soon!!”

I really wish you had received a better education at your school. Specifically, one which was more focused on grammar rather than Jesus.

Megan, great. Now please post a quote where Warren Buffett or Bill Gates said anything remotely like the speaker did at Damon’s raduation. I will be waiting for a quote from these gentlemen which says something remotely like “Only if you don’t believe in God will you be a success in life.” THAT would be equivalent. Not “having an atheist speaker.”

I’ll be waiting for that quote 🙂

Happy Graduation buddy! Great Job!
Keep up the fight for right!

Get over it, if you dont like an area or its ideals then move away.

He was only ONE of about three or four atheists, and what he tried to do was wrong. Most of the body of the graduating class was Christian.

He is ruining all of his classmates graduation.

That’s right! There are plenty of empty seats at the back of the bus, so what’s the big deal?

bob, if you don’t like an area with a constitution that has a separation of church and state than move away from the United States. I have never understood why its so importnat to some people to think that constitution does not exist.

http://www.bastropenterprise.com/newsnow/x1796494554/Just-like-any-other-graduation

That smug POS of a newspaper basically said, “see? Just like a graduation should be….” I chipped in $42 in honor of Damon and Douglas Adams.

For all those who said he should just STFU – any position that is in favor of a public force following the LAW (oh, yeah, remember the law?) and results in DEATH THREATS… was MUCH more sorely needed than your trolling.

I really wish I had something to give other than well-wishes and words.

So the students went ahead and ‘showed support for their god’ anyhow. What will they do next to ‘show support for their god’? Hijack an airliner and fly it into Damons house?

It is incredible to me that Americans (and others) are fighting wars in two countries to prevent religionists forcing their beliefs on others and yet this group of American religionists are determined to force THEIR beliefs on others.

Matthew 6

1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
…
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

This is why I cannot stand most so-called “Christians”. Rarely have I met one that practiced what they preached. I’m sure Jesus is so proud.

As a secular Jew who complained about Xmas programs in elementary school, I commend Damon. It’s not popular to go against the crowd — which of course is exactly why the 1st Amendment exists.

However, I doubt a lawsuit would get any money. (I’m not a lawyer, but I’ve paralegal-ed a couple of constitutional law suits.) Don’t get me wrong, I wish he could, but where’s the financial or physical harm? Ongoing harassment would be something, but some snotty remarks in the last days before graduation probably doesn’t count.

The key is to get a restraining order ahead of time, then if they violate it, it’s contempt. After the fact, it probably can’t be more than a settlement that covers his attorney’s fees, and a “we promise not to do it again.”

Again, though, I wish him the best. A scholarship fund and pats on the back is the least we can do.

The Christian Taliban are at it again.

Why do Christians believe, fervently, that their version of a theocracy is better than the Sharia law and extremist version of Islam? Both are illegal in this country. Just because the US – and Louisiana in particular – has more Christians doesn’t make it right or legal. Please do not use our schools to evangelize.

If instead this young man had requested equal time for an Islam prayer, what do you think would have happened?

So, if Damon objected to the prayer as an exercise of his constitutional rights, and to give courage to the two other atheists in his town, then he didn’t do it to financially enrich himself.

If, Damon has any honor, any integrity, he’ll donate any money received as a result of this incident to a neutral charity… like a children’s cancer society.

If, Damon pockets any money, he will be justly tagged as a money grubbing malcontent.

I am a Christian art teacher at a public High school, and I support Damon all the way. I cannot believe what the school is trying to pull off, let what Mrs Quinn was thinking. This outrages me, I’ll do what I can to help Damon, and spread the word.

What are all you people talking about?She said a small prayer that lasted a few seconds,not over 3 minutes.She was not disrespectful to anyone and some of your comments here are just uncalled for.Send this kid all the money you want,in the afterlife his lack of education on God will cost him his soul and a place in heaven.Look at it from my point of view,if I believe and I am wrong,what do I have to loose.If you are wrong,you will spend an eternity burning in a lake of fire.Your choice but I know God is here,all around us and no one will ever deter my beliefs.God bless this kid and all of you,I will pray for all your souls.

You people are amusing. Most of you are attention whores anyways. The young woman has the right to say anything she wants. Isn’t america great. At my graduation we had a morman give a religious speech. You don’t have to listen. Get a life. All you fine folks backing Damon have bigger problems ahead so let it go.

The most disgusting thing to me is the fat woman that sits down during the presentation of the colors.

As for the student saying a prayer, this will be a non issue. She exonerates the school by stating that she was told not to do a prayer, but that she is exercising HER right to free speech, another inalienable right that has (at several times in the past, been an established precedent as to trumping the separation of church and state (which is still pretty shaky with regards to unorganized prayer in school). What will probably happen is the school councils her again not to do it, and she will still do whatever she deems correct due to her faith. The school will be able to show in court that they followed procedure, and any lawsuit brought against the girl will be dismissed.

For those saying that the school should have turned off the mic and pulled her from the stage, you are thinking in a very narrow mind. I’m sure that if something along those lines happened, there would be a small riot and could cause bodily harm to some in attendance. To Joe Zamecki- saying “Let us pray” is not akin to shouting “White Powder” or “Fire”, at least under the eyes of the court. Is it offensive to some? Yes. Does it equate to a dangerous situation? No. Would a wildly popular girl being removed from stage during a speech incite an incident….yes. This is the exact same thing as letting a wildfire burn out. It does damage, but less collateral damage (and personal harm) than trying to fight the fire. The risk must be mitigated. Also, the school is not a legal authority. If Damon really had issue with this, he could have filed a restraining order and let this be worked out in the legal system (even with the assistance with the ACLU). Instead, he refrained and unless he got it together quickly (a life lesson that he needs to learn), there is nothing that will come of this.

Finally, with regards to the students and crowd reaction. It’s funny that the people on this board call them animals for their cheering. The initial cheer is towards the Class of 2011. I’ve seen it at several graduations in the past (including my own) where any mention of the graduation year causes a furor of noise. Is it stupid, depends on where you sit. However, it does not display a faith. The cheering at the end of the prayer could also be equated to the cheering at the end of the National Anthem or God Bless America at sporting events. Again, people cheer in calibration…which is what a graduation is. This would have no part in a lawsuit that goes forward, unless every student were named, as the school (again) would have no way to control this or mete out punishment. Again, those are students exercising their right to free speech.

The lesson little Damon needs to learn (a few times above he is referred to as a kid, even though he is either legal age or soon to be). While it is his right to express his beliefs, there are going to be people that disagree with them. There are going to be people that will make hiring/firing decisions based on how he acts, looks (is it business professional to have 20 visible piercings and tattoos, or to have pink hair) or even voices his opinion in a public forum (such as this website). There are going to be people who will deny their children playing with his children if he is perceived as a freak, something that his children may resent him for in the long term future. He is now at the cusp of adulthood, and while his parents might not have given him attention or perhaps they taught him to stand up for his “rights”, either way….he is now at a point where he will be held accountable for his actions. There are things I disagree with every day, and I have to choose when I pick my battles. This would have been a great lesson here, where he spent literally 1 minute of “Discomfort”. Where her mention of diety begins at 1:26, a prayer that starts 2:04 and ends at 2:26. This is no more discomforting than what the Christians have to endure when they hear that he is an atheist (to some, this is very uncomfortable). This has no lasting impact, he was not converted, nor was it even attempted. Instead, she said her piece and moved on. Instead of attempting to be part of this litigious society, where everyone is trying to make a buck…..he could just move on, and prove he is a bigger man. But, I doubt he will.

At no point in this post, did I post my personal belief in deity….instead, I focused on the common sense of the situation. I’m sure there will be replies about me being a bible thumper or whatever, and I shant respond…as my personal faith is just that, mine.

I dont understand you people. I am an atheist, but really couldnt care less if people want to pray at public functions, I am not forced to join in. Just stand there and think your thoughts while those around you do the same and get on with your life you are not being victimized or hurt by it. This kid is making a mountain out of a molehill and all of you going on about what a hero he is are just sad people with no lives. I dont like spinach, but I hardly expect every restaraunt I go to to not serve it just so I wont have to see it.

I find all this just to be pointless!

Each side is in the wrong when something like this happens. People need to learn to just RESPECT each other. Damon is just a problem causer whether he thinks it or not.

These people are just trying to do what they believe and keep their tradition. When you attack that you are attacking them.

I deal with people who believe different stuff than me every day and some times I just have to turn a blind eye to it, and understand it is what they believe.

“Live and let live” Is a world war 1 phase which I believe could be used here.

I am christian and I live in this same small town as daman I went to bhs and had ms quinn as a teacher. she is a wonderfull teacher but I dont agree with wat she did. Im here to let you know that not every christian in this town and this country are not the same. Im not judging any one bc we all have the right to belive in wat we want to. I think the way it was handled viloated everyones rights every student at BHS. I dont agree with how the cummunity reacted and how some of them handled it. Im not tryin g to affend anyone or push my beliefs onto u. But i think that everyone needs to drop. graduation is over a prayer was sd by the students who wanted to say a prayer so ive heard i wasnt there. its over and done. When I heard the news about daman I prayed for him im sorry if that affened him or anyone. I let it be. Thank you for reading. I will not reply to any comments bc i think it should be dropped.

Pint- by pointing out, you mean threatening a lawsuit, than you would be right. but when you have to threaten a lawsuit to make other people abide by your own religious beliefs, than he was no better than anybody at that school. maybe if he would have found other students who share his belief, than went to talk to the principal in private and ask that they do not do it, things might have been different.

I have no sympathy for anyone who tries to tell other people what to do. ive never once complained about having to sit through a prayer because it is religious. i just suck it up and realize that the other people have a right to believe whatever they want to believe. so sit down and shut up

when you have to threaten a lawsuit to make other people abide by your own religious beliefs,

Um, no. It’s against the law. Period.

How the hell else was he going to get the school district to listen? Respectfully request that they obey the law and refrain from the school endorsing prayer and then kindly thank the school officials for their attention when they told him that majority rules (which is unconstitutional)?

He wasn’t trying to make anybody abide by atheism – the lawsuit wasn’t attempting to strip anyone’s rights of Christian prayer as PRIVATE CITIZENS. If a student wanted to get up there and thank God in her speech, she’d be fine doing so as long as the school noted it was not a position endorsed one way or the other by the school. If anyone wanted to pray SILENTLY during a moment of silence – or recite the entire Lady of Shallot by Tennyson in their head – that’s perfectly fine. If this were a private institution, or a specifically religious school, that would be one thing, but it’s a public school that is subject to the same rules and regulations as any other government operated institution.

But no – by pointing out the illegality of school-endorsed prayer at a public school graduation, Damon is a trouble-maker rocking the boat and trying to force his atheism on others. I can’t believe this.

Just because YOU don’t have a problem sitting through prayer at events isn’t relevant to the issue. What is relevant that this was a PUBLIC SCHOOL event – as in the school is a part of the US government which is prohibited from raising one religious belief over another.

I was hoping someone would yell out ‘Allahu Akbar’ during the silence. Bet that would’ve ended very well. After all, they said they respect ALL religions.

Damon is a true citizen. He is a defender of the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law, not mindless jingoism.

How did gay people get respect in society? They didn’t do it by sitting down and shutting up. No one respects a doormat. People like winners and want to be on the winning team.

I get the point that this young atheist was making. However, it is a little tiring when a single person tries to countermand the wishes of the majority.

You’re right, it’s almost as tiring as when we had to listen to all those uppity niggers whining about how the good, white, christian majority wanted to segregate, oppress and lynch them.

Am I right, or am I fucking right?

No, fuckwit, you did not get the point at all.

I actually applaud the students giving lengthy prayer style speeches. You don’t think these students are also exercising their rights, sure some of it maybe in retaliation for this “minority thinking” student to dictate the “majority thinking” wanting a prayer by threat of lawsuit. I thinks it’s funnier than hell if the school has nothing to do with it but the students themselves give big long prayer speeches, which are protected, can’t sue anyone.. funnier than hell!

It will be even funnier if a Muslim student gave a prayer speech.

Rabid, i like your comparison. You truly are a master of logic.

Now, i have the same option of you guys as you guys have of people who pray in public but that will not stop me from speaking out. You see I’m not the type to sit down and shut up. If you have to resort to the negative action of the law you don’t have much of a society. I think a more accepting and tolerant course of action would be better.

Tolerance. It is shouted from the rooftops in The City near where I live. “We are here and you must accept us.” Of course, some are more vocal about their position than others and some extremists take matters into their own, hypocritical hands.

What results from all this most of the time is ignorance, not as in “uneducated”, as we have been inundated with dogma. Rather, it is “ignore-ance”, as in, “I really have more important things to do with my life than be involved with this.” Those shouting are simply adding to the din of an already busy and hectic world. The end result is that they become a mere annoyance in the grand scheme of things.

I have to admit that I have a certain degree of sympathy for Damon as well as a certain sense of admiration. He took a stand and expressed his feelings and concerns. It showed a great deal of maturity to stand up for what he believed in. Unfortunately, he went about it in a decidedly immature manner. I would have had much more respect for him if he had requested equal time or maybe started singing the National Anthem or “My Country tis of Thee” during the moment of silence.

I tried to find all the information I could about what preceded his actions but nowhere could I find anything stating he approached the school administration about a compromise before he threatened to involve the ACLU. He is now paying the price for his actions and lessons are being learned all the way around. I hope he has the maturity to accept the consequences of his actions.

Freedom of speech does not mean you can say whatever you like without reprisal or consequences. Freedom of religion does not mean that there can’t or shouldn’t be religious expression. The two concepts are intertwined and Constitutionally inseparable. The original authors of the document knew exactly what they were doing.

So he’s a hero for infringing upon other people’s freedom of religion? Not sure I follow.

If you don’t want to participate in the prayer, then don’t. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, man up. No one is forcing you to be Christian by practicing their believes, just like you’re -allegedly- not forcing anyone to be atheist. Go ahead and sue the school you spoiled little brat, it’ll set a good example.

I would like to point one thing out.

student-led prayer and/or school-sanctioned/led prayer at a school event; provided the school is public, is ILLEGAL.

Its not about respecting other people’s rights. It’s about the fact that the school is violating the law. Damon pointed it out say that if they continued he’d report that the school was breaking the law. He’s not doing it because he wants to push his beliefs onto others. He’s doing it because the school is breaking the law and he wanted to warn them before taking it to court.

If he really wanted to, he could just not have told the school, waited for it to happen, record it or get a record of the event happening, and have the school prosecuted in federal court for breaking the law.

Instead, he respectfully told the school they were breaking the law in the hopes that they would stop. What did he get? Ostracized by his peers, (pretty much) disowned by his parents, and forced to leave his town.

Damon,
Be proud and take solace in the fact that you have stood in the face of adversity and did not bow.

Allen

I just cannot be quiet I feel so strongly about this subject. Emotionally this is very stressful to me because as an atheist I believe in the goodwill of people and the power of charity. It is a great tragedy that there is so much fraud in this world but each inidvidual is responsible for their own money, caveat emptor. The only information i can find about the credibility of this Chipin charity is that proof will be provided later that the money will be handed directly to the donee. I Hope that the scholarship title of the Chipin is not a misnomer and none of the money will go to legal fees as an education would seem to be more beneficial to the donee.

I think your concern about legal fees is unwarranted. Just as a for-instance, if the ACLU decides to take up this case, it will do so without expecting the young man to pay anything, knowing that the expenses and their fee can come out of the eventual settlement.

I’m in for $100. This kid is standing up for his constitutional right under very difficult circumstances and I support him. I hope the ACLU steps in quickly — this is an easy win and it looks like the kid needs some help and the school needs a reminder about the constitution. Fortunately, here in America people are not allowed to trample over other people’s rights, even in the name of their god.

I applaud this kid. I was raised in a similar town and know how hard it is to get schools to obey the law on this issue. When I asked to simply not participate in team prayers before sporting events I was called a devil worshipper and told I was going to Hell so I didn’t dare stand up about the prayer at my graduation. Glad to see a young atheist being as brave as I should’ve been. Best of luck to you Damen!

All of you people saying “I think he should just be quiet and show respect because he’s in the minority and can’t we all get along” ought to be ashamed of yourselves. You’re what’s wrong with America. Shut up, get along, never mind the rule of law, never mind respect for others who are different, never mind equality, or principle, or reason. I believe the word for you is “appeasers.”

You’re the kind of people who probably didn’t gas anybody or hold a rifle but who quietly went along when things were going well in Germany because, hey, sure your neighbours disappeared one night, but the economy was doing so great! You’re the ones who probably didn’t own slaves or hit any negroes or participate in any lynchings, but sort of didn’t think slavery was so bad because, well, “they’re” not complaining, are they? At least they get three hots and a cot! And at the most benign end of the scale you’re the ones who couldn’t understand why women would want the vote – more trouble than it’s worth, voting, what’s the big deal anyway, why are you making waves, everything’s not great but it’s fine…

Your attempt to assert a “pragmatic” morality is disgusting and disingenuous. Because of the liberal institutions in place to protect against you, you haven’t had the chance to be among the tens of millions who tacitly supported the historical evils noted above, but that’s only a technicality. Your sensibility is the reason that, right now, the gap between rich and poor is so great; it’s the reason public discourse is in the toilet; it’s the reason for the financial meltdown; it’s the reason for ever-increasing human rights violations by law enforcement; it’s the reason why the US is a nation who tortures people. And it’s the reason for Reality TV. You’re not terrible people, but you are – in the most fundamental sense – bad people.

thank you crowepps, that sounds a little more sane. With no one alive today that even knows how many federal laws exist, let alone what they mean individually or as a whole, it is hard for me to be proud of any of this.

Samael you said “However, it is a little tiring when a single person tries to countermand the wishes of the majority.” My question to you is, would you go along with the majority if they made christianity illegal? You sound like one of those that is okay with violations of law as long as you have the numbers agreeing with you but when you are part of the minority you will cry fowl and how wrong it is to do this to a minority. You are a hypocrite.

Walt you must have some kind of magic ears if you believe that someone at a public function can just not hear what is said. I doubt you would like to hear a muslim prayer at a public ceremony and would probably cry fowl just like most christians would. Why do you believe your religion is special?

Matthew 6:5-7…tells you to pray in PRIVATE & those who don’t are hypocrites! Amen

anAtheist,

I don’t know if you are trolling but it certainly comes across that way. For example, you wrote:

With no one alive today that even knows how many federal laws exist, let alone what they mean individually or as a whole, it is hard for me to be proud of any of this.

What this has to do with complicated federal laws is not at all clear to me. This is a basic constitutional issue.

As to you and some of the others in this thread who aren’t happy that the money from such lawsuits goes to those who win the lawsuits, this is just ridiculous. If we didn’t have that sort of rule, there would be a terrible burden upon the poor to have any chance of redress for when their rights are violated. And no, there is no such thing as a small violation of one’s rights.

Does anyone else think it’s telling that this is going on at a High School where a teacher apparently incapable of enforcing personal pronoun agreement on her own written words has been teaching for the past 25 years?

Joshua Zelinsky, there is no money from the government, do i really have to explain?

What does the adulteration of the law have to do with any of this?

you said it yourself, there is no right too small to be violated. Might I also be so humble to add there is no job too small for the government, no responsibility too big.

Go ahead and call me a troll, i will take that scarlet letter from this blog any day if this is what goes on here.

my point is that government and laws are a negative force, i never said there should be none… but by all means post that i do.

Let’s try something different and stick with what you do understand. Tell me more about how poor people get redress when their rights are violated. Tell me how lawsuits work. What is an appropriate settlement where they come from, who gets them, and where they go.

I think the ultimate failure here is that no one was able to find a compromise that allowed both interests to be appeased.

I also find the celebrating that the school system will take a significant financial blow to be pretty pathetic. Should the involved administration be reprimanded? Sure. Should students next year lose out on new books, extra-curricular activities, or even lose an hour of school over it? I’m not thinking that’s a good or desirable outcome. In fact, it simply highlights what the real failure here is: human nature.

People here who are celebrating this polarization and utter failure to respect the views of others are just as responsible for our current state of affairs as the people directly involved in this particular incident. I hope you are proud of yourselves.

anAtheist,

I don’t know why you think that I posted that you said there shouldn’t be a government. I said that your remarks about the size of government are utterly irrelevant to anything at hand. So far, you haven’t explained their relevance.

Moving on, how the poor get redress when their rights are violated isn’t at all complicated, although they certainly have fewer options and less success than those with a lot of disposable income. Most major law schools have various clinics devoted to helping all sorts of indigent clients. In cases involving basic rights violations, they may be represented by groups like the ACLU. Some other organizations focus on specific types of rights violations. So for example, Americans United focuses just on specific issues related to the Establishment clause in the First Amendment.

When such lawsuits are filed, the most common forms of redress are damages and injunctions. Thus for example, in the Dover case, the plaintiffs won a general injunction against the teaching of ID by the school system. Often when such lawsuits occur, when the plaintiffs are successful, the defendants pay the plaintiffs’ attorney costs and pay some amount of punitive damages. The punitive damages goes to the plaintiffs while the attorney costs go to the attorneys. There’s nothing complicated here, so I don’t understand what you are trying to ask.

my point is that government and laws are a negative force

As is your silly gibberish. You are either a troll or a crazy. It really doesn’t matter at this point.

the law is negative, not in the simple way your mind understands it but it still is none the less. The vice a law prohibits exists before the law. If laws came before the vice or if it started to become positive by nature that would be silly gibberish.

like i said i wish we could give you all scholarships.

Religious people want to go to a publicly paid school and so do the atheists. The community is going to have to figure it out. Both sides will have to try and understand the other.

Yes, and there’s is an understanding. It is the First Amendment. And it is there for very good reason. It doesn’t just make the atheists happy, it helps protects the Jews, and the Muslims, and the Hindus and myriad other groups.

If I weren’t unemployed at them moment, I would donate to this kid’s education.

That girl who gave the prayer is an ass. And everyone who clapped in the audience is an ass too. Respect? No one in that place had any respect for those of other belief systems (or lack thereof) or they wouldn’t have done what they did.

And no, there is no such thing as a small violation of one’s rights.

QFT

anAtheist, it seems like you have skimmed a tiny bit of philosophy and are simply regurgitating that without comprehension. Rawls’s veil of ignorance basis for morality has nothing to do with this at all.

Moreover, your comment about murder seems to be confusing rights with something to do with some form of Lockeian or Hobbesian social contract. And it still isn’t relevant given that the US has a pre-existing constitution.

Wanting the preservation of basic rights, and be willing to spend resources towards that end doesn’t make people “not ready for tolerance and peace”.

I have to wonder if you would have said the same thing to people fighting for civil rights in the 1960s. You may want to consider that the probable ignorance and incoherence is coming from you, not others here.

When an entire town can be turned against a single young man and children can be brainwashed before they turn ten to firmly believe that non-*insert religion of choice here*-ists go to hell, you know there is definitely something intrinsically wrong with organized religion. :/

it was not a tiny bit of philosophy and i think i’ve expressed my views adequately. Youre being a lame smart ass. The same crap you try to pass off as an argument/response to me i could do to you.

And yes, the civil rights bill of the 1960 was wrong in many ways. The right of the property owners were abolished. I would rather let people do what they want on their own property and just choose not to give them any business if they enact racist policies…but im an ignorant moran so why are you even interested in asking me?

im going out now.

Damon, you have friends, although you may not be able to see us, we are here standing with you, so hold your head high. Our founding fathers would be so proud of you right now. Here’s 25 bones for college, if enough people chip in, you should have a great head start financially. When you do go to college, you will find that there are plenty of good-hearted people who share your beliefs. Good luck with everything, and congratulations on standing up for what is right and having the integrity and bravery to follow through with your beliefs.

I am a little bit confused as to what the big issue was in the video. While yes a prayer is illegal in schools it was done by a student,a student who seemed to have the support of a good chunk of the crowd. She did not call anyone out, in fact she said that she respected others beliefs, even if they were different from her own. The real question here is who was the girl? Was she the valedictorian or a student representative in some other capacity? If that is so that is why she was up there and if the teachers didn’t know she was planning it then how can you be mad? From the article it seems like this young man made a large fuss over a prayer that was really about a minute or less long, throwing threats at an already struggling and underfunded education system that will only end up hurting it and many people in the long run.

I am also confused as to how this was emotionally stressing. This student did not go into the crowd and force bowed heads. She did not threaten the non-believers with hellfire and brimstone. She gave a polite prologue and gave a short prayer. If this young man didn’t like it then he only had to endure for a minute, I can personally think of many things that are far more uncomfortable and last far longer. If he cannot deal with this small thing how are we ever supposed to think he deal with the bigger stresses life throws at us? I think he ended up bringing more of this stress onto himself with his threats, and let’s face it. If you threaten something that is important to the majority then there are going to be members of that majority who will act with hostility no matter how incorrect those actions may be.

The teacher was in the wrong here. A teacher should not denounce their student publicly.

Ultimately I believe this is something that has been blown out of proportion, teachers unfortunately bash their students regularly in public. Those teachers are dealt with. What makes this case so much different? Is it because religion was involved? Or was this just the one plucked out of the stack?

But hey, Damon is getting a scholarship to college and possibly a settlement because he wasn’t able to adapt to a society that will still put these stresses on him, so I guess that is a good thing right?

Just like to point out that the young lady in question has no 1st Amendment rights, at least while on school gr4ounds or participating in a school function. This was the ruling in the Bong hits For Jesus case of a few years back, that students have no right to free speech. So, she loses on every.single.count. There is ZERO legal standing for what she did, and the lawsuit will win.

Bailey, atheists don’t believe in any deity. To answer why such prayers can be stressful- humans are extremely social creatures. Having most of a population doing some ritualistic activity while one isn’t doing it can easily create pressure to conform and general feelings of alienation when one doesn’t.

Wouldn’t the same be true if you were to tell an the majority that they were not allowed to practice how they wish or speak how they wish? The same stress on not allowing them to worship when they wish could cause that group to feel that same alienation I would believe. Weren’t people guaranteed their freedom of speech and freedom of religion when this country was founded? Just playing the Devil’s Advocate here Josh.

Freedom of speech isn’t absolute. It can be restricted in time and place.

And your idea that a minority can somehow exert peer pressure on a majority is way too absurd to even contemplate. We’re talking about communities, e.g. small towns or also some companies, that literally shun and harass people for not belonging to the club. It’s basically a cult-like behavior. It sounds silly that such a thing would exist in a supposedly free country, but you can read way too many horror stories about it.

https://www.laaclu.org/newsArchive.php?id=416#n416

Here’s the state ACLU page. I’ll be checking back as the case develops.

Damon: thank you for your courage. I know how hard it is to stand up to bullies, especially at your age. You’re being a true hero by insisting the Constitution be followed. There are a lot of us online who’ve got your back. This must be very hard, and I hope you don’t feel too alone.

Y’all are overreacting. I’m atheist, but I don’t see what’s wrong with saying a prayer. Let them practice their religion. It’s atheists like you guys that make it seem like all atheists are devoted to attacking and defaming other religions. It’s disgusting.

First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came%E2%80%A6

It’s not the act of including a prayer in an official government function, which a school graduation is. It’s the official stamp of government approval that sets the tone of what is officially accepted.

How long do we sit on our hands & keep our mouths shut before we speak up. When it’s to late or just when it’s inconvenient & uncomfortable. Freedom is a constant battle to stand up for what is right. Damon Fowler is a true patriot in the highest sense of the word. It’s people like him that truly make all of us free, His detractor are the sheep that follow along with the status quo until they become the target of derision. Then who will stand up for them. Atheists have to stand up for christian & vice versa. That’s what joins us & makes us free. We forget that all freedom has it’s limits. There is a time & place for all things under heaven.

I will state for the record that I patriot that believes in the freedom of all, religious & not. Regardless of the the power of those to push their own views. The power of one should always be supreme when he stands up for what is right. If there were more people like Damon, we would all be more free,

We often say that it’s a free country. That freedom does not include persecuting those we don’t agree with. Sometimes the price of freedom is high. It should never be so high that we don’t aspire to it. If it is, we are no longer free.

I believe in the possibility’s of America & freedom. I am often disappointed in the reality of the our freedom in practice.

Good luck Damon in your future endeavors. Whether they know it or not, you are standing up for the freedom of your detractors too.

I disagree; the girl can say whatever she wants in her speech. The First Ammendment cuts both ways…Or invocation or whatever you might call it. Point being, if she was the valedictorian and decided to lead a prayer in the middle of her graduation speech I’d imagine there’d be an uproar about that. She should be allowed to comment on her religion. Also, how “noble” is this kid. He got a $1000 scholarship for what he did, I think someone could question his motives as well…

I highly, highly doubt the “sit down and shut up” people on this thread are atheists as many of them claim to be. i smell trolls in disguise. No self-respecting atheists, agnostic, or otherwise would have such a mindset.

Chipping in my $10 for Damon now. Good luck kiddo!

@inthewater

He wasn’t “forced” to pray. No one bent his head forward, shut his eyes, and folded his hands against his will. A prayer before a public school’s commencement, while illegal, is also something quick and painless. He’s not being persecuted or made a pariah for his atheism; he’s just digging himself into a hole by making such a massive deal out of one or two minutes of wasted time. Grin it, bear it, don’t deal with it again.

It’s not the point that the prayer is a quick thing and he should just “sit down and shut up”. Holy shit, I don’t know why some of you people do not get it and keep saying that. The point is that there is a separation of religion from state and that is the bottom fucking line. period DOT. Stop pretending like there’s no constitution.

One has to wonder – re: Student led prayer during the rehearsal.

If she had decided to light a candle, dim the lights and said a pagan prayer how the school would have felt.

They either allow everyone their viewpoint and restrict all speech or they promote a viewpoint and restrict all other viewpoint’s speech. I bet the administration would have flipped out. Religious freedom my ass. Freedom to be a watered-down Louisiana red-neck christian perhaps.

Go ahead and sue the school you spoiled little brat, it’ll set a good example.

Yeah it will – it will let you all know that even if you have an entirely Christian community that the rules pertaining to religion and school still in fact apply to you – no matter how many times you pray they don’t.

TED 2008: Humans Are Just Machines for Propagating Memes, Susan Blackmore Says http://bit.ly/kP4Qq8

“Girl” listed in the transcript has a name. While I certainly respect Mr. Fowler’s right to keep prayer out of the graduation ceremony, I also respect the right for Laci Mattice to provide an invocation based on her beliefs. Maybe Mr. Fowler should have offered to stand up after Ms. Mattice and offer up a moment of silence for his beliefs. Nobody asked him to pray with the rest of the graduating class. Even the ACLU should realize that prayer isn’t forced upon anyone—if you want to join in the prayer, then do so and if you don’t, then don’t. A Christian’s beliefs are no less important the the beliefs of all on this site. I ask each of you to step back for one moment and truly read what I have written. It goes much deeper than Atheist vs. Christian. We all have rights, and it is up to US to respect the beliefs of others.

You know many on here harp about how much money the school district is going to be sued, and how expensive this prayer is. But there are some things in this world that are much more important than money, money cannot buy truth or happiness. In the bible it tells of those persecuted loosing everything for their faith. If it meant loosing everything I’ve ever owned to say 1 prayer. As heavy hearted as I am in saying it, I would do it.

And for any of you to agree with harming someone monitarily for their faith as you stand up for your beliefs, well that’s just sad. Just because you believe in say- not eating pig- you should’nt sue someone that sits beside you in the food court eating a pile of bacon. That’s just taking advantage of another person.

Just because I don’t believe in the Muslim faith doesn’t mean I should stop their prayers, or sue them over it.

No, you just ignore it. Big deal that someone is acting in a seemingly crazy ritual to you. There’s plenty of seemingly crazy people out there doing seemingly crazy things. They may seem crazy to you but you shouldn’t be able to sue the man that eats at Starbucks for breakfast lunch and dinner just because you don’t believe it helps him in any way.

It’s funny to me that this has become a religious issue, when it is purely legal in nature. I don’t care what religion you practice, or if you don’t practice at all. The fact still stands that at a public, tax-funded function, there should be no religious proceedings. Also, just because the faculty didn’t “allow” Laci to pray doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have immediately intervened once her purpose was realized. The Constitution gives freedom of speech, but only insofar as it doesn’t infringe on the rights of others. Freedom OF religion where appropriate, and freedom FROM religion elsewhere. Tax-funded events are part of the latter. Good job, Damon. I wish I had your courage.

a man for christ is right. The law doesn’t matter. See, Christians don’t have to pay attention to “the law”, since Jesus brought them a new covenant.

This kind of thing makes me so sad. I am a Christian, and the verse where Jesus tells us not to use prayer to publicly bash others is so appropriate here. I hate that this, and the whole “rapture” thing this past weekend, and the Q’uran burning nut end up representing Christians. There are so many regular Christians out here, like all the ones I know (well, most of the ones I know) who just love God and love all the people he made, whether they believe the same or not. We DO want others to believe and come to faith – but really, does anybody think that bashing people over the head with our so-called faith is the way to make that happen? Not likely. So I will live my quiet Christian life, and hope that others see Christ in me, whether they choose to follow my faith, their own faith, or no faith. But I PROMISE not to use my faith publicly to harass anybody! EVER!!!

or he wished to destroy that society because he thought it was against the law.

I grew up in the 60s and 70s as the member of a minority Christian religion. I was forbidden to stand or bow my head during the school prayers that were commonplace at that time. I was taunted and shunned by most of my classmates. At that time any other non Christian students, i.e. Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, etc, probably just stood and tolerated the ritual. I was not given that option by my parents. The law that forbade school prayers came too late to save me from the emotional pain of my childhood but I applaud the lawmakers that have made this needed change. America is a nation of many faiths (and non faiths).
I am reminded of the civil rights movement and the blatant disregard for the constitution during those same decades by identical Bible-thumping Christians who are today tormenting and castigating people like young Damon. Many of the “Freedom Riders” and civil rights activists back in those days were athiest, by the way, and I am old enough to hear an echo of the ugly words spoken against them in the words of the students and faculty at Bastrop High. What literally boggles my mind is that many of the African American students at Bastrop are joining in the tirade against Damon.

do you feel marginalized and alienated?

Yep, you guys figured it out.

Damon was only in it for the money. What a greedy person, willing to get kicked out of their own house and lose all financial support from his parents just to get a $1,000 dollar scholarship.

Think before you blurt.

@ anAtheist

On a blog comment section, there is no way to prove claims to be true or false. Therefore, you have to make inferences from what people say. I’ve been participating on internet forums of one type or another for a long time and it is par for course that people will say they belong to the group in question (when they actually are not) in an attempt to peer pressure someone else into conforming to their point of view or to make it seem like the person does not have the support of members of their group.

On the other side of it, there are people who do belong to the group but don’t like it when other members of the group rock the boat. So they attack their own members in order to get them to stop raising a fuss. It is pretty typical behavior for any type of social movement and, yes, I think it is ignorant to certain degree.

You are free to disagree with the issue at hand. You are free to feel that this is a minor incident. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t. The separation of church and state is beneficial to both believers and non-believers and protecting it maintains the rights of both groups. This school has been violating the law for years and eventually someone had to tell them to stop. When do you think that moment should have come and who do you think should have done it?

Also, you are under no obligation to visit my website. I’m not sure why you seem to think that the existence of a link is a silent compulsion to click on it. Considering the way you handle yourself on this site, I’m glad you chose to stay away.

It seems to me that Damon is the only one true American in this fucked up community.

What would their Jesus say to it all?

People (Atheists) need to get serious with this shit, and quit being such cry baby douches.

If they don’t believe in god, then by their viewpoint the girl was just wasting her breath praying to some imaginary friend. If talking to imaginary friends a crime all of a sudden. LOL.

Why should Christians go out of their way to pander to the beliefs of a few atheists? Why do they always HAVE to be the ones to back down? Why is it Atheists are NEVER asked to make any concessions.

To quote Spock: The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

True American Heroe,
Whether you realize or not, you just undermined your own argument with the Spock quote. The needs of the many represent that everyone is protected from being subjected to any religion or faith from the government (i.e. the school & it’s graduation ceremony). When it comes to the government & it’s official functions & ceremony’s there should be no religion involved. Religion has no place in government. You can have it anywhere else you like but not in government. I tire of people that claim they have a right to do something. What you don’t understand you have a right until it interferes with someone elses rights. That’s where your rights end. I’ve been taught that I have the right to swing my arms all I want until my fist hits someone elses nose. That’s where my right to swing my arms ends, where the other guys nose begins. No ones rights trumps anyone elses rights. We are all equal under the law.

I am a Christian, but I don’t believe in shoving it down other people’s throats – especially among friends who are Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc. Some of us have a healthy respect for those of other faiths – or those who have none at all. It’s called personal choice.

“This school has been violating the law for years and eventually someone had to tell them to stop. When do you think that moment should have come and who do you think should have done it?”

I don’t know. However, I so hope we as a race can learn to live in peace and harmony at some point. The way I would have been most proud of would be one in which it would have produced more atheists and changed the way the people think and act in the community for the better. Something based on logic, reason, and maybe even fellowship and goodwill. I try to be that kind of positive force in my own life and even here on this blog, not destroying but giving all I can and setting a good example.

I’m sorry to say it but I disagree with some of views on this site and I am not afraid to say so. In fact, some views here are the same as religion and some are even worse! It just goes to show no matter what banner one chooses to wave, one still has to be on guard against abuse of power. Each generation, each individual, will have to meet this challenge anew in its own form in their own way…

And so the assault on common sense proceeds, each age performing the task in its own ways.

“”Is what is morally good commanded by God because it is morally good, or is it morally good because it is commanded by God?””

Boo Hoo Hoo…you athiests will never defeat Christ…He will always win! In fact he already has.

I know how you feel. I’m a Christian surrounded by family members that are athiests. I have to pretend I don’t pray. It’s a learned skill around the table at holidays:)

Martin Luther King Jr. was a devout Christian. His character is a reflection of what the Christian faith can bring.

It’s too bad that only about 5% of Christians have the fortitude that Dr King had.  And if you want to hold up Dr. King, you have to take the initiative to instead of defending them to atheists, hold your fellow Christians accountable for atrocities committed by them in your God’s name.