- #36
kyleb
This isn't selective censorship; it is the distinct separation between religion and government, the same standard which restricts teachers from proselytizing their faiths in the classrooms as well.
Personally I think that's a completely different issue. People have to listen to teachers every day, and they're also perceived authority figures. A Valedictorian is neither.kyleb said:This isn't selective censorship; it is the distinct separation between religion and government, the same standard which restricts teachers from proselytizing their faiths in the classrooms as well.
McCombs isn't a teacher. She has the same relationship with the school as a customer winning a Big Mac in McDonald's Monopoly game. Likewise, the school bears the same responsibility for her conduct as the manager of a McDonald's has for the conduct of its customers.kyleb said:This isn't selective censorship; it is the distinct separation between religion and government, the same standard which restricts teachers from proselytizing their faiths in the classrooms as well.
I think the difference is what or how she said what she said.BobG said:What's the difference between her advice and McComb's except McComb uses an organized religion for her source while Cranor uses Dr. Seuss?
That is very specific to a particular religion - in a secular environment - or rather at a social gathering in a government facility."God's love is so great that he gave his only son up," she said, before the microphone went dead. She continued without amplification, "...to an excruciating death on a cross so his blood would cover all our shortcomings and provide for us a way to heaven in accepting this grace."
Fine, if McComb had said something like that, then it would have been OK."I wanted to say why I was successful, and what inspired me to keep going and what motivated me. It involved Jesus Christ for me, period."
"Proselytizing is improper in school-sponsored speech at valedictorian graduations," he said, adding the ACLU had sued in the past to ensure proselytizing was prevented at school-sponsored events.
arildno said:I don't see why people are arguing about this issue.
The student in question had been warned by the school beforehand (and they had every right to do so), yet in her own disgusting self-importance CHOSE to defy that.
She is nothing but a wilful, arrogant girl who believes ordinary rules don't apply to her just because she is "saved" by Jesus.
Well that is exactly was she was was trying to do, and she was censored.arildno said:Just a further note:
Anyone should, of course, be free and uncensored when it comes to saying what have been the sources of inspiration/success for themselves.
Don't bother to try coming off as the neutral observer. You are not, you are a partisan.MeJennifer said:Well that is exactly was she was was trying to do, and she was censored.
Sorry but only an idiot would think that if a student makes a speech and mentions religion that that implies that the school is endorsing religion.
I suspect this is more like:
This is a public school, she mentions Jesus, I don't like Jesus. So how can I use 'reason" to block here from saying it.
So much for tolerance.
God's love is so great that he gave his only son up," she said, before the microphone went dead. She continued without amplification, "...to an excruciating death on a cross so his blood would cover all our shortcomings and provide for us a way to heaven in accepting this grace."
I am curious what you think is intolerant and disrespectful about that?arildno said:This is intolerant, disrespectful, doctrinal raving and nothing else.
Well I respectfully disagree.arildno said:It is intolerant and disrespectful to heap unto non-believers doctrinal trash.
Again, you deliberately twist the issue. She made her valedictorian speech into a preaching sermon, something that was totally out of order, and that she had been told beforehand was not acceptable.MeJennifer said:Well I respectfully disagree.
I consider it greatly intolerant not to allow someone to express their religious beliefs.
Well I am sorry but this whole posting does not make a lot of sense to me.arildno said:Again, you deliberately twist the issue. She made her valedictorian speech into a preaching sermon, something that was totally out of order, and that she had been told beforehand was not acceptable.
No one would have protested if she had said that her faith had been a source of inspiration, strength and solace to her during her studies, but that is not what she did.
Rather, she showed by holding this sermon that she only regards the Bible and fellow Christians to have any sort of moral authority, that she belongs to the clique of the righteous few, and that everyone else are moral and human non-entities.
Against them, she can do whatever she pleases, not bothering about how they might feel about it.
And that is deeply disrespectful of her towards the audience (and humanity at large).
If McComb had stated "I was inspired by God and his only son to work hard, . . . " and left it at that, it probably would have been fine. Or she might have been restricted to "I am inspired by my religion (religious beliefs), Church, parents, . . .".MeJennifer said:""In my heart I couldn't say the edited version because it wasn't what I wanted to say," she told The Associated Press. "I wanted to say why I was successful, and what inspired me to keep going and what motivated me. It involved Jesus Christ for me, period." http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2006/jul/13/071310623.html"
Makes sense to me.
God's love is so great that he gave his only son up," she said, before the microphone went dead. She continued without amplification, "...to an excruciating death on a cross so his blood would cover all our shortcomings and provide for us a way to heaven in accepting this grace."
Smurf said:woah, Americans are so weird.
I'm sure he is talking about those of us who respect the separation of church and state.selfAdjoint said:Which weirdness are you commenting on here?
kyleb said:I'm sure he is talking about those of us who respect the separation of church and state.
To be complete, she had been warned, asked for justification for the decision, received an ambiguous response (the reason was ambiguous, not how the school would respond), and then decided to ignore the officials.Astronuc said:She had been warned, and she simply ignored the officials (which shows contempt for others who do not believe the same way), and delivered her message. She abused the privilege given to her - which in itself is rather hypocritical.
Prayer at Graduation
School officials may not mandate or organize prayer at graduation or select speakers for such events in a manner that favors religious speech such as prayer. Where students or other private graduation speakers are selected on the basis of genuinely neutral, evenhanded criteria and retain primary control over the content of their expression, however, that expression is not attributable to the school and therefore may not be restricted because of its religious (or anti-religious) content. To avoid any mistaken perception that a school endorses student or other private speech that is not in fact attributable to the school, school officials may make appropriate, neutral disclaimers to clarify that such speech (whether religious or nonreligious) is the speaker’s and not the school’s.
Yet it isn't here right to freedom of speech that is taken issue with here; but rather, again, her attempt to proselytize though the power of the state.selfAdjoint said:I thought it was maybe the somewhat incoherent behavior of priding ourselves on our prescriptive right to freedom of speech, and then tying ourselves in knots when somebody excercises, according to her own lights, that right.
selfAdjoint said:Students in schools do not have the freedom of speech that citizens in public do.
Neither do soldiers in the army or employees at work.
In all these cases there is legal authority to squelch, censor, bleep and delete speech that is incompatible with the authority's purposes. And this is all part of US law and conformable (say the courts) to our constitutional liberties.
The Cardinal of Chicago can't go with a bull horn and hector women going into an abortion clinic either. He calls it counseling and considers the ban a restriction on his freedom of speech.
All of them? :rofl:selfAdjoint said:Which weirdness are you commenting on here?
arildno said:(This is a comment to a now deleted post):
Hmm..why should exactly 3 abortions be conducive to her academic success?
However, that a personal faith may impart a sense of purpose, that your life is seen as meaningful, and at times, helpful as a crying pillow is well known.
Hence its relevance.
It by no means follow from this that hammering religious DOCTRINE into her public as she did is acceptable.
In particular since she had agreed not to do so.