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Originally posted by Richard Munro:
Lee v. Weisman (1992)...prohibited prayers of any kind as part of a public school’s formal graduation ceremony.

You're a liar! The court held that, "Including clergy who offer prayers as part of an official public school graduation ceremony is forbidden by the Establishment Clause."

U.S. Supreme Court

LEE v. WEISMAN, 505 U.S. 577 (1992)

505 U.S. 577

ROBERT E. LEE, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS PRINCIPAL OF NATHAN BISHOP MIDDLE SCHOOL, ET AL.,PETITIONERS v. DANIEL WEISMAN ETC. CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT

No. 90-1014

Argued November 6, 1991

Decided June 24, 1992

Principals of public middle and high schools in Providence, Rhode Island, are permitted to invite members of the clergy to give invocations and benedictions at their schools' graduation ceremonies. Petitioner Lee, a middle school principal, invited a rabbi to offer such prayers at the graduation ceremony for Deborah Weisman's class, gave the rabbi a pamphlet containing guidelines for the composition of public prayers at civic ceremonies, and advised him that the prayers should be nonsectarian. Shortly before the ceremony, the District Court denied the motion of respondent Weisman, Deborah's father, for a temporary restraining order to prohibit school officials from including the prayers in the ceremony. Deborah and her family attended the ceremony, and the prayers were recited. Subsequently, Weisman sought a permanent injunction barring Lee and other petitioners, various Providence public school officials, from inviting clergy to deliver invocations and benedictions at future graduations. It appears likely that such prayers will be conducted at Deborah's high school graduation. The District Court enjoined petitioners from continuing the practice at issue on the ground that it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The Court of Appeals affirmed.

Held: Including clergy who offer prayers as part of an official public school graduation ceremony is forbidden by the Establishment Clause. Pp. 586-599.

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I find it incredible, personally, on the basis of history and tradition based on our Judeo-Christian heritage, that a school district could have a hundred years

The legal opinion says it was many years, not a hundred years.

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...of voluntary nondenominational prayer and this was considered completely normal and legal..

It is easy, but most injudicious, to forgive civil authority over religion when the religion being recommended by the government is that of the entire population involved in the matter. However, civil religion that offends just one member of the population is forbidden by the doctrine of "full and equal rights of conscience" which holds that all men are created equal and all religions are equal before the law, until they break out into overt acts against peace and good order.

Perhaps no one ever complained before about civil authority over religion, because all of the affected population believed in civil “corrupt” prayer, or maybe some were offended, but were afraid to complain. An individual’s right to be free from government influence on his religion is a God given right that is not terminated just because a bunch of fools do not value their rights of conscience.

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and all of a sudden this was prohibited BY GOVERNMENT ACTION AND FIAT.

The government has a duty to protect us from civil authority over religion. Violations of religious freedom should be crimes that carry sever punishment.

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I myself up to 1992 had attended more than a dozen high school graduations and was never offended or felt coerced or compelled to join a religion or to engage in any act.

That is because you do not acknowledge the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ over matters of religion.

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I remember the memorial service at Yankee Stadium for 9/11. All present were invited to sing the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

I don't remember being invited to sing the Battle Hymn of the Republic, and I was there.

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James Madison, our fourth president and the author of the American Constitution, said, "We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves ... according to the Ten Commandments of God." Apparently to Madison reference to the Bible was completely acceptable, nondenominational, non-coercive and ethical. Madison with humility acknowledged the people who came before him.

Why do you still use bogus quotations?

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A civic religion to paraphrase Lincoln, is the mystic chord of communal memory, which binds together a nation's citizenry and its history into a meaningful identity. We must have a meaningful identity and national unity or in the end the Republic will be dissolved meaning the end of all we have cared for or hold dear.

Lincoln worshiped in the House of Satan. He signed the bill to put "In God We Trust" on the nation's three cent piece, which was supposed to bring our nation under the protection of Divine Providence. Within two weeks, the divine protector allowed, or perhaps caused, President Lincoln to be assassinated. So much for the theory that God is impressed by a nation's religions forms, instead of its spiritual substance.

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Originally posted by Richard Munro:
1) I am glad to know your greatest authority is the INTERNET; there are more things in heaven and earth than to be found in your philosophy.

2) God bless us all; yes, one has hope that the truth may prevail despite anger, despite pride and despite PC languge police. There is always that hope but then there is always the unexpected too. Farewell anonymous gentleman.

I read you to say that you pulled "the stupid claim" out of your butt.

The previous writer wrote "Lincoln worshipped in the house of Satan". A fantastic, cruel, UNCHRISTIAN, UNCHARITABLE and frankly unprovable assertion.

I saw the memorial service at Yankee Stadium live on TV and of course it can be verified on the INTERNET, that the BATTLE HYMN WAS SUNG.
This,Sir, is well-documented.

It was much commented at the time that even the RABBIS and relgious of other faiths sang as well as many people with no religious ties. It was sung out of respect and love for our country.

In Memorials The Battle Hymn was played at the funerals of Robert F. Kennedy, Winston Churchill, and U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald R. Ford.

Judy Garland sang the song on her weekly television show in Novemeber1963 as a tribute to John F. Kennedy, who had died just that week.

"The Battle Hymn was played at the conclusion of the National Service of Prayer and Remembrance on Friday, September 14, 2001. "

www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/2001091


There is nothing unusual about the BATTLE HYMN BEING PLAYED AND SUNG in public ceremonies and it is a good example of civic religion, patriotism and voluntary nondenominational pubic prayer.

A prayer is spoken, sung or silent. It is an act of reverence or address that invokes God or a god or gods in words or thought. I love the Battle Hymn of course because it reminds me of great Americans and patriots who died to make this country free not only in 1862 but in 1917, 1942, 1952, 1972, 1991 and today. I appreciate its sincere religious feeling but consider it primarily a patriotic song.

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Originally posted by Richard Munro:
The previous writer wrote "Lincoln worshipped in the house of Satan". A fantastic, cruel, UNCHRISTIAN, UNCHARITABLE and frankly unprovable assertion.

Any one who trespasses on "the things that are God's" might as well worship demons. I like to make broad sweeping generalization and demonize those who don't share my views on religious liberty. I learned it from you.