Jessica Ahlquist Has Won Her Lawsuit!

[Ian David]

Jessica Ahlquist Has Won Her Lawsuit!

...

The religious banner that hangs in the auditorium at Rhode Island’s Cranston High School West will soon be coming down.

The official statement from Jessica won’t be out for a little while and the media stories will surely follow. But for now, we can take heart in that Facebook update.

This is what is was all about:



More:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/01/11/jessica-ahlquist-has-won-her-lawsuit/

All they really should have done was remove the parts that say, "School Prayer," "Our Heavenly Father," and "Amen," without having to wait to be sued.

[Angry Dragon]

1. I am a huge organized religion basher

and I do not find this offensive

[Ian David]

2. It's a call to prayer in a public school. n/t

[Angry Dragon]

5. I am allowed to pray in school, any school

I am just not allowed to lead others in prayer
I look at this more as a silent prayer
I really do not see the harm

If the school is making the students say it then there is a problem


edit: I found this part interesting: 'The Court refrains from second-guessing the expressed motives of the Committee members, but nonetheless must point out that tradition is a murky and dangerous bog.'
When the courts hold judicial precedent in such high regard

[Ian David]

9. The SCHOOL is posting a call to prayer in a public school.

This is the school, the administration, calling for prayer-- not a student.

Come on.

This is easy.

[Riktor]

21. Wrong on all counts, sir.

The school hanging a banner, advertising a school prayer, is an official endorsement of religion, which is contrary to the First Amendment of the Constitution. Sure, you are allowed to say whatever prayer you want in school, but administrators are not allowed to tell you, or even suggest, to whom you should pray, or what words you say. The school is in the wrong here, whether the banner is offensive or not.

[greyl]

4. Well, you can't be right all the time. ;) nt

[PassingFair]

6. So they should change it to "heavenly MOTHER" and then hear the squawking.

Bullshit paternalistic religious claptrap.

Take out the "heavenly father" and the "Amen"
and it still says the same thing.

Why jazz it up with Jeebus?

[Humanist_Activist]

8. What does offensiveness have to do with it?

We are talking about legality and keeping within Constitutional restraints.

[Angry Dragon]

11. If you feel that strongly about Constitutional restraints

why are your tax dollars being paid to ministers for Congress
hundreds of thousands of dollars every year??

I just do not see the big deal with this prayer

[Humanist_Activist]

13. Because Congress also violates the first amendment...

I don't see what you are getting at here, you seem unfocused, the point being that ANY violation of church/state separation should be opposed.

[awoke_in_2003]

24. I am against that, too. nt

[lindysalsagal]

19. Thankyou.

My daughter is jewish and would know that at her temple, they don't make prayers like that. Seeing that in a school would make her feel unwelcome. That's why it's not OK: because every child must feel welcome at school.

[Curmudgeoness]

12. It is offensive.

It is a prayer, it says it is a prayer, and it has no business being posted in a public school.

As the OP says, take the Heavenly Father, Amen, and title off, then it is not offensive. But apparently, that was too much to ask.

[ChadwickHenryWard]

23. It is unequically illegal.

The school is not allowed to promote prayer in any way. This is not controversial at all. Anybody with a passing knowledge of the relevant case law could have predicted this outcome.

[greyl]

3. Sweet! nt

[DissedByBush]

7. But that would solve the problem

"All they really should have done was remove the parts that say, "School Prayer," "Our Heavenly Father," and "Amen," without having to wait to be sued."

Their goal was the promotion of religion, not just student motivation, so making it inoffensive was not desired.

[Ian David]

10. Yes, this is true. They were definitely of the "Believe as we say OR ELSE" bent.

As evidenced by their harassment of the student who complained.

[onager]

14. Update with some bad news...

Not surprising, though...

Last night, in the comment section of the Providence Journal article on the decision, one of the good guys left Jessica’s home address in the comments so other good guys could go make her life miserable (as well as the lives of her sick mother and younger siblings). Their was no rebuke of the administrators’ law-breaking, but there was an implicit call for harassment (or worse) from those who were willing. And over the course of this ordeal we’ve learned there were a lot of good Christians who were willing. And somehow Jessica is the bad guy.

http://freethoughtblogs.com/wwjtd/2012/01/12/jessica-ahlquist-totally-was-the-bad-guy/

The local Fundie radio station here in L.A. cashed in on Ahlquist tonight, with a really annoying bait-and-switch. I posted about it in the Ahlquist thread in the Religion forum.

[Ian David]

15. Typical sore-loser thuggery. n/t

[mr blur]

16. Check out the vile reactions from some christians and others:

Feel that Christian luurve:

http://jesusfetusfajitafishsticks.blogspot.com/2012/01/ahlquist-screenshots-if-by-christian.html

[BiggJawn]

17. Oh, but those aren't RealChristians(tm)

Just ask one, they'll tell you "Oh, but those people are not RealChristians(tm). We should pray for them."

[Kolesar]

18. "Help us to be good sports and smile when we lose"

Political note: right wing issues depend upon conflict and divisiveness.

[lindysalsagal]

20. The church is whitewash for hate.

Sanctimonious hate.

[darkstar3]

22. Ah, the "I'm not perfect, I'm forgiven" crowd.

And people wonder why the continuous and overt display of religion in this country disturbs me...

[awoke_in_2003]

25. I live in the babble belt...

the "love of Jeebus" is par for the course.