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Religion

Cartoonist

(7,557 posts) Wed May 23, 2018, 11:24 PM May 2018

Tough call [View all]

I'm not sure which side to take. I oppose censorship, but what was the school's policy, and did the student know it?

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2018/05/23/valedictorian-speech-censor-jesus/

SCIOTA, IL (CBS Local) – An Illinois high school valedictorian has hired a lawyer after claiming that school officials demanded he remove all religious references from his graduation speech.

Sam Blackledge was set to deliver the speech at West Prairie High School on May 19. According to the 18-year-old, school administrators informed him that he needed to take out anything that mentioned God and Jesus minutes before Blackledge was scheduled to go on stage.

“It was terrible. I felt like I wanted to cry,” the valedictorian said, via The Kansas City Star. “Christ is the only reason I was a valedictorian. He’s the reason I got that 4.0. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be up there. I was giving him the credit for that.”

23 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Tough call [View all] Cartoonist May 2018 OP

to be fair would they take out santa claus aas the reason for the kid's degree? msongs May 2018 #1

Without actually seeing the speech itself, it's impossible to comment. PoindexterOglethorpe May 2018 #2

Does not apply in this case. Voltaire2 May 2018 #4

Yeah, really have to see the speech. Mariana May 2018 #6

As an individual and not a school official he should Voltaire2 May 2018 #3

Agreed, with the caveat that... NeoGreen May 2018 #5

"Free to utter whatever idiocy he wanted." yallerdawg May 2018 #11

"Free to utter whatever idiocy he wanted" Mariana May 2018 #12

I didn't mention religion. Voltaire2 May 2018 #17

Religion group on a religion thread? yallerdawg May 2018 #18

The issue is free speech. Voltaire2 May 2018 #20

As a progressive unaffiliated apatheist I take offense to your offense Major Nikon May 2018 #19

Being it's a speech at a graduation, things get a little different (Lee v Weisman) Cuthbert Allgood May 2018 #14

I disagree with that decision. Voltaire2 May 2018 #21

Personally, I think student addresses at graduations MineralMan May 2018 #7

I mostly agree, but I think there are some important considerations. Act_of_Reparation May 2018 #8

Well, the answer to that is for the school to be hands off on those MineralMan May 2018 #9

Correct, that's where it gets a little hazy. trotsky May 2018 #10

We have a pretty good idea of what would happen Mariana May 2018 #13

Their answer would be: "But that's different." MineralMan May 2018 #16

Well if you had pranked them anyway, everyone would remember marylandblue May 2018 #22

Too easy, though. Yes, I could have given a speech MineralMan May 2018 #23

"...minutes before Blackledge was scheduled to go on stage." Iggo May 2018 #15