'New School Prayer' Exposed As Lies

• The piece below appeared in our small town newspaper this week, and outside of the obvious falsehoods, I'm at a loss to a response that drips with as much sarcasm.

  Do you or any readers have some idea, To play the game I would need to submit it as a rebuttal. But I really don't want to invite retribution, although my name has appeared more than once on opposition letters.

  John McClean

The New School Prayer Now I sit me down in school Where praying is against the rule For this great nation under God Finds mention of him very odd If scripture now the class recites It violates the Bill of Rights And anytime my head I bow Becomes a federal matter now Our hair can be purple, orange, or green That's no offense; it's a freedom scene The law is specific, the law is precise Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice ) For praying in a public hall Might offend someone with no faith at all In silence alone we must meditate God's name is prohibited by the state We're aloud to cuss and dress like freaks And pierce our noses, tongues, and cheeks They've outlawed guns, but first the Bible To quote the Good Book makes me liable We can elect a pregnant senior queen And the unwed daddy, our senior king It's "inappropriate" to teach right from wrong We're taught that such judgements don't belong We can get our condoms and birth controls Study Witchcraft, vampires, and totem poles But the Ten Commandments are not allowed No word of God must reach this crowd It's scary here I confess When the chaos reigns the school's a mess So, Lord, this silent plea I make: Should I be shot; My soul please take! Amen

John (Buddy) McClean

• See also: The 'New School Prayer': A Response In Kind by Jeff Ivy (a poetic rebuttal)

They printed this in the paper? That paper owes its readership quite a humble apology because praying is not against the rules at all! Kids can pray if they want: individually, in groups (consisting exclusively of those who want to pray), silently, or out loud. As long saying anything of their own volition is not against the rules, praying is not against the rules. Because speech over a PA system, for example, would be controled regarding other kinds of content, it would be controled regarding prayer. If three boys at a lunch table can discuss the anatomical traits of various female students, they could also freely pray at the lunch table.

This thing is little more than a list of lies! Were this newspaper in my town, I would not settle for simply writing a rebuttal (though I would do that), but I would also contact the editor by telephone and discuss possibly being given the proper space to rebut the lies listed in this thing.

All this is not to mention that the originals all contain a heart-wrenching plea to forward this to everyone in your address book because if you deny Christ on Earth, he will deny you in Heaven -- or something to that effect! In other words, "Spread this around or you'll go to Hell!" No wonder this thing is so popular! Brrrr!!

I'm not sure sarcasm is the most appropriate way to respond to this one, but in some cases, you do whatever you can do to get people's attention as long as it's not tacky and does not use falsehood. I responded in kind to the recent "Can We Pray?" spam that came out of the WTC atrocity. But when using humor, you gotta be real careful. The one must about humor, in my opinion, is to avoid what these people did: humor must be truthful; if it is satire, the fact that it's satire ought to be easily recognizable as such by anybody familiar with satire (a Mad Magazine editor, for example). But if your average reader is not likely to "get" that it's satire, then you'll have to tell them up front what it is.

Here is a complete legal analysis of "The New School Prayer," put together by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance (ReligiousTolerance.org) (and used with permission):
http://www.religioustolerance.org/ps_pra8.htm

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	"The New School Prayer"		What The Laws Really Say
	Now I sit me down at school, Where praying is against the rule.		Praying in school is not against the law. In fact, the U.S. Constitution guarantees students the right to pray in public schools; it is a protected form of free speech. A student can pray on the school bus, in the corridors, in the cafeteria, in their student-run Bible club, at the flagpole, sports stadium, and elsewhere on school grounds. They can even pray silently before and after class in the classroom. They are not allowed to pray solely Christian prayers as an organized part of the school schedule. However, they may be able to hear or read prayers from a variety of religious traditions and inspiring statements from secular sources. Prayers cannot solely be from a single religious faith group.
	For this great nation under God, Finds mention of Him very odd.		This is also untrue. On average, Americans are quite religious. Church attendance is higher than in any other industrialized nation. Attendance in the US is twice that of Canada and four times that of many European countries. However, in order to preserve the separation of church and state, there are a few restrictions on prayer in government facilities -- including public schools.
	If Scripture now the class recites, It violates the Bill of Rights.		Bible passages can be recited in class during the study of comparative religions. But they would have to be balanced by passages from other religions and statements from ethical movements.
	And anytime my head I bow Becomes a Federal matter now		As noted above, individual students are quite free to pray throughout their public school building and throughout their school day.
	Our hair can be purple, orange, or green, That's no offense; it's a freedom scene. The law is specific, the law is precise. Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.		As noted above, students are free to pray almost anywhere in school.
	For praying in a public hall Might offend someone with no faith at all.		It is true that, according to the Golden Rule, Christians should not perform acts which offend other people. Also, Matthew 6-5 & 6 does prohibit Christians from engaging in public prayer. But the main reason for restriction on school prayer is the principle of separation of church and state.
	In silence alone we must meditate.		Some states have passed laws requiring or allowing a moment of silence before class. But students are free to engage in prayer, meditation, or any other thought process, as long as they are silent.
	God's name is prohibited by the state.		It is not. One example is the national motto: "In God We Trust."
	We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks, And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks. They've outlawed guns, . . .		Students are allowed wide latitude in dress and jewelry, including religious clothing and accessories. It is true that schools do prohibit guns from the campus, for security reasons.
	. . . but FIRST the Bible. To quote the Good book makes me liable.		The Bible is not outlawed. The U.S. Constitution protects students' freedom of speech. They can quote freely from the Bible in their essays and projects. Passages from the Bible can even be read in the classroom, as part of a comparative religion class. But they have to be balanced with passages from the texts of other religions and from secular movements.
	We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen, And the "unwed daddy," our Senior King. It's "inappropriate" to teach right from wrong, We're taught that such "judgments" do not belong.		In most schools, students have the right to democratically elect their Senior Queen and King. Ethics and morality can be taught in school. But they cannot be taught from the perspective of a single branch of a single religion. The full range of beliefs of right and wrong need to be included. (See Note 1)
	We can get our condoms and birth controls,		Some schools do have condom dispensers or health clinics. These have been shown to be a very effective way of reducing unwanted pregnancy and STD transmission.
	Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.		True. Study of Witchcraft (a.k.a. Wicca) would be valid in a comparative religion course. So would totem poles, which are part of Native American spirituality. Vampire legends could form a part of history or sociology courses.
	But the Ten Commandments are not allowed, No word of God must reach this crowd.		This is wrong. The Ten Commandments can be taught; they can even be posted on the walls of public schools. However, they must not appear by themselves. Other religious rules of behavior and secular laws must accompany the Ten Commandments.
	It's scary here I must confess, When chaos reigns the school's a mess. So, Lord, this silent plea I make: Should I be shot; My soul please take! Amen		It is important to realize that schools are relatively safe places. An average of about two dozen students have been shot in U.S. schools annually in recent years. This compares with thousands shot outside of school buildings each year. Major factors involved in past in-school shootings have been:  •   very serious mental illness on the part of the perpetrator(s), or  •   revenge for years of hate, marginalization, and rejection of the perpetrators by the school's social elite. If prayers from a single religion were re-introduced into public classrooms, they would provide one more criteria by which the majority could discriminate against and marginalize minorities. The end result would probably be more school violence, not less.
	Note: 1. Concerning the teaching of ethics and morals: This is sometimes a delicate matter, prone to controversy: There are many moral and ethical topics about which a social consensus exists: e.g. abolition of slavery, racism, universal suffrage. These are taught freely in public schools with little objection.   There are some topics about which a near consensus exists, but on which vocal minorities hold divergent views. For example:   Over 99 percent of Earth and biological scientists believe that the Theory of Evolution is accurate. Conservative Christians generally believe in a competing belief: Creation Science. Many educators feel that only Evolution should be taught in science class, because Creation Science is not really a science. But others argue that creation science can appropriately be taught in a comparative religion class.   Birth control is generally accepted in society, and is practiced by most sexually active, fertile couples who are married or who live together. Many educators feel that information on birth control is an important topic to teach; others feel that it is inappropriate to educate teens on this matter. It is sometimes difficult for teachers to reach a compromise on these topics.   There are some legal topics about which no social consensus exists at all: access to abortion, spanking, physician assisted suicide, pre-marital sex, etc. Some argue that no education is complete unless a student examines all sides of these issues. Most educators believe that no single position on these topics should be taught as "right or wrong." link to full story:  http://www.positiveatheism.org/mail/eml8750.htm