School: You may not recite
prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, by Todd Starnes,
6/13/17, (Courtesy First Liberty Institute)
Moriah Bridges wanted
to thank God for His immeasurable blessings on Beaver High School’s graduating
class. But she could not, because it was against the law.
The Pennsylvania
teenager wanted to offer thanksgiving to the Almighty for parents and coaches
and teachers. But again, she could not, because it was against the law.
“Make us selfless.
Make us just. Make us successful people, but more than that, make us good
people,” Moriah wanted to pray. But that too, was determined to be unlawful.
This is the America,
the land of the free, the home of the brave. But it is also a place where a
young teenager girl is not permitted to mention the name of Jesus Christ or
anything remotely religious in a graduation speech at a public high school.
Moriah Bridges, a
member of the 2017 graduating class, was asked to provide what they call the
closing exercise at Beaver High School’s graduation on June 2. She crafted a
lovely prayer that mentioned her “Heavenly Father” and her “Lord.”
“Lord, surround us
with grace and favor everywhere we go,” she prayed. “Soften our hearts to teach
us love and compassion, to show mercy and grace to others the way that you
showed mercy and grace to us, even to the ultimate sacrifice. Help us love our
brothers and our sisters deeply. Lead us to bless them.”
Unfortunately, Moriah was
not permitted to deliver that prayer, thanks to the Beaver Area School
District. On May 31, the
district notified the teenager that her prepared remarks were unlawful,
unconstitutional, and therefore, impermissible.
“The selected students
may still address their class and indicate the things that they wish/hop for
their class, but they may not do it in the style of a prayer and most certainly
may not recite a prayer that excludes other religions (by ending ‘in the name
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” or “in the matchless name of Jesus,’”
principal Steven Wellendorf wrote to Moriah in a letter.
The principal flat-out
told the young lady that prayer – even student-led prayer – is not permissible
by federal law. “I was shocked that
the school said my personal remarks broke the law and I was saddened that I
could not draw upon my Christian identity to express my best wishes for my
classmates on what should’ve been the happiest day of high school,” Moriah
said.
Moriah abided by the
school district’s edict – and then she contacted First
Liberty Institute, one of the nation’s top religious liberty law firms. “The last lesson this
school district taught its students is that they should hide their religious
beliefs from public view,” First Liberty Institute attorney Jeremy Dys told me. “That fails the test of the First
Amendment.”
It wasn’t Moriah who
broke the law, it was the school district, Dys said. “In short, school
officials – in violation of the First Amendment – forced Moriah to censor her
personal remarks during the closing exercise of her commencement ceremony
merely because of the religious viewpoint of her remarks,” the attorney said.
“Because of Dr. Rowe’s instructions, Moriah was muzzled and
restrained by school officials on the penultimate day of her high school
career.”
The U.S. Department of
Education has a long-standing policy regarding student speech, a policy that
covers graduation ceremonies. “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,” the policy reads. Dys is calling for a
meeting with school officials – but so far they have not responded.
The school district’s
suggestion that Moriah should offer wishes or hopes for her fellow graduates is
ludicrous. Moriah was not praying to some sort of fairy godmother. She was
praying to Almighty God.
Ironically, by
refusing to allow a student to pray in the name of Jesus Christ, the school
district excluded the Christian religion.
But these days
excluding Christianity to achieve inclusiveness is a standing operating
procedure on high school campuses.
Todd
Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary. His latest book is “The Deplorables’ Guide to Making
America Great Again.”
Follow him on Twitter @ToddStarnes and find him
on Facebook.
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