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Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery has ruled that nobody at Medina Valley Independent School graduation ceremony can use religious terms
by StuartJune 3rd, 2011
29 Comments
You’ll have to forgive me for saying this, but as I hail from the UK, sometimes I read of events in the US that exhibit such animosity towards Christians and Christianity, it stuns me.
This is a good case in point, in which every Christian voice is legally censored at a graduation ceremony, in order to protect one atheist family from suffering “irreparable harm” and “anxiety” should anyone utter a prayer at the ceremony.
A federal judge has ordered a Texas school district to prohibit public prayer at a high school graduation ceremony.
Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery’s order against the Medina Valley Independent School District also forbids students from using specific religious words including “prayer” and “amen.”
The ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed by Christa and Danny Schultz. Their son is among those scheduled to participate in Saturday’s graduation ceremony. The judge declared that the Schultz family and their son would “suffer irreparable harm” if anyone prayed at the ceremony.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said the school district is in the process of appealing the ruling, and his office has agreed to file a brief in their support.
“Part of this goes to the very heart of the unraveling of moral values in this country,” Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott told Fox News Radio, saying the judge wanted to turn school administrators into “speech police.”
“I’ve never seen such a restriction on speech issued by a court or the government,” Abbott told Fox News Radio. “It seems like a trampling of the First Amendment rather than protecting the First Amendment.”
Judge Biery’s ruling banned students and other speakers from using religious language in their speeches. Among the banned words or phrases are: “join in prayer,” “bow their heads,” “amen,” and “prayer.”
He also ordered the school district to remove the terms “invocation” and “benediction” from the graduation program.
“These terms shall be replaced with ‘opening remarks’ and ‘closing remarks,’” the judge’s order stated. His ruling also prohibits anyone from saying, “in [a deity’s name] we pray.”
Should a student violate the order, school district officials could find themselves in legal trouble. Judge Biery ordered that his ruling be “enforced by incarceration or other sanctions for contempt of Court if not obeyed by District official (sic) and their agents.”
Is this not a form of dangerous madness, or am I overreacting?
Posted by Stuart James
29 Comments
No, Stuart. You are not overreacting. We have a major problem in this country with Judges like Biery.
Everyday I get up in the morning, scan the news and am amazed by what I read.
That’s the left for you. They will fight tooth and nail to grant a murdering Muslim terrorist freedom to practice his religion in prison, but should an innocent christian child want to pray at graduation, that’s just over the line. The hypocrisy of the left in this country beyond comprehension.
That’s the left for you. They will fight tooth and nail to grant a murdering Christian terrorist freedom to practice his religion in prison, but should an innocent Muslim child want to pray at graduation, that’s just over the line. The hypocrisy of the left in this country beyond comprehension.
Fixed… Although it still works in your example, I wanted to include the other side.
Not just in Jail. But even worse, IMO, are Public SCHOOLS!!! Field Trips to Mosques w/ actual call to prayer just “so happening” during their visit (in one case, a Jewish boy even took part!), parents weren’t notified about the altered “Islam Educational hour” or the ‘accidental’ prayer until it was posted on you tube by a very upset parent and teacher that recorded the whole thing. Parents were told it was about the architecture! And straight out lies plauguing what history books our kids get, regarding the history of Islam. No, nothing about the MILLIONS of innocent lives they killed, enslaved, or forced to convert, all in the name of allah! Though Catholics are picked a part over the crusades, ignoring the FACT that it was to STOP the murder of innocent Christians and to RETURN stolen land back to the RIGHTFUL owners!
And let’s not forget about Our Work Places!!! You know what the media will not tell you….. While many Muslims are suing to have separate prayer rooms that abide by the correct direction, as well as Employers to accommodate prayer time and official religious observances (like the brand new, probationary teacher that decided that this year, her first year at a new job- not any job, a primary school teacher of science (which there is also a shortage of to even sub)- decides that she HAS to do her jpurney to mecca (again, there is no time restraints on this, only that it’s done once during life). School says NO WAY! Union and a Muslim group sues….. She WINS!!!!???!!!
Even more intriguing about all of this, and is NEVER written about in Left leaning media, and very rarely mentioned in right leaning…… Muslims in the Middle East, No, Construction sights do NOT shut down, Factories do NOT stop, and so on, for prayer! They work the hours that they are required! They pray when they are not on the clock, Lunch, Before work, after work, etc! They also are not given leave to venture off to Mecca (though closer and wouldn’t require the, I believe 4 weeks the teacher /needed’) w/ only being at a new job for less than a year.
Sorry for the rant! Guess the daily articles w/ yet another story of PC (Political Correctness), as the media calls it, but I doubt is truly behind this caliphate the has taken Europe and now attacking us, while Americans are to afraid to open their eyes or mouth, or will just dismiss the truth as a hateful biggot telling lies.
Truly amazing how quickly an entire country of people will forget/ forgive a historically radical group over 9/11, yet can’t forgive those that are friends for something IMMENSELY smaller. I am starting to believe that there were/ are greater forces manipulating and behind 9/11, carefully orchestrating, for the end goal of a OWN! No I do NOT think Bush was a part of this or had any knowledge of 9/11, pne only needs to look in to his eyes and watch his face as he is told the horrific news. Plus his actions while finishing the story. The Anger, Sadness, Worry, that just can’t be faked that extremely well, and definitely not by Bush :0)!
So to make ONE student “happy”, we deny how many others. If they don’t want to listen to the prayer…stay at home!
Judge Biery in my view has crossed the line and has stomped on the First Amendment. The purpose of the Amendment is to protect citizens from all walks of life from censorship by the government. His ruling is opposite of what the Amendment says. While some may not appreciate religious or political speech, but it is the right of every “individual” American to speak, pray and write freely. That is the right granted by the Bill of Rights. These rights do not constrain citizens but are meant to constrain government and the courts from denying liberty and free speech to citizens.
I think the higher courts have already ruled that while the school can’t say a prayer, students can say a prayer or mention God in their parts of the program. If that is indeed the case, this will be overturned – but too late to do any good this this school this year. Something tells me though that some students are going to make their voices heard on this regardless of what the judge wants.
The Federal Appeals Court just overturned this judge’s ruling. That was fast. See http://www.npr.org/2011/06/03/136934940/court-lifts-ban-on-prayer-at-high-school-graduation?ft=1&f=1016 for the details.
Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the poor individual who started this, can plug their ears, upon a cue from the podium.
One graduating class went through this discrimination at their ceremony, UNTIL all at once, the graduating class sneezed all together, and the person at the podium cheerfully said “God Bless You!”
Applause
In colonial America, this judge would have been tarred and feathered. He needs to be impeached. He so egregiously was attempting to deny the freedom of speech and religion of the girl and most of the students, his anti-god bias and draconian temper were amply displayed. We don’t need judges like him and he should be ashamed, should be condemned and should be removed from office.
Not all Americans are Christians. Further your religion should be LIVED not simply displayed at public gatherings.
I’m not sure where your education in american constitutional law was gained – religiously biased websites, perhaps? – but no government institution may promote ANY religion. “blessing” the graduating class is a clear violation of the constitution. IF this young lady had wished to merely pray for herself, that would be fine and no one would have objected. However, she instead was leading the entire graduating class in a specific religion.
you christians are so eager to be persecuted to prove your self-righteousness that you see bugaboos around every corner.
Yes, you are overreacting. None of the attendees’ voices are being restricted. Anyone at the graduation can say their own prayer. The issue is that the school is not allowed to endorse or lead the prayer. Public school is not a place for religion. If you want your kid to have a Christian prayer at their graduation, send them to a Christian school. Likewise if you’re Muslim, Jewish, or any other religion and you would like the religion to be an integral part of your child’s education.
Yes, Stuart, you are overreacting. By the way, isn’t the idea of saying prayers to imaginary entities the very definition of “dangerous madness”?
The Judge did not target Christianity, specifically. The self-victimization here is really from a view askew. It would have prohibited any religion from offering a prayer that reflects a specific religious context of any sort.
You need to separate the growing concern in regards to the separation of church and state from any notion that this is somehow a left-wing bid specifically against Christianity. If it were Islam, or Baha’i or other that was offering a bid for prayer, the ruling still would have applied. It’s easy to lose sight of that when you belong to a majority group in terms of religious context present in a given subculture.
If it seems segments of Christianity seem particularly targeted, it is likely because (a) with many such cases in America, Christianity is the dominant religious culture represented, and/or (b) in America, segments of Christianity, in particular, continues to make claims that America ought to be a theocracy.
Well said.
I should have said “blessing” or language” rather than “prayer” in my post above but you get the idea.
I would love to see the reaction if a muslim or hindu said a prayer. Guarantee they would be all up in arms about that.
Show me a Christian who would not feel upset if a mandatory prayer to Odin or Zeus were made at said graduation ceremony. The establishment clause protects theists from this stuff, too.
Yes, you’re overreacting. Unless, of course, you actually do consider the US Constitution to be “dangerous nonsense”…
*”madness”*
Article III of the US Constitution states “Judges are apointed for periods of “Good behavior”, it’s clear Biery isnt behaving well, legislating from the bench, and violating the Constitutional rights of many……say good bye Judge….get a life, preferably far away from the rest of us…
Mandy, maybe you should re read the 1st ammendment… Congress “Shall Make NO law” is how it begins…..and that would include a Judge….especially since he is in the Judicial Branch , NOT Legislative.
with the forcible encroachment of islam into America, the last thing we need is an Anti Christian Judge intimidating people from the bench…..I’ll bet is sides with Shariah Laws as well….
Is this Judge Biery trying to Jerk us around. Inform the Judge to send me all the cash the family has because it will cause them irrparable harm and anxiety to look at it. as it says In God We Trust.
I feel this man is a Black robed Idiot and is causing Irrparable harm and Anxiety to many a family, when they can’t pray at such an important event.
There shall be no law made prohibiting the free exercise of Religion: read about it in the Constitution amendment 1. This Judge reminds me of the Evil Judges you read about in the Bible.
Freedom OF religion is part of the first amendment as well as freedom FROM religion. The law doesn’t prohibit the people in the audience from praying, only the people on stage from forcing the audience into their prayer. The thing with freedom of speech is that it has limitations, and one of those is forced audience. Public school is a legal requirement. You have to go to school, and if you graduate, you need to (I suppose to could miss it but there is no reason you should have to) go to graduation. For that reason, public schools can’t take a stance on religion or politics. It would be like if your school all of a sudden decided to start teaching islam. You probably wouldn’t be too happy with it. In a free society, you shouldn’t be forced into a different belief system by the government.
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