By Ed Randazzo
An update to my post of 6/3/2011: A federal appeals court has lifted the order by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery banning public prayer at a Texas high school graduation Saturday. (See the previous post below)
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals thought differently, reversing the judge’s ruling Friday and allowing students to say the word “amen” and invite the audience to pray during the ceremony.
“This is a complete victory for religious freedom,” said Kelly Shackelford, president/CEO of Liberty Institute. “No citizen has the right to ask the government to bind and gag the free speech of another citizen.”
Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery’s initial ban had been denounced as an “activist decision” by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who called it “exactly the wrong civics lesson to teach to the class of 2011.”
Justice has been served and I say Praise God.
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A U.S. judge ruled on Tuesday that a high school graduation in the state of Texas may not include an opening and closing prayer or the words “invocation” or “benediction.”
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ruled that using those words would make it sound like Castroville’s Medina Valley High School, in a suburb of San Antonio, is “sponsoring a religion.”
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.
Really? “Irrepparable harm” from a prayer?
“Christa and Danny Schultz, who describe themselves as agnostics, sued the district, claiming that their son might not participate in the graduation set for Saturday if he were forced to participate in religious activities.
Wait a minute. Mrs. Schultz’s name is Christa? Isn’t the young Schultz traumatized by mom’s name? Maybe she is the source of his “irreparable harm.”
Biery ruled that students who are speaking at graduation can still talk about their faith, or cite a belief in God as the reason for their success, but they may not say “amen” or “God bless you,” or have the audience rise and bow their heads. Gee, how big of you Judge Biery to permit some freedom of speech. I wonder if you would share with us how you became the authority on free speech and how it is that you can cancel and supercede the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution?
I am going to make an assumption here that you can read English. I ask that you really concentrate and employ your reading comprehension skills to read and understand the following. It is the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution, you know part of that document you swore to defend and uphold.
I pray that you will be able to understand it. Amen.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
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