Teen Atheist Wins: School District Won't Appeal Ruling to Remove Prayer Mural

Which if what she asked the school to do, when they said no she went with a lawsuit.

There is nothing wrong with the text of the "prayer", if they eliminated the...

The things wrong with the text are the items you just said could've been eliminated to fix it.

Personally, I have no tolerance for intolerance.

Now thats some awesome @!$%# you said right there and it sums it up perfectly.

Personally, I am a Christian. A pretty bad one perhaps, but one none-the-less. Jesus is The Man for me! However, my Faith is personal and i'm aware of that. I am also aware that there are many who do not my share my faith. And i'm okay with that. That is their absolute right for a multitude of reasons.

So I will always respect that. However, I should also have the right to display symbols of my faith without having to worry about somebody...well, being petty as @!$%#. And everybody here knows what i'm talking about.

Having no faith is your right and I wish you luck with that one when your Final Day comes. But your lack of faith doesn't mean you have the right to say our faith can't be displayed because it offends you.

Like people not saying "Merry Christmas" because it might offend somebody.

@!$%# you with that bull@!$%#. Hey @!$%#s, CHRISTmas. Get it? CHRISTmas. It's not a Happy Holiday. It's MERRY CHRISTMAS. I'll bet not a single one of you Atheist's turn down CHRISTmas GIFTS when they come your way. I'll bet you grin and say "Thank You and Merry Christmas to you too"!

Happy Holidays. Happy Holidays up your ass! Man, this @!$%# burns my ass sometimes. And I understand the Hard Core Christians are just as bad in their...bull@!$%#. But what I see happening is a total attack on pretty much any and all Faiths by those who choose to be Faithless.

There has to be a Middle Ground and a Tolerance for each other here. By both sides.

Period.

This is just another example of Atheist showing no tolerance for religion,

I have to disagree with you there.

Nobody is outlawing churches, nobody is silencing the ability for private citizens to practice or believe in their faith.

And nowhere is she trying to replace the banner with anything representing her mindset - she was looking for a neutral state.

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you.

A "Neutral State" for an Atheist in this day and age means the total elimination of every Religious symbol they have to see.

Let them tell it, they'll melt if they have to see a Cross or possibly hear other people pray. Their poor sensitivity and all that. It's all bull@!$%# man. Their simply making waves because they can....because they have nothing better to do with their time.

All I can say is, to each their own......

A "Neutral State" for an Atheist in this day and age means the total elimination of every Religious symbol they have to see.

Do you have examples of an atheist pushing for a removal of the first amendment somewhere?

In my experience, atheists tend to want a secular state, where only the government stays out of the question, but the people are free to choose to believe as they want, build churches, etc, as citizens.

There is nothing wrong with the text of the "prayer", if they eliminated the "Our Heavenly Father", the "Amen" and changed the Cranston School Prayer to the Cranston School Oath ot Motto, the "prayer" would still be there, but it wouldn't be prayer.

I have to disagree. The text of the prayer is listed below -

School Prayer

Our Heavenly Father,

Grant us each day the desire to do our best. To grow mentally and morally as well as physically. To be kind and helpful to our classmates and teachers. To be honest with ourselves as well as with others. Help us to be good sports and smile when we lose as well as when we win. Teach us the value of true friendship. Help us always to conduct ourselves so as to bring credit to Cranston High School West.

Even if they modified the "School Prayer" title, the body of the prayer is obviously a prayer. As you stated, 'the "prayer" would still be there.' The words "Grant us," "Help us," and "Teach us" are clearly words one uses to beseech god.

Also, U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Lagueux stated in his ruling -

"The purpose of the prayer banner was clearly religious in nature," and that "No amount of debate can make the school Prayer anything other than a prayer, and a Christian one at that."

Now,

The school should have known that to post a banner with the terms "Prayer", "Heavenly Father" and "Amen", would only serve to raise questions regarding Church/State issues.

Agreed, wholeheartedly. They should have removed it immediately once the complaint was filed by the ACLU on behalf of a unnamed parent. It would seem they thought the Christian religion was entitled to special treatment.

http://www.riaclu.org/documents/CranstonschoolprayerdisplayletterJuly62010.pdf

I would maintain the body of the prayer is still a prayer and would have to be significantly rewritten to be an oath or a motto. See above Judge Lagueux remarks.

This is just another example of Atheist showing no tolerance for religion,

I don't see how you can justify this statement. Atheism, per se, has tolerance for religion. However, religious doctrine must be kept out of government and public buildings (separation of church and state). No religion can be endorsed by the government or public agency. That is the heart of the Establishment Clause which you seemingly fail to understand or appreciate.

and those with religious beliefs having no tolerance for Atheist.

I'm sure there are exceptions, but this is what we've seen time and time again. This poor girl couldn't even get a local florist to deliver flowers to her. Jessica, currently a junior at the HS, will be harassed by bullies Christians for the remainder of her HS days.

Personally, I have no tolerance for intolerance.

A perplexing statement given your apparent intolerance towards atheists, secular government and our constitutional freedoms.

No, not off the top of my head. But I know I've seen and heard a good dozen or so cases over the past year where there was an issue because of either a Prayer or the 10 Commandments being displayed in a Public Venue.

It's just...I don't know. I simply think and feel that the petty intolerance or lack of acceptance has gone to far. To much Political Correctness.

But whatever. In the end, I don't need Statues or Plaques to have my Faith. To my way of thinking and my Faith, those who are non-believers will one day pay a very high price for their beliefs. Or lack of. I wish people would see the light, but in the end, that is a personal choice that only they can make.

I wish them the best of luck with that.....

No, not off the top of my head. But I know I've seen and heard a good dozen or so cases over the past year where there was an issue because of either a Prayer or the 10 Commandments being displayed in a Public Venue.

It's hard to answer vague references, but let me venture a guess or two.

Was it a Christmas scene? Those tend to be solved when the local government allows all options to display their desired messages and not play favoritism.

On a 10 commandments - was it on the venue of a court or a capitol building? Those really aren't "displays on a Public Vendue" - those would be monuments connected to the local government.