Spunky Homeschool

So Much For Salt and Light

Jun. 22, 2006 at 9:24 AM

Brittany McComb's high school valeictorian speech was cut short and her mic turned off by officials. According to the school's legal counsel her speech crossed the line from talk to "preaching" religion.

District legal counsel Bill Hoffman said the regulation allows students to talk about religion, but speeches can't cross into the realm of preaching.

"We review the speeches and tell them they may not proselytize," Hoffman said. "We encourage people to talk about religion and the impact on their lives. But when
that discussion crosses over to become proselytizing, then we to tell students they can't do that."

So what's the difference? Isn't one persons talk another person's proselytizing? How blessed we are to have the "neutral" state and their agents in the schools to help us determine which is which.

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2 Comments and Trackbacks

posted by SusannahCox on Jun. 22, 2006 at 10:33 AM

The question naturally arises: What is so wrong with proselytizing? Everybody does it, religious or no. As you pointed out, it's simply an attempt to convert someone to your ideas. Most commencement speeches are full of nothing but that: telling graduates what sort of lives they should lead, and why.

We are all inclined to present our opinions in such a way as to convince others we are correct. That's the whole point of speechifying. Speechifying doesn't change people, anyway. Either you agree with the speaker or you don't, and there's an end of it. It's not like someone's talking about an idea is going to forcibly convert you. It's weird, how downright scared people are of references to faith these days, to the point where they will suppress freedoms to get rid of them.

posted by gabalot on Jun. 24, 2006 at 2:49 AM

So help me here...how is this not a violation of her free speech rights. I am just not sure how this is suppose to work, I'm a bit confused. Every time I read items like these, I am more and more convienced that I am right about the fact that America is getting deeper and deeper in the toilet.

Jennifer

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