Crowd stunned after valedictorian rips up speech, recites Lord’s prayer

[bodecea]

come on all you prayers..where does your god tell you to pray?

Prayer

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:


“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]
but deliver us from the evil one.’

14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.


In Hypocrites, he's talking about the people that try to make the prayers out to be about THEM and not about God. They want to be seen by others as holy, but are really just out for themselves and how much they can collect from the unknowing crowds. He is not saying it's not good to say a prayer. And he is not saying we should ONLY pray in the shadows. There's many instances through the Bible where people prayed together.

There are several versions of that prayer....are you sure that's the one he recited?

 

[bodecea]

what people who try to step on other peoples rights have to realize, that eventually the people pushed are going to start pushing back. and that is what you are seeing here. what you try to suppress will be even more in your face. look what you gun grab attempts did. gun ownership is up. people are buying up every piece of ammunition available, every reloading supply. all you are achieving is the exact opposite of what you want. and what will really add fuel to the fire is a high profile story like this getting major response. it becomes a rallying point.

So...what Spoonman just admitted is that this was about "pushing back".....not sincere prayer at all. Is that the purpose of prayer for christians these days? For some, it appears to be so.

 

[JakeStarkey]

The prayer was sincere and those who are unhappy can step off.

 

[Spoonman]

what people who try to step on other peoples rights have to realize, that eventually the people pushed are going to start pushing back. and that is what you are seeing here. what you try to suppress will be even more in your face. look what you gun grab attempts did. gun ownership is up. people are buying up every piece of ammunition available, every reloading supply. all you are achieving is the exact opposite of what you want. and what will really add fuel to the fire is a high profile story like this getting major response. it becomes a rallying point.

So...what Spoonman just admitted is that this was about "pushing back".....not sincere prayer at all. Is that the purpose of prayer for christians these days? For some, it appears to be so.

as long as you are wiling to admit that your pushing back against anti homosexuality is not sincere at all. I mean why do you push back? because someone is trying to crush your rights? your plight is no different then his

 

[Caroljo]

no he was not...he was suppose to give a speech not witness to the people....i am so sick of christians who do not read or know their bible but want to force their religion on others....simple as this.....no one stops you from praying we just dont want to be forced to hear it or be a part of it....

why is only your religious freedoms important?

If anyone didn't want to hear it there was nothing stopping them from plugging their ears or walking out. This was HIS day and freedom of speech means he has a right to say what he wants when he wants. If you don't like it, just walk away.

Hell....I turn the tv channel every time Obama's face comes on. Ya...it's THAT easy! If you don't want to listen to something, don't!

do you know the necessary ingredients for a speech? One of them is having a "receptive" audience asswipe. Once you start talking about sky pixies, in particular a certain sky pixie, you alienate a goodly portion of the audience.

Oh well.....it was his choice. Guess he didn't care. He did what he felt he needed and wanted to do.

 

[Ravi]

The prayer was sincere and those who are unhappy can step off.

I doubt it was anything more than a political statement and therefore not sincere whatsoever. Still, as far as I can tell from the rules of the school it was not against the rules. Merely rude.

 

[Caroljo]

come on all you prayers..where does your god tell you to pray?

Prayer

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:


“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]
but deliver us from the evil one.’

14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.


In Hypocrites, he's talking about the people that try to make the prayers out to be about THEM and not about God. They want to be seen by others as holy, but are really just out for themselves and how much they can collect from the unknowing crowds. He is not saying it's not good to say a prayer. And he is not saying we should ONLY pray in the shadows. There's many instances through the Bible where people prayed together.

There are several versions of that prayer....are you sure that's the one he recited?

No I'm not, but I guess we could watch the video and find out. I only saw a portion of it on tv yesterday, I haven't watched the whole thing. And yes, there are different versions, but they're all basically the same, a few different words, same meaning.

 

[koshergrl]

...

The kid worked hard to become the valedictorian, the podium was his. At that moment, in that venue, nobody was using taxpayer resources to promote one religion over another. The kid was well within his rights to take a moment and mention what his faith meant to him getting through his high school years as the top student in academics.

(My bold)

No, the podium wasn't his. The right to speak - to deliver his vetted remarks to school & parents - was his. If the board of education had been sharper, they would have halted the proceedings right there, the moment the student began his prayer. Instead, they get to beggar the district & lose a v. contentious court battle - IF the dissenting students/parents care to pursue the issue.

Taxpayer resources - well, let's see - there's the building, the seating, the microphone, the podium, the PA system, convoking the graduation ceremonies, the land the school sits on, the curriculum, the personnel, the state board of education & the various state board of education departments that sweat out textbook selection, teacher prep, licensing teachers, hiring, firing, promotion - your average school district probably runs a budget of a couple $ million/yr, @ least - lot of it personnel & benefits costs, to be sure. There's a whole logistic chain that ran right off the tracks when the valedictorian felt the spirit move him.

Yah, he could have mentioned how helpful his religious life was to his academic achievement - but that's not what he did. He recited the Lord's Prayer, Protestant version. & the crowd went wild. If he did this in protest of the atheist clamor against prayer @ commencement, he's probably guaranteed that next year's graduation will go without any student speech whatsoever. & the district could still face court action, to boot. I think it's called a Pyrrhic victory ... but yep, he put a thumb in them furrin Northerner's judicial eye, awright, so it's all good ...

For the life of me, I can't figure out whether or not you think prayer is appropriate in this context. I think you're saying it's the job of the school board to strong-arm people who dare to openly pray when they are on public property.

In which case, you're full of shit. No, the school board is not an enforcement committee charged with racing up on the stage and hustling off radical prayers to the back.

And it's perfectly appropriate for a child graduating from a public school to lead those who wish to join in, in a solemn prayer. It's a shame they aren't allowed to just close with a prayer, and it's a shame that the mere mention of "God" brings the roof crashing down and signals the end of that person's moment on stage...if we were true to the Constitution, the valedictorian would be able to say their speech and lead in prayer and there would be no uproar at all.

 

[Caroljo]

matthew 6:6

Well I'll tell you one thing...if I'm on the street and I see a disaster about to happen, I'm going to pray standing right there! I may not pray aloud, but that prayer will happen. You don't think there were MANY in NYC praying on 9/11? I think maybe some "athiests" were too!

 

[Caroljo]

And...if next year's valedictorian is an Atheist? Or a Muslim? Or a pagan?

Atheism isn't a religion, the nutwads continue to tell us.

They maintain it isn't a religion..but they expect everybody to treat them as if it is....so confusing.

I wouldn't care if a muslim or pagan were to say a prayer at graduation. Big whoop.

As long as he doesn't yell ALLAH AKBAR at the end of it!!

 

[koshergrl]

I love it when Christians use Jesus as a weapon.

"I come not to bring peace, but to bring a sword" (Matthew 10:34)

Remind me again about this religion of "peace" that you profess to believe in?

You're confusing me with Sunni Man. The religion of "peace" is Islam.

 

[AmyNation]

And...if next year's valedictorian is an Atheist? Or a Muslim? Or a pagan?

Atheism isn't a religion, the nutwads continue to tell us.

They maintain it isn't a religion..but they expect everybody to treat them as if it is....so confusing.

I wouldn't care if a muslim or pagan were to say a prayer at graduation. Big whoop.

As long as he doesn't yell ALLAH AKBAR at the end of it!!

No yelling "God is the greatest!" ?

 

[Derideo_Te]

"I come not to bring peace, but to bring a sword" (Matthew 10:34)

Remind me again about this religion of "peace" that you profess to believe in?

You're confusing me with Sunni Man. The religion of "peace" is Islam.

So your religion is entitled to threaten people with war and swords in the name of your deity but the others can't? Does the term "hypocrisy" ring any bells?

 

[koshergrl]

And...if next year's valedictorian is an Atheist? Or a Muslim? Or a pagan?

Atheism isn't a religion, the nutwads continue to tell us.

They maintain it isn't a religion..but they expect everybody to treat them as if it is....so confusing.

I wouldn't care if a muslim or pagan were to say a prayer at graduation. Big whoop.

As long as he doesn't yell ALLAH AKBAR at the end of it!!

Then I'll bet the school board hauls ass to the exit. Probably mowing down the children who get in the way.

 

[Derideo_Te]

what people who try to step on other peoples rights have to realize, that eventually the people pushed are going to start pushing back. and that is what you are seeing here. what you try to suppress will be even more in your face. look what you gun grab attempts did. gun ownership is up. people are buying up every piece of ammunition available, every reloading supply. all you are achieving is the exact opposite of what you want. and what will really add fuel to the fire is a high profile story like this getting major response. it becomes a rallying point.

So...what Spoonman just admitted is that this was about "pushing back".....not sincere prayer at all. Is that the purpose of prayer for christians these days? For some, it appears to be so.

as long as you are wiling to admit that your pushing back against anti homosexuality is not sincere at all. I mean why do you push back? because someone is trying to crush your rights? your plight is no different then his

There is no government "right" to impose any specific religion. His personal rights were not being infringed. You are conflating two entirely different things here.

 

[koshergrl]

This is much ado over nothing. There was no rule that I can see saying the kid couldn't say a prayer. The rule is that prayer will not be a part of the ceremony....in other words, the school wasn't going to lead the students in prayer.

And they didn't.

 

[Spoonman]

So...what Spoonman just admitted is that this was about "pushing back".....not sincere prayer at all. Is that the purpose of prayer for christians these days? For some, it appears to be so.

as long as you are wiling to admit that your pushing back against anti homosexuality is not sincere at all. I mean why do you push back? because someone is trying to crush your rights? your plight is no different then his

There is no government "right" to impose any specific religion. His personal rights were not being infringed. You are conflating two entirely different things here.

so he did , nothing wrong. in that case. so lets get all the whiny anti god crybabies who are so offended at the mention of his name to just move along. the school told him there would be no more prayer at graduation. he was just exercising his right to pray. time to move on. the schools action prompted his action. and that's how it goes.

 

[longknife]

God bless the young man! Good for him.

I can just see the theophobic faces of the religion-haters on the stage behind him.

 

[koshergrl]

So...what Spoonman just admitted is that this was about "pushing back".....not sincere prayer at all. Is that the purpose of prayer for christians these days? For some, it appears to be so.

as long as you are wiling to admit that your pushing back against anti homosexuality is not sincere at all. I mean why do you push back? because someone is trying to crush your rights? your plight is no different then his

There is no government "right" to impose any specific religion. His personal rights were not being infringed. You are conflating two entirely different things here.

How is a public prayer "imposing" religion upon anyone?

Pssst...it's not.

 

[JakeStarkey]

The prayer was sincere and those who are unhappy can step off.

I doubt it was anything more than a political statement and therefore not sincere whatsoever. Still, as far as I can tell from the rules of the school it was not against the rules. Merely rude.

By your standards, perhaps. Not by mine.