oh me oh my. prayer in schools, such a blah issue.

[LoraLie]

just by my schools name you can tell its not like many
Hicks High School
Its about 200 kids Pre-K through 12th . . . all white.
just to give you the first mindset of what i am stuck in

on top of that, a majority of the children & their parents are southern baptist or pentocoastal (SP). They are all very conservative & old fashioned. They dont like change or anything diffrent.

i've finally made it to my final year at this school. & i have come to a fork in the road.
every year at graduation, they always say prayer. which i'm sure as you all know, they are NOT suppose to. of course since the majority of people are all extremely religious & saying something about it means DRAMA. no one has tried to change it, well except for one teacher.

of course, it never fails. every year at graduation everyone bows their head & the students pray
the pathetic thing is, they dont even ASK the students if they WANT to pray at graduation by what my brother told me. they just sort of make them do it.

so my fork in the road is this.
do i speak up & say something about it. since what they are doing is not right. its forcing one opinion on everyone & really makes me quite uncomfortable.
or sit back & avoid drama & just get it over with.

any advice?

[LoraLie]

oh & to add to that. my parents would not support me at all in this. so it would cause me problems with my parents too.

[One Eyed Cat]

They can't force you to actually pray. Personally, I believe in the freedom of religion as opposed to the freedom *from* religion. I believe banning prayer in school just emboldens an element of society. It should be voluntary, however. What can they do if you don't pray? Nothing. A better answer would be to have different ceremonies based on a choice to pray or not to pray (or just have no ceremony)

OEC

[LoraLie]

i thought maybe just asking them to make it a moment of silence or something instead of getting a kid up at the mic & praying. but . . . . that might be odd . . .

[One Eyed Cat]

i thought maybe just asking them to make it a moment of silence or something instead of getting a kid up at the mic & praying. but . . . . that might be odd . . .

It would make more sense, but I doubt they'd go for it. I am kind of surprised that a kid takes the mic for it.

OEC

[Mr Karl]

I suppose that you could pray that the praying people would shut the fuck up then again who goes to thier graduations anymore?

[Amelia G]

Are you planning on making Hicks your home after graduation or moving some place which better suits your temperment? If you are planning on staying, it may not be worth the headache of not being able to get a job and having your family upset and all that. Then again, it might be worth it anyway because biting your tongue is bad for your soul. If you are not planning on staying, then I would say definitely go for it. If you are thinking it but are afraid to speak up, chances are there are other people suffering in silence with you. They may or may not support you in public, but you'd probably be doing them a service as well.

[mollycase]

Speak your heart if you can stand the fallout.

[TheQuietPlace]

I respect people even if they believe something I don't...but it I disagree with it too much, I'm definetly going to speak my mind. I've always had a problem with prayers in schools (its happened to me too). I spoke up and didn't do anything. Call me un-patriotic, but I never really participated in the Pledge of Allegiance either. I was actually sent to the principal of my elementary school because I didn't participate.

I completely agree with Amelia. It may not be worth it if you're staying, but if you're leaving after graduation then hey, what the hell. Give 'em a piece of your mind.

[Lady Alias]

I'd speak to your principle about it privately, and tell him how you feel about his/her lack of consideration for others.
I remember the school superattendant went to my graduation, but I don't know if that's for all graduations. If he or she arrives to yours, I would even attempt to speak to that person about it.
But if in the end nothing works, just refuse to bow your head and keep your eyes open during this prayer. It wouldn't be disrespectful to not bow your head, as they are the ones disrespecting your belief in the first place.
But I'll have to go with Amelia, if your'e moving, you don't have anything to loose.
Good luck with whatever you choose.
When's the graduation?

[Bondage Clown]

I would Speak out, and fight the power, Cause, in ten years you have one of your drunken classmates coming up to you, and saying " I didn't have the balls to stand up, like you did. You Rock."


Or Invite all of us, and have us protest the lunchroom Balogna, or something else mundane like that.. just to throw the Higher up into convulsions because of our MADNESS...

[LoraLie]

i dont participate when they do the pledge. i dont know why. i just never have really. never felt the urge to.
the great thing is this year i got an award thing for proficiency in american history & patriotism.

but geez no, i'm getting out of here as soon as possible.
there is NOTHING here.
of course i will have a problem with my parents, but i've kind of gotten used to that.

i just find it fake to get the leader of the FCA club (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) up in front of the whole school to pray to bless our graduation. i find prayer to be something personal. kinda ruins it if you do it for show. plus it puts lots of people in uncomfortable positions. so i have good arguements. but of course the religious fanatics will think i am attacking them & trying to take away one of their rights. when i am just tryinig to respect the fact that other people have diffrent veiws & beliefs. i was hoping they wouldnt do it this past year but of course. never fails.

i know i'm gonna get hell for it though cause i kinda have a history of a erm shock factor at my school.

but i have QUITE a few months to think about it.
i dont graduate til May.

'I'd speak to your principle about it privately, and tell him how you feel about his/her lack of consideration for others.'

but that is probably what i will do.
but news travels fast in a small town. : /

[Toe Cutter]

It would be funny to fart really loud during the prayer. Then everybody could have a laugh, and at the same time it would speak volumes on how you feel about it.

[GnArKiLL]

when they said a prayer at my graduation i didnt participate, no need to make a big deal about it.

[TheDeathKnight]

It's one thing if they want to pray. It's part of many people's lives, so I would not want to take that away from them. But I also don't think they should force you to do anything you don't want to do. You should just look at their prayer time, as something *they* are doing. Something *they* get something out of. You should just ignore it, unless they try to get you to participate. Don't bow your head. Don't pretend to pray. Just deal with it. I am not religious at all, but I think people should be able to do what they want, as long as it does not hurt you. The main problem with freedom of religion, is that it should be applied universally, or not allowed at all. If they want to do christian prayers, then they ought to be ok if a kid wants to drop down a carpet and pray to allah. Generally, I think religion should not be a part of schools at all. It should not be taught, other than as part of history. People should do religion after school, on sundays, and at home. School should be for education only. But you are in a stupid part of the country, and you would be going against the majority. Most of them probably want to pray. So let them. It doesn't mean you have to pray, or protest it. Just be yourself, and don't do anything you do not want to do. And then you should get the hell out of there, and go to a place where you don't have to deal with that bullshit.

[Morning Glory]

just start babling on about inane shit at the top of your voice during a prayer, and then say that you are praying. If they can pray so can you, and then if they say anything make a big deal about how they are trying to STOP PRAYOR in school, and then the whole redneck community will get behind you.

[Mr Karl]

Rubba a dub dub thank god for the grub

that's a prayer

[Buster Friendly]

i am totally all for freedom FROM religion.

get that shit outta my fuckin' face.

if my tax dollars, even 1/0.00000000000000000045005 of a cent are going towards feeding you guys ebola ridden grade N beef in your lunch room, then they can fucking pray in their un-taxable bullshit ass churches.

of course nowdays i'd opt to just get it overwith, ignore them. they'll all come out of the closet in the second year of college anyway...
....heeeeeeeey.

there's an idea!!!

get rev.phelps, and his FAG haters to protest your graduation!!! LOL!!

it would take a little heat off of you, and totally ruin their little christ-a-thon!! (nothing like a little hot christian on christian piety pose down!!)

or you could resort to black magic, and mind control...
dress as a clown, and pie the preacher!

[LoraLie]

i

or you could resort to black magic, and mind control...
dress as a clown, and pie the preacher!

i think that is the BEST idea so far

i always wanted to dress as a clown. yum

[TheDeathKnight]

It's your right, as a member of the Clown Church of Jesus...

Don't let those heathens take away your right to worship the lord the way the great ringmaster ordained it should be done...

With a poofy wig, and big shoes...

[keiko]

*sigh* I know this battle like the back of my hand. I, and thankfully my hippie mom, moved rather than fight. Unfortunatly I still ended up in a shool where I was given detention for wearing a pentacle the size of a dime around my neck. Rob recives death htreats to this day for what happened in school, and that was in a beach town. He fought bach with the ACLU and still ended up dropping the issue when it got too stressful. This is not a little fight. Its a HUGE issue to alot of people, so much so that they make an issue of what religion the guy running for president belongs to before they vote. People drop bombs on people that have different religious beliefs. In a backwoods podunk though the people that live there are the law unto themselves, esp those pentacostals *mental shudder*

If you decide to fight, this will not be an easy battle. I would wait till after graduation to make a stink just so that you still get that peice of paper. And dont end up being "healed" in a box by those nut jobs and their snakes.

K

[Buster Friendly]

Keiko's right, weigh how much this means to you.

In my old age, I'd say ignore them. You'll see how quickly these fuckers evaporate once you graduate, and move on to infinitely better things.

The idea behind the black magic, and mind control is that they can't pin it on you.

I was once given a day's suspension because I brought a dead pet lizard to school in a home made coffin with a pair of crucified construction paper smiling lips, and the words "King Kong Died For Your Sins" above it.... one of the freshmen apparently freaked out, calling home to tell her parents that "Buster Friendly is a Satanist, Buster Friendly is a Satanist."

The principle was pissed that he had to deal with the idiot parents, and knowing my sense of humor didn't want me around on the day they came in to have him explain why their precious daughter was safe from the DEBIL!!!! I wasn't really in trouble, they just couldn't risk it.

In this poor girl's defense, the coffin was super creepy.

...of course it also helps that I was the most Ultraviolent kid in school. Any aggeression sent my way was percived as an invitation to do REALLY bad things to someone's windpipe...

however, I'd recommend devious ways to ruin their little fun.

[LoraLie]

ahhhh me. the good ole junior high days for me.
i was a 'satanist' a 'vampire' a 'witch' & many other lovely things.

why?
because i liked anne rice & carried her books with me everywhere.
plus most of my clothes were dark. just because i enjoyed dark colors.
not black, but dark colors are just the devil.

i remember many a trip to the prinicipals office.
lucky for me i'm one of the top kids in my class (yeah, doesnt say much for my school though) so he could never really do too much to me.
but it really caused a ton of hell at home with my god fearin parents.


but ah yes . . . my new worry thrown onto this fire is that we are getting a new vice prinicipal
which means i have a new shithead to put up with.
the vice principal has a big part of our graduation or some poop. so yeppers . . .. he talks to us about it all


i feel like if i dont do anything about it. & i just sit & let it happen . . . . i feel like i'm doing something wrong. & i dont know if i can just sit back & let this happen to other kids & . . . . rawr
yet at the same time. i dont k now if i can really handle all that drama.

i'm so stuck.

[Buster Friendly]

well... instead of 'sitting there passively', work on what you want to do next in life. honestly highschool means so little to anyone afterwards, it's just at the time there's not much else to compare it to at the time.

trust me on this one, focus on what you want from life to the exclusion of all that bullshit, hell look at what Forrest, and Amelia have accomplished!!

You'll move on from that place... leave them in your dust.

[Space-Rabbit]

How about just not praying with them? If they are forcing you thats a different story.

[grebo]

the only time you should pray is when youve been hit in the genitalia

[LoraLie]

So, the issue has come up finally.. I can already tell its going to be a war over this at my school. I'm not the only one that doesnt want it though, so at least I wont be alone. In fact I'm not even the one that brought it up.

[Pull~My~Hair]

It would be funny to fart really loud during the prayer. Then everybody could have a laugh, and at the same time it would speak volumes on how you feel about it.

haha

[Mr Karl]

another suggestion, just get your diploma in the mail you don't have to attend a peice of paper ceremony anyway

[Velvet-Tongue]

I recommend just not praying. Making a huge deal out of it is only going to waste your time. Is a short prayer really that big of a deal that you have to go and talk to the principle and deny other people the right to pray?

Reminds me of my step mother. Shes a 5th grade teacher and can not put up any Halloween decorations because of a Jehovah's Witness child. How messed up is that? How about the kid does not celebrate Halloween..and they let everyone else enjoy it?

Religious freedom means you can practice your religion but does not mean EVERYONE has to then abstain from what they want to do just so they don't offend you.

[Mr Karl]

isn't prayer what the private school system is for anyway?

of course, I think school is a place to learn reading riting and rithmatec...period

I'm in a funny mood today