Reader Comments: School Board members could use some history lessons – Column missed “interesting” news elements

This reminds me of the embarrassment caused by two former members of COVB Council and their insulting behavior and statements to a secular humanists’ presentation. Most folks who spout about the “Founders” religious beliefs or their positions on religion in the public sphere are woefully uninformed. Thomas Jefferson, a Unitarian, and Benjamin Franklin, a Quaker, both disdained public displays of religion. James Madison wrote “Religion and Government will exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together.” The school board would be better served using the opening minutes of their meeting for some lessons in history and civics. – Bob Swift

It would seem that you missed some interesting news elements. An ACLU attorney who doesn’t seem to know the difference between the Constitution of the United States and a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Conneticut Baptists assuring them that the government was not going to interfere with them. And a school board member who appeared to want to squash free speech by defining what a person can say and what they should not in addition to misrepresenting a Supreme Court ruling. And lastly an entire group of people who got up and walked out as soon as they did not get what they apparently had come for despite a young mans plea at the beginning of the meeting for those who had come for the one issue to have enough concern for the schools and the students that they would stay for the entire meeting. – Roger Ball

Related Story: Religious freedom doesn’t have a prayer at school board meetings

Washington Times: Divided Supreme Cours Oks prayer before public meetings

USA Today: Supreme Court upholds prayer at government meetings

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion: “As a practice that has long endured, legislative prayer has become part of our heritage and tradition, part of our expressive idiom, similar to the Pledge of Allegiance, inaugural prayer, or the recitation of ‘God save the United States and this honorable court’ at the opening of this court’s sessions.”

Justice Elena Kagan wrote the principal dissent: “When the citizens of this country approach their government, they do so only as Americans, not as members of one faith or another,” Kagan said. “And that means that even in a partly legislative body, they should not confront government-sponsored worship that divides them along religious lines.”

2 comments

I’ll admit American history is sometimes hard to follow and the older I get the less likely I am to ‘get it right’. I agree with Mr. Swift and welcome his input. There were Bible quotes lobbed here and there at the meeting, and I was surprised (and delighted) when Ms Jimenez quoted some New Testament scripture. It indicated that Jesus did not ask anyone to pray in public–in fact, it was to be done privately. Could the Bible scripture be wrong?

It may be worthwhile to consider that the concept of a religious prayer prior to a governmental meeting began on the recommendation of Benjamin Franklin. He endorsed the idea of a chapalin for both the Senate and the U. S. House of Representatives. These government employees are selected based on their resume and not their religion.

Other government employees who exercise their duties as religious officials are in the military and every VA hospital in the nation.

The common theme of all religious leaders who are also governmental employees is that they are to serve all and not just the people who share their religious beliefs.