Christian idiocy

I did not live in an era or place where prayer was led in schools. I'm thankful for that. If and when someoene prays publically they are expressing their particular understanding of God and faith. And there are a whole lot of Christians who believe differently than I do. I don't want the public arena to be an area where one or two Christian views are expressed. And that means I support religious clubs in school that are open to all, but not putting up signifiers of a particular religion or religious expression.

Certainly I've prayed in schools. I've prayed that I'd do my best before written tests and oral exams. I've prayed not to be humiliated in the lunch line. I've prayed that I could get through a solo. No one has ever attempted to ban those sorts of prayers. But it's the public support of a particular Christian viewpoint that gets to me.

Ed Brayton at Dispatches from the Culture Wars says it better than I do.

The situation has nothing to do with "apologizing for being Christians". You have an absolute right to be a Christian; you do not have a right to have the government endorse your Christianity. Your right to religious freedom hinges on the fact that the government has no authority to prescribe or proscribe which religious beliefs they are going to endorse and promote. I say again: if this has been a picture of Muhammed, all of those arguments about religious freedom would be turned into hysterical outrage. Just another example of the rank hypocrisy at the core of accomodationism. It is only their views that need to be accomodated, no one else's.

There's a longer story by the Charleston giving more description of the debate that Brayton talks about. But it boils down to replacing a picture of Jesus with an inscription around a mirror. Some people just don't get the state not supporting a particular religion.

Oh well.... there are reminders from people who want to avoid the appearance of a theocracy no matter how benign the expression. The ACLU is to be commended.