From Prayer oil on students' desks raises ire, published Feb. 23, 2007, by WorldNetDaily.com
Even praying after hours in a Florida classroom is not without hazards and controversy.
In Florida, Christian staff members of a public school did just that – prayed for students facing assessment tests. But leaving behind a residue of anointing oil on desks has caused an uproar.
"We thought it was vandalism. It was greasy. It was oily," Chris Becker, a fourth-grade teacher who was resigning his position at Brooksville, Fla., Elementary to take another position, told the St. Petersburg Times.
"One of my colleagues said she was told by one of the secretaries it was prayer oil," he told the newspaper. "I was very offended by that because I'm not a Christian.
The principal, Mary LeDoux, reported it had been a difficult day with high levels of misbehavior, and the state's standardized assessment test was scheduled to be administered the following week.
She told the newspaper she found nothing wrong with what she and "four or five" colleagues did: they went from classroom to classroom, praying and blessing the students' desks with oil.
It happened late in the evening on Friday, Feb. 2, after the school was closed for the weekend.Now, I understand people being upset about oil left on their desks. It should have been cleaned up. However, consider the ACLU’s response:
An American Civil Liberties Union spokeswoman said the actions crossed the line, because Christians were imposing their beliefs on others by leaving prayer oil on the desks for others to see.
Here’s my question: How long will it be before praying or even carrying a Bible in public where ‘others can see’ will be seen as ‘imposing one’s beliefs on others?'
Read the rest at WorldNetDaily.com
