The Alabama legislature is considering a bill to require study of congressional procedures to kick off every school day in the state with a verbatim reading of a prayer from a historical session of Congress. The ACLU and other liberal critics of the bill say that it's unconstitutional to repeat, in school, the words spoken in American government, going back to the nation's founding.
Let's try to understand the liberal "logic:" Words spoken in times of American history nearer to the writing of the Constitution are more likely to be unconstitutional than words spoken today -- by today's PC police, obviously.
For background, read the long list of states enacting laws to bring prayer back to schools.
And also read of countless examples of citizens banding together to defy the atheists and pray in school.
In addition, read about atheists who are fed up with Christians in schools in many states.
-- From "Bill seeks to let Alabama teacher read prayers" by The Associated Press 2/12/14
Bill sponsor, Rep. Steve Hurst, says teachers could choose a prayer that related to the day's lesson. He says teachers might choose a prayer that was said on a particular day in history.
Opponents say the proposal is unconstitutional.
Susan Watson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama, says the proposal is teacher-led prayer being dressed up as a civics lesson.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Ala. Bill Would Require Daily Congressional Prayer In Schools" posted at CBS News Atlanta 2/11/14
. . . Hurst argues that the process simply mimics the procedure used by Congress, but civil liberties groups say the bill is a coercive move to place religion in public schools.
House Bill 318, scheduled for an education committee hearing on Wednesday, would allocate up to a maximum of 15 minutes of the first class of each day “for study of the formal procedures followed by U.S. Congress.” This would require “a reading verbatim of one of the opening prayers given by the House or Senate Chaplain or a guest member of the clergy” at the beginning of congressional meetings.
A Democrat running against Hurst, Stephanie Engle, stated that there are more effective ways to discuss faith in classrooms.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Bill would require reading of Congressional prayers in Alabama schools" by Tim Lockette, Anniston (Alabama) Star 2/10/14
The bill would limit the daily instruction on congressional procedures to 15 minutes per day. That instruction could include teaching about other procedures of Congress, but would always include the reading of a prayer.
Advocates for school prayer have long argued that state and federal legislatures have always opened their sessions with an invocation. Watson said a prayer in schools isn't the same as prayer in the a legislative body, whose members are there voluntarily.
"Children in school are a captive audience," she said.
Hurst said his bill would allow teachers or principals to choose the prayer to be read to students every day.
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