POLITICS - Another Assault On Individual Religious Freedom

Religion and religious practice is an individual's right, not the right of the majority to impose on individuals.

Senator Byrd (D-W. Va.) is sponsoring another assault on individual religious rights by proposing a Constitutional Amendment.

Nothing in this Constitution, including any amendment to this Constitution, shall be construed to prohibit voluntary prayer or require prayer in public school, or to prohibit voluntary prayer or require prayer at a public school extracurricular activity.

This is based on the lie from the Religious-Right that prayer is banned from schools. Prayer is, and never has been, banned from schools.

What is banned is:

• Prayer led by a public school official
• Prayer led by anyone that does not easily give the right to of individuals not to participate

"Byrd proposes constitutional prayer amendment again" by Justin D. Anderson, Charleston Daily Mail

The senior senator's office said today that Byrd believes the nation's courts in their rulings pay too much attention to the clause in the First Amendment that says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion," and disregards the second part about "prohibiting the free exercise thereof ..."

This ignores the right of individuals not to participate when prayer is led by students or non-officials in a setting like a classroom, mandatory assemblies, via a public announcing system, etc.

Where an individual cannot easily exercise his/her right not to participate as part of "free exercise thereof."

Byrd and the Religious-Right recognize only one "right," the right of a Christian majority to force individuals to participate in Christian practices indoctrination.

In schools today, all through America, students regularly hold private religious meetings, hold group private prayer, read the Bible (gosh... the ACLU protected this one on more than one occasion). The key word here is private.