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Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Wylie ISD in midst of separation of church and state debate

By Bill Baumbach of The Collin County Observer

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There's two kinds of southern hospitality.

There's the friendly neighbors who greet the new folks on the block, no matter who they are, bringing food baskets and trying to make them feel welcome.

Then there's the white sheet and hood hospitality that can be unleashed to protect a community from any threat to its cherished beliefs.

Wylie has a history of both.

Some of the good old fashioned southern "get along with the neighbors" hospitality is sorely needed these days in the south-eastern Collin County town of Wylie.

The issue is over prayer, specifically prayers to Jesus Christ at school board and school bond committee meetings.

It all came to a head last month when a Jewish member of a school bond committee objected and stopped a recitation of the Lord's Prayer before a committee meeting. While the protest shocked the members of the committee, they had the good grace to complete their devotions with a moment of silence.

Over the next few weeks, public statements and emails flew back and forth.

Mikki Lewis, who was the board member objecting to the prayer wrote letters to the school board and superintendent, accusing the district of, "making us sit through invocations involving one's faith and/or choice of god."

Taking the argument one step further, Ms. Lewis also wrote, "I would like to know what we the parents... need to do to stop these invocations at all school-related functions".

Trustee Sue Nicklas was perhaps the most outspoken, writing in response, that there is, "no such thing" as separation of church and state in the Bill of Rights, and that the intent of the founding fathers was to "keep government out of religion".

With that take on American History, the battle lines were drawn.

Ms. Nicklas also wrote, "in ten years as a trustee, you're.... the first person that has ever had the audacity to interrupt God and one of his children in prayer."

Lewis then responded, "I did not interrupt God... He was not speaking!... but you can not start the meeting and then make our only choice to leave or listen to a prayer to your god."

Trustee Ralph James wrote to Ms. Lewis, "We have the right to pray in meetings, and I will fight to keep that right with whatever it takes."

Superintendent Dr. John Fuller offered to discuss the concept of separation of church and state with Ms. Lewis, but so far no meeting has taken place. Later he said, "Wylie ISD is a faith-based community," adding, "I believe the public schools should neither inoculate nor inhibit religion."

At a later meeting of the school board, it was reported that members of the audience loudly repeated, like a football cheer, "in Jesus name we pray" after the invocation.

This seems to this Wylie resident a great time for a liberal dose of the welcoming brand of southern hospitality.

As our communities become more diverse, our governments need to become more welcoming and accepting. Collin County is no longer in the 19th century - our taxpayers come from all cultures and beliefs. Can we not ask for divine guidance in a manner not calculated to exclude anyone not Christian?

It would seem a simple matter to craft a prayer to heaven asking for wisdom and compassion.

In her last email to Dr. Fuller, Ms. Lewis wrote, "I think there are a few ways we can negotiate a common ground where we offend no one."

I hope the majority can find it in their hearts to express the same sentiments.


Pegasus News content partner - The Collin County Observer

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Comments

vinnyv

vinnyv Anonymous

Most towns in Texas are faith-based communities. Uh... as long as your faith is not Jewish. Um, or Islamic...

Or Hindu.

Or Mormon, Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Buddhist, gay-sympathetic-Protestant -- okay, so basically anything that doesn't celebrate Christmas in a gun-toting, God-fearing, anti-immigration, anti-secular, anti-welfare, anti-equal rights, pro-military-spending fashion.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Pavel Lishin

Pavel Lishin Verified

I'm sure there's a few Mormon hide-outs here and there.

Hopefully mostly there.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

vinnyv

vinnyv Anonymous

The Mormons have been riding around my neighborhood like crazy lately.

I almost want to join just to get such a sweet bike!!

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Collin Gouldin

Collin Gouldin Verified

separation of church and state was made to protect the churches from the British government... and today its being taking completely out of context (and out of hand)

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Robert Kelly

Robert Kelly Verified

let them pray to their gods. If it helps keep them grounded and in a giving state - it can't hurt. Collin is right- this is being taken totally out of context.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

vinnyv

vinnyv Anonymous

Over the years, I have developed a profound understanding of my faith in God and I am by no means trying to kick him out of my life, but I do agree with the founding fathers like Jefferson that insisted separation of Church and State be entered into the Constitution - not just to guarantee us the freedom of religion but also to protect our freedom from the Vatican or ANY unaccountable religious leader. Even the local televangelists must be held accountable for their actions when they solicit money and then build mansions and runways for their personal use.

What a terrible place this would be if our government was run by people that could use their interpretation of the bible as rule of law with no accountability - the Taliban of Afghanistan, the Salem witch trials, the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades - these are a few that immediately come to mind here. There have been too many people killed in the name of God that we NEED the church leaders to be separate from the state leaders.

We wear many hats throughout our lives - father, brother, husband, etc and it is often difficult when you have to reconcile your duty to your religion and your duty as a citizen to defend the right of other religions in this country to exist. These are the times we need understanding and the acceptance to do unto others as we would have done to us instead of plotting ways to bomb them into oblivion and shut them up.

Sorry for the rant, but I’m sick of people using religion as a shield for their own bigotry and ideas like pushing scripture into textbooks. If you want your kid to understand theories based on the scientific method, send them to science class. If you want your kid to understand faith based on the bible, send them to Sunday school and church. Just quit trying to mix the two, because it just doesn’t work.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

SteveM Anonymous

i agree, robert - letting a few intolerant zealots mumble to themselves for a couple minutes won't hurt anything (it won't, in fact, do anything). The harm comes in not raising the objection, so that when a real issue comes up, like teaching that ID nonsense, or adding bible studies to the curriculum, they'll think they've got free rein. these people obviously need a wake-up call that not everybody in their town praises jeebus like they do (or anyone at all, for that matter).

i also object to the idea of "crafting a prayer to heaven asking for wisdom and compassion". still offensive to some. a moment of silence is the only way to go (tho it still seems silly to me).

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Tracy Yost

Tracy Yost Verified

We have freedom of religion. NOT freedom from religion.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

SteveM Anonymous

and what does freedom of religion mean? it means we can practice whatever religion we want (or none at all), and not have to worry about the government pushing any particular brand of religion on us, which is exactly what the board was doing by praying that prayer.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

xdavidwattsx

xdavidwattsx Anonymous

Someone should start kneeling to Mecca during the meeting. See how that goes over.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Jason Rice

Jason Rice Verified

Actually, what it means is that if what happened in the meeting upsets you, you are completely within your legal right to ask the authorities to stop or change with respect your different belief without legal reprisal or persecution.

Looks like it's working - by and large. Did I miss something?

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

gracecountry Anonymous

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

1 year, 2 months ago

xdavidwattsx

xdavidwattsx Anonymous

Good lord.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Tracy Yost

Tracy Yost Verified

Amen, watts.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Pavel Lishin

Pavel Lishin Verified

GraceCountry - you make some excellent points, though you and I disagree on premises. But mixing state and religion is so easy to get wrong, there's practically no chance of getting it right. (See: just about every religious-backed government in history. Sure, it's great to live in a Christian country if you're a Christian - unless of course you're a different flavor... but what happens when you're trying to live under harsh laws imposed by a religion that you don't share?)

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Jason Rice

Jason Rice Verified

Jimmy, better strategy: Two or three salient points and then link. We Google Alert too, but plagiarism is plagiarism - even if you originally wrote it,

Source.

On the up side, the site itself provides a good tangent or two. How the Black Death received its name

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Jason Rice

Jason Rice Verified

Ok, I just had to share:

Looks like there's a slew of "allabout*.org" sites, science, history, philosphy, archaeology --- and yes they all are subsidiaries of allaboutgod.com. Very well crafted sites, despite the ridiculous circular reasoning they rely on. (personal fave "Was Jesus for the separation between church and state?" -- reminds me of the question "What would T. Boone Pickens suggest I do for an energy policy?")

I feel compelled to flag it for removal since their copyright policy states that it's not repostable.

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Mike Orren

Mike Orren Staff

Thanks for the heads-up Jason. I'd wondered why you flagged. I've removed grace's comment for copyright reasons, but you can find the original here:

http://www.allabouthistory.org/mixing...

1 year, 2 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

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