This past week, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 6-3 against the practice of starting out school football games with prayers over the loudspeakers. To anyone with an ounce of common sense, this was the only rational decision. Which, I suppose, is why George W. Bush is disappointed by it.
After hearing the announcement, my wife asked me, "How can anyone not see that such behavior is wrong? How can they not view it as inflicting their beliefs on others?"
My answer was pretty simple: "They do see it that way, but that's their whole purpose." They know damn well that having a broadcast prayer goes above and beyond the personal expression of one's religion. They know it is nothing less than an opportunity to proselytize, to thrust their beliefs on people who are there for an entirely different purpose.
Oh, they try to hide behind the First Amendment, stating that it's their free exercise of religion. But that's just a ruse. Their free exercise of religion does not give them the right to push it on a captive audience, especially when that captive audience has some sort of tie to the government, such as attendees at a football game of a public (meaning government-funded) school. They know this, but don't care.
Doubtless there are a few dim bulbs out there who really think their rights are being trampled by not being able to pray through a public address system at a local football game. But I think they're few and far between. The rest of those who are in favor of such prayer, and I include Governor Bush and the dissenting Justices of the Supreme Court, are merely trying to push their own religious agenda on the rest of our nation.
Jan LaRue, of the conservative Family Research Council, said the ruling showed that "The government's 'benign neutrality' toward religion in this country is now nothing short of malevolent hostility." This is a typical view of those we oppose. La Rue's statement is clear, and says simply, "If you're not with us, you're against us." In fact, the ruling is neutral, just as it should be.
Nowhere in the Constitution, or any other legal work, does it say that a student cannot pray before, during, or after school, or a school function. But the Constitution is against such prayers being forced upon a captive audience, or being portrayed in any way in which the average person could construe that prayer as being endorsed or sponsored by government.
But those who are opposed to the Supreme Court's football decision don't consider this the end of the game. They're Team Jesus, and their goal isn't the end zone of the football field, but an American theocracy. Forcing prayer on others is just one of the plays in their list. They've got plenty more.
