Louisiana State Representative Katrina R. Jackson has a curious take on the religion clauses. Despite contrary Supreme Court precedent under the First Amendment, Jackson is pushing legislation to require students to learn the Lord’s prayer every morning in public schools. Jackson insists that requiring the Lord’s prayer (though students cannot be punished for failing to recite it) is simply a way to get them to appreciate . . . you guessed it . . . religious freedom.
House Bill 660 (known as the “Parental Choice Historical Prayer and Pledge Act”) would “require the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to establish a policy and develop procedures relative to school prayer and the pledge of allegiance.” It further states:
Students shall be reminded that the Lord’s Prayer is the prayer that the pilgrim fathers recited when they came to America in search for freedom.
Students shall be informed that these exercises are not meant to influence an individual’s personal religious beliefs in any manner.
The recitations shall be conducted so that students learn of America’s great freedoms,including the freedom of religion symbolized by the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer.
Having the government require the recitation of a prayer to God is certainly a lesson on religious freedom but one that is taught by the denial of that freedom. Jackson wants public employees to lead children in saying to God “Hallowed be thy Name; Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done in earth; As it is in heaven.” They will also state together that “For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever.”
The effort to require students to recite the Lord’s Prayer (or sit and listen to its daily recitation) is an obvious effort to endorse its religious message. It is not a lesson on freedom of religion. It is a lesson on state-endorsed religion. Once again, if passed, the law would trigger litigation and the expenditure of time and money before it is struck down — in a state that has limited educational funds. Louisiana currently ranks with the worst ranked school systems in the nation with over half of its schools deemed as failing. While that is certainly a good reason for students to pray that they will have any future with a subpar education, it would be better to actually offer education to help them find a job and a future.
On her bio in the state legislature, she is described
She states:
Attorney Jackson attended Lincoln Elementary, Carroll Jr. High school, Carroll High School. She also attended the University of Louisiana at Monroe, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Pre-Law and Legal Studies. . . . In efforts to quench her thirst and longing to help others, Ms. Jackson attended Southern University Law Center and received a Juris Doctor degree in 2004. Ms. Jackson ended her law school career by graduating in the top fourteen percent of her class (18 out of 128). In April 2005, Ms. Jackson was admitted to the Louisiana State Bar Association.
Clearly, the constitutional law classes did not seem to stick on the issue of separation of church and state.
She further states on her bio:
Ms. Jackson attributes her accomplishments to not just having a dream, but having a dream that lines up with God’s plan for her life. She believes her footsteps are ordered by God and everyday Ms. Jackson works to allow God to guide her in the process of realizing her dream. Her family worships at Riverside Missionary Baptist Church in Monroe, LA.
I understand the importance of faith to Ms. Jackson and her insistence that her work as a politician is part of God’s design. However, once again, the insistence on requiring others to recite and/or listen to professions of that faith is the step beyond personal faith to state endorsement. There are many people who are as faithful and devout as Jackson but do not run for office on that claim of faith or try to impose it on others. Indeed, there are many who view the use of faith by politicians to be offensive as they do mandatory recitation of religious prayers in schools. As Justice William Brennan states in his concurrence in Abington School District v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203 (1963):
There are persons in every community—often deeply devout—to whom any version of the Judaeo-Christian Bible is offensive. There are others whose reverence for the Holy Scriptures demands private study or reflection and to whom public reading or recitation is sacrilegious…. To such persons it is not the fact of using the Bible in the public schools, nor the content of any particular version, that is offensive, but the manner in which it is used.
Source: Patheos
rafflaw,
I am sick of holier than thou Christian politicians trying to shove their religion on other people–especially other people’s children.
History? She don’t need no stinkin’ history. She’s got religion!
ElaineM
Missing Molly. She was marvelous. I suspect she would have lots to say these days. I was inconsolably bummed in 2004 when we re-elected “W”.
Then I read her column on how to cure a chicken killing dog. I laughed hard and had my hope for the future of this nation restored.
Elaine,
You do realize that it is heresy to believe your facts that the founding fathers did not recite the Lords Prayer?! The American Taliban lady will not let history get in her way.
Bron,
I want 10%! 🙂
Bron,
May I help with the lyrics?
Touché Gene….
rafflaw:
“Hang up the Jesus phone because the Taliban is calling”
Can I use that line? I am going to write a country song.
lexmanifesta,
I sure do miss Molly Ivins!
Louisiana having two disasters strike it named Katrina does give one pause.
“Students shall be reminded that the Lord’s Prayer is the prayer that the pilgrim fathers recited when they came to America in search for freedom.”
Oh ye, of little knowledge! Ms. Jackson needs a lesson in American history.
*****
Faith of the Pilgrims
Plimoth Plantation
http://www.plimoth.org/what-see-do/17th-century-english-village/faith-pilgrims
Excerpt:
Many of the Pilgrims were members of a Puritan sect known as the Separatists. They believed that membership in the Church of England violated the biblical precepts for true Christians, and they had to break away and form independent congregations that adhered more strictly to divine requirements. A passage from the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians gave urgency to their actions. The Geneva translation for Second Corinthians 6: 16-18 reads:
(16) And what agrement hathe the Temple of God with idoles? for ye are the Temple of the living God: as God hathe said, I wil dwell among them, and walke there; and I wil be their God, and shalbe my people. (17) Wherefore come out from among them, and separate your selves, faith the Lord: and touche none uncleane thing, & I wil receive you. (18) And I wil be a Father unto you, and ye shalbe my sonnes and daughters, saith the Lord almightie.
At a time when Church and State were one, such an act was treasonous and the Separatists had to flee their mother country…
The Separatist Faith
The Separatists’ faith experience was part of the larger English Reformation of the 16th century. This movement sought to “purify” the Church of England of its corrupt human doctrine and practices; the people in the movement were known as “Puritans.” Separatists were those Puritans who no longer accepted the Church of England as a true church, refused to work within the structure to affect changes, and “separated” themselves to form a true church based solely on Biblical precedent. Puritans rejected Christmas, Easter and the various Saint’s Days because they had no scriptural justification, and in their worship services, they rejected hymns, the recitations of the Lord’s Prayer and creeds for the same reason.
*****
I’m going to repeat the final sentence of the last paragraph that I posted above:
Puritans rejected Christmas, Easter and the various Saint’s Days because they had no scriptural justification, and in their worship services, they rejected hymns, the recitations of the Lord’s Prayer and creeds for the same reason.
What freedom? Jails are not freedom. They recited the Lords prayer without knowing what it meant.
I’ll go down and lead some nice pagan-ish chant to open school….I mean we should broaden that religious base, right? Can “Snark” be a religion…after all, it IS free.
Ms. Jackson,
Hang up the Jesus phone because the Taliban is calling!
What I can’t figure out is how can there be anything good in giving death? What is good that is around us is life. Taliban needs to see this.
BTW … the Anglican Bishop never showed up and historians tend to credit Sam Adams with that clever rumor.
Justice Holmes,
Elected officials don’t need an intelligence test. They all take an oath of office. Universally when they are sworn in they swear to uphold the Constitution of the state and United States of America. Last I checked that US Constitution still included the 1st Amendment. Still the supreme law of this land, even Louisiana and South Carolina. The right response is recall or impeach these legislators that are so afflicted that they are incapable of respecting a secular state.
The wonderful writer Molly Ivins, once described George Bush as:
“equal parts, machismo, anti-intellectualism and religiosity”. Molly was right about “W”. It would seem that that ethos will continue in American politics for the foreseeable future. Maybe instead of having these jokers take their oath of office on a bible, we should have them place their solemn hand on the Constitution . They could be given the copy and encouraged to actually read it. As a supplement they might also be given a pamphlet, dumbed down to about fifth grade level that gives a little history of the documents drafting and reference to significant cases that have interpreted some of the more important provisions.
I have no doubt that the ACLU would upon request produce and provide these courtesy copies.
Like it or not, in 1775 the colonies were very much concerned with the Quebec Act (a product of the French Indian War) and Popery spreading from Canada to the colonies. They were also very concerned that the British were going to install an Anglican Bishop in New York and attempt to High Church the colonies. This fear was one of the many “uniting” factors that drew the 13 together and the Foundings used that fear quite well in their call to arms and push for independence.
The devil punishes. The Lords prayer must be understood. Heaven needs to be in us. When it is, we will not take His name in vain in our words to whoever, and our actions will likewise be in harmony with the actions of Jesus. I will talk more about it latter.
The devil punishes. The Lords prayer must be understood. Heaven needs to be in us. When he is we will not take that name in vain in our words to whoever and our actions will likewise be in harmony with the actions of Jesus representing him. I will talk more about it latter.
San Agustín (St Augustine) was founded in September 1565 by Spanish admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, and subsequently served as the capital of Spanish Florida for two hundred years. It remained the capital of East Florida as the territory changed hands between the Spanish and British, and remained the capital of the Florida Territory until it was moved it to Tallahassee in 1824.
The Lord’s prayer was recited every day in the classroom I attended. I objected, silently. Never did say that prayer. If I have something to say, it has to be my idea, not someone else’s.
Ms. Jackson attributes her accomplishments to not just having a dream, but having a dream that lines up with God’s plan for her life.
~+~
Any politician claiming to do God’s work is a charlatan.. The devil’s bidding maybe, but God, no.
Religion is not in the Lords prayer. Had it be the world would not be in the mess it is in. People in the legal system and military do not deliver them selves from evil. They march right into it. Religions march into it persecuting wherever they can disobeying the Lords prayer saying they reverence it not keeping it being divided against themselves. God has to be in us to deliver us from temptation. People allow the devil to chew people up with hateful words too. Religions do not even keep the Lords prayer.