12 Washington State High School Students Suspended for Public Prayer Group

LifeSiteNews.com ^ | March6, 2007 | Gudrun Schultz

[csistrueblue]

12 Washington State High School Students Suspended for Public Prayer Group

By Gudrun Schultz

VANCOUVER, Washington, March 6, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A number of students who formed an interdenominational prayer group at a Washington state high school were expelled by the administration last week over their refusal to hold a morning prayer session in a closed room, The Columbian reported March 2.

Twelve students at Heritage High School in Vancouver, WA, were suspended last Friday after continuing to meet for morning prayer in the commons area of the school, despite a faculty order that they stop causing physical "disruption" to student traffic with public prayer.

To express concerns, contact:

Heritage High School 7825 NE 130th Avenue, Vancouver, WA 98682

Phone: (360) 604-3400

Principal: Anne Sosky asosky@egreen.wednet.edu

[GovernmentShrinker]

In the articel at post 71, a member of the groups is reported to have said they DON't want club status. But a member of the loose, multi-faith group disciplined on Friday said it doesn’t want club designation

This is understandable because the very nature of the group's belief system is that group prayer should be a normal part of everyday life, not something that is just done by members of an organized club.

[Stone Mountain]

If an anti-war group of a dozen students had made a habit of gathering in the cafeteria of the 2200 student school for 10-15 minutes in the morning, before the school start time of 7AM, to share the latest stories of "innocent Iraqis killed by American soldiers", who, would they have been told they had to relocate the activity to an assigned room? Of would their argument that it was important to "make other students aware of the issues" have sufficed for administrators who happened to agree.

If this had happened, you would have a good point. However, it appears that no groups are allowed to have their meetings in the Common area.

[Stone Mountain]

If an anti-war group of a dozen students had made a habit of gathering in the cafeteria of the 2200 student school for 10-15 minutes in the morning, before the school start time of 7AM, to share the latest stories of "innocent Iraqis killed by American soldiers", who, would they have been told they had to relocate the activity to an assigned room? Of would their argument that it was important to "make other students aware of the issues" have sufficed for administrators who happened to agree.

If this had happened, you would have a good point. However, it appears that no groups are allowed to have their meetings in the Common area.

[GovernmentShrinker]

That passage is generally interpreted to mean that one should not engage in prayer with the intent of impressing others, not that one should never pray in public. A reasonable interpretation, since Jesus and his followers are described in the New Testament as doing quite a bit of public praying.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Bingo!!!!:)

Becky

[GovernmentShrinker]

We don't know that that has been the policy in the past; though I'm sure administrators are now prohibiting other groups from meeting there.

[MortMan]

The lady who is suing for "wrongful birth" (on another thread) is apparently named Raper.

[MEGoody]

If they were truly blocking traffic, then they deserve to be disciplined. . .as long as all others who do the same are also disciplined.

I would be willing to bet, however, that if a homosexual group were conducting some sort of protest and blocking students from moving through the commons, nothing would have been done.

[itsahoot]

have seen no evidence that the school allows other groups to meet in the Commons area.

No and you probably won't, wonder why that is?

Go check out a few schools Stone, there are several shortcomings in your understanding of the public school process.

[ThanhPhero]

Yes, for this you need the tag. It is all pretty close to reality in California.

[itsahoot]

[Matthew 6:5-6]

You really want to go there Stone?

[EndWelfareToday]

Uhhhhh...

Hmmmmm?

Did you not make this post - to me?
If you weren't alluding to a prior post of mine why did you claim that I was "trigger happy"?
In my quest to find out what the heck you were talking about I went back and reread my posts in this thread. My original post on this thread is the only one I could find that could even come remotely close to leading someone into thinking that I was "trigger happy" and anyone that would, would either have some serious reading comprehension issues or they misread the word "shouting" from the rooftops to mean "shooting" from the rooftops.
I was giving you the benefit of the doubt.
Now... Having only the assumption that you misread my post and that, from my perspective, you inserted the word "shooting" in place of "shouting" I made my follow up, tongue in cheek, post to you correcting what I assumed was a mistake on your part when you made the claim that I was "trigger happy." Apparently you don't even recall making the above post and it seems you lack a sense of humor.


If you wish to play please... Try to keep up with your own posts or be clearer in your responses. There is enough confusion in the world as it is. ;-)

Thanks!

[politicalwit]

I think we have a similiar attitude about this....

[rintense]

I'm sure if it was a Muslim prayer group, the administration would have looked the other way.

[voltaires_zit]

“They’re in the middle of a very busy area, grouped together, so others couldn’t get around,” he said. “Other kids cannot avoid it. That’s not appropriate, whether they’re praying or whatever they’re doing.”

Deserves to be repeated.

[Ramius]

Good grief... what's your problem? Why are you attacking me? All I've said is that maybe they were actually just blocking traffic... maybe I'm wrong about that... but then you come back with this silly nonsense:

Yet you have no problems, I'm sure, with sodomites running naked through the middle of the street playing grab arse right?

LOL... pardon me if I laugh, inasmuch as I can't imagine what I said that leads you to such a ridiculous conclusion. ~That~ is what I meant by trigger-happy. You flamed out at nothing. Yeesh.

I've already spent more time on this than it deserves. Please feel free to let it drop.

[tutstar]

bump...

[tutstar]

ping a ling...

[tutstar]

or if they were praying toward Mecca...it would not matter how much student traffic was disrupted.

[jazusamo]

That was my take on it also and they had been warned.