[colorado tanker]

You are putting words in my mouth. I never said her speech offends me. It doesn’t. I’m a Christian. But I also have a sense of manners and decorum, that I find sadly lacking in many. Ever hear the quaint old expression, “there’s a time and place for everything?”

[Old_Mil]

Ever hear the quaint old expression, “there’s a time and place for everything?”

And what, pray tell, should the purpose of a commencement speech be?

[Belasarius]

“there’s a time and place for everything?”

Well, this isn’t the same as praying on the street corner, saying, “look at me...holier than thou.”

This is witnessing. I’m not a Bible expert but as I recall Christians are called upon to proclaim the Good News. I don’t remember that there was any fine print. You scatter the seed and some of it will fall on good ground. The rest of it is not our responsibility. I believe that is where the Holy Spirit comes in.

The way I see it, if Christ was the Son of God, died, and was risen, then that’s the most important thing that ever happened in the history of the human race. Not many of us act like it, or act like it most of the time.

If Jesus isn’t who he said he was then she’s just a girl talking about her hobby. If he is then what she said was the most important thing said by anybody that day.

[keats5]

So would you restrict this girl’s religious expression, because in your world you think religious views belong only in certain times or places? Why do you get to decide? When is the right time or place for religious expression? Would you restrict religious speech to home and church? What's the point of having religious freedom if you cannot live your faith in public places?

Christian students are Christians 100% of the time. They might offer prayers in restaurants, encourage their children to act like Christ at fairs, or say "Praise God" aloud at work when they get a job promotion. That's what religious freedom looks like in a free society. If others think that is inappropriate, they are free to behave differently.

I understand that legal precedent forbids governmental institutions from proselytizing. But in this situation, everyone in the audience realized this girl was not speaking as an agent of the state. She was a Christian student, saying Christian things on a public forum in a free society. The school's going to lose this one.