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A federal appeals court ruled Monday that two Wisconsin high schools violated the U.S. Constitution by holding graduations in a church -- among the most recent decisions in a long-running debate about the separation of church and state.
A three-judge panel from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in September the schools did nothing wrong by hold graduation in Elmbrook Church, in the southeastern part of the state.
However, the full 7th Circuit reversed the panel, ruling Monday the ceremonies were unconstitutional and noting students were exposed to religious messages in the form of a giant cross that hung over the church's sanctuary and religious pamphlets on middle school and high school ministries and hymnals in the pews.
To hold a public high school graduation in a church (on its face) does violate the separation clause.
Federal court rules Wisconsin schools' graduations in church were unconstitutional | Fox News
So the question is, is the ruling that holding a graduation ceremony for a public school in a church unconstitutional correct?
Edit: for our centrist/independent posters, please choose the side closest to your views.
Good point. I agree. Or, you could use a favorite Marine statement for this one. "Good initiative, bad judgement." You point about the mosque swung it for me. I would be outraged if my son had to into a mosque to graduate high school.Not wrong, just ill-conceived.
Good point. I agree. Or, you could use a favorite Marine statement for this one. "Good initiative, bad judgement." You point about the mosque swung it for me. I would be outraged if my son had to into a mosque to graduate high school.
So you would have no issue with your child graduating high school in say, a strip club? After all, the strip club promised it would be cheap. I teach my son Christian values and he is a born again Christian. I have no desire for him to ever enter a mosque. I am tolerant as well. I am tolerant as far as if someone wants to practice Islam, they can. But I am not tolerant in that I don't mind seeing the Star and Crescent in the background while he's receiving his diploma. One of the most important things I have learned as I dive deeper and deeper into politics and law is the setting of precedent. When you set the precedent that no building is off limits for functions such as these, you open the floodgates for it to go the other way. And believe me, you can say it won't happen all you want. But one day some nut will try it.Why would having it in a mosque be a bad thing? If say the class is too big (with all the guests that will be there) for any of the locations at the school, what does it matter what the main purpose of the building they use is? Most often a 'church' will provide their space either free or for a much lower fee than other locations, for something like a high school graduation.
Perhaps I am of a different mindset, because I prefer that people learn about all things out there, to be better educated in a worldly fashion, about what is out there, and what others believe. I call it tolerance.
And for the record, I'm no fan of any religion, but it hasn't stopped me from going to services of many different religions to see what they were about.
Federal court rules Wisconsin schools' graduations in church were unconstitutional | Fox News
So the question is, is the ruling that holding a graduation ceremony for a public school in a church unconstitutional correct?
Edit: for our centrist/independent posters, please choose the side closest to your views.
Federal court rules Wisconsin schools' graduations in church were unconstitutional | Fox News
So the question is, is the ruling that holding a graduation ceremony for a public school in a church unconstitutional correct?
Edit: for our centrist/independent posters, please choose the side closest to your views.
So you would have no issue with your child graduating high school in say, a strip club? After all, the strip club promised it would be cheap. I teach my son Christian values and he is a born again Christian. I have no desire for him to ever enter a mosque. I am tolerant as well. I am tolerant as far as if someone wants to practice Islam, they can. But I am not tolerant in that I don't mind seeing the Star and Crescent in the background while he's receiving his diploma. One of the most important things I have learned as I dive deeper and deeper into politics and law is the setting of precedent. When you set the precedent that no building is off limits for functions such as these, you open the floodgates for it to go the other way. And believe me, you can say it won't happen all you want. But one day some nut will try it.
No the ruling is not correct.The first amendment states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". Nowhere in this does it state that you can't hold school functions in religious buildings.
You are correct. However, when we allow a school to hold a ceremony in a church, you set precedent to hold a grad in a mosque or some other building that most Americans wouldn't approve of. That's my reason for agreeing with it.
Federal court rules Wisconsin schools' graduations in church were unconstitutional | Fox News
So the question is, is the ruling that holding a graduation ceremony for a public school in a church unconstitutional correct?
Edit: for our centrist/independent posters, please choose the side closest to your views.
The government's action must have a secular legislative purpose;
The government's action must not have the primary effect of either advancing or inhibiting religion;
The government's action must not result in an "excessive government entanglement" with religion.
Then, as Arbo said to MarineTPartier, that's just religious intolerance.To all those posters who equated this with holding high school graduation in a Mosque. Thanks. I've seen the light. That would be completely unacceptable to me.
You are correct. However, when we allow a school to hold a ceremony in a church, you set precedent to hold a grad in a mosque or some other building that most Americans wouldn't approve of. That's my reason for agreeing with it.
Federal court rules Wisconsin schools' graduations in church were unconstitutional | Fox News
So the question is, is the ruling that holding a graduation ceremony for a public school in a church unconstitutional correct?
Edit: for our centrist/independent posters, please choose the side closest to your views.
Federal court rules Wisconsin schools' graduations in church were unconstitutional | Fox News
So the question is, is the ruling that holding a graduation ceremony for a public school in a church unconstitutional correct?
Edit: for our centrist/independent posters, please choose the side closest to your views.
No the ruling is not correct.The first amendment states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". Nowhere in this does it state that you can't hold school functions in religious buildings.
No the ruling is not correct.The first amendment states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". Nowhere in this does it state that you can't hold school functions in religious buildings.
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