College student in Colorado allowed to mention Jesus, the Bible in graduation speech

[Anonymous]

https://m.gazette.com/college-student-in-colorado-allowed-to-mention-jesus-the-bible-in-graduation-speech/article/1625763

A Colorado Mesa University student will be able to mention Jesus and quote Bible verses in her speech at the Grand Junction school's nursing program pinning ceremony on Friday, according to the Alliance Defending Freedom.

The conservative, nonprofit Christian organization advocates and provides training on the issues of "religious freedom, sanctity of life, and marriage and family."

After receiving a letter from the organization, the school agreed Tuesday not to require students to remove all religious references from their speeches at its nursing program’s pinning ceremony.

University officials had based their requirement on the First Amendment but rescinded it after receiving the letter ADF sent on behalf of student Karissa Erickson, the graduation speaker.

“America’s Founding Fathers regularly opened public ceremonies with prayer, and federal appeals courts have consistently ruled that universities can do the same at their graduation ceremonies,” ADF lawyer Travis Barham said in a news release

“We applaud the university for quickly recognizing that the First Amendment protects a graduating student’s right to mention her faith in her own speech and has never required universities to purge ceremonies of all things religious.”

University officials told Erickson that she had to remove her reference to Jesus and a Bible verse from her remarks, saying, “Speeches should be free of any one religious slant.”

Other officials threatened her with “repercussions” if she refused, saying the nursing “program will not tolerate [this Christian content].”

The letter from ADF detailed how the First Amendment allows prayers and religious remarks, at college graduations, and how university officials risked engaging in viewpoint discrimination and violating the First Amendment’s establishment clause by targeting remarks due to their religious content.

University officials responded positively, noting that students “invited to speak at the BSN pinning should speak uncensored.”

[Anonymous]

As someone who believes in the separation of church and state, I'm OK with her speech. Not sure what the big deal is, honestly. I don't appreciate graduates being controlled in that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
As someone who believes in the separation of church and state, I'm OK with her speech. Not sure what the big deal is, honestly. I don't appreciate graduates being controlled in that way.

Same and I'm an atheist who also strongly believes in separation of church and state.

[Anonymous]

Who is this new OP that constantly copies and pastes news stories all day every day?

[Anonymous]

+1

Unless she was going to ask listeners to join her religion or berate them for disbelief, she should not be censored.


“Other officials threatened her with “repercussions” if she refused, saying the nursing “program will not tolerate [this Christian content].” “

What a bunch of creeps.

[Anonymous]

I'm opposed to this type of thing. I was at a seminar for work, and at the lunch, someone gave a benediction thanking Jesus for the food. We were asked to bow our heads at the start of his little spiel, and when he got to the Jesus Christ part, I felt manipulated into participating in a Christian prayer that is antithetical to my beliefs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm opposed to this type of thing. I was at a seminar for work, and at the lunch, someone gave a benediction thanking Jesus for the food. We were asked to bow our heads at the start of his little spiel, and when he got to the Jesus Christ part, I felt manipulated into participating in a Christian prayer that is antithetical to my beliefs.

Your situation is different than hers. Read before making a comment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm opposed to this type of thing. I was at a seminar for work, and at the lunch, someone gave a benediction thanking Jesus for the food. We were asked to bow our heads at the start of his little spiel, and when he got to the Jesus Christ part, I felt manipulated into participating in a Christian prayer that is antithetical to my beliefs.

Your situation is different than hers. Read before making a comment.

Are you a Christian?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm opposed to this type of thing. I was at a seminar for work, and at the lunch, someone gave a benediction thanking Jesus for the food. We were asked to bow our heads at the start of his little spiel, and when he got to the Jesus Christ part, I felt manipulated into participating in a Christian prayer that is antithetical to my beliefs.

Show me on this doll where the prayer hurt you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm opposed to this type of thing. I was at a seminar for work, and at the lunch, someone gave a benediction thanking Jesus for the food. We were asked to bow our heads at the start of his little spiel, and when he got to the Jesus Christ part, I felt manipulated into participating in a Christian prayer that is antithetical to my beliefs.

Show me on this doll where the prayer hurt you.

Nice way to show complete disdain for someone's religious beliefs that say one does not pray to anyone but G-d. Sorry, but Christians don't get to ignore the fact that there are other people in the room who don't share their views. It's disrespectful, to say the least.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As someone who believes in the separation of church and state, I'm OK with her speech. Not sure what the big deal is, honestly. I don't appreciate graduates being controlled in that way.

Same and I'm an atheist who also strongly believes in separation of church and state.

Thirded. Meh. It's not much different than if she went about mentioning people I don't know that were important to her success.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm opposed to this type of thing. I was at a seminar for work, and at the lunch, someone gave a benediction thanking Jesus for the food. We were asked to bow our heads at the start of his little spiel, and when he got to the Jesus Christ part, I felt manipulated into participating in a Christian prayer that is antithetical to my beliefs.

Your situation is different than hers. Read before making a comment.

Are you a Christian?

You are an adult.

You did not have to bow your head. You could have sat quietly and daydreamed about remodeling your bathroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm opposed to this type of thing. I was at a seminar for work, and at the lunch, someone gave a benediction thanking Jesus for the food. We were asked to bow our heads at the start of his little spiel, and when he got to the Jesus Christ part, I felt manipulated into participating in a Christian prayer that is antithetical to my beliefs.

Your situation is different than hers. Read before making a comment.

Are you a Christian?

You are an adult.

You did not have to bow your head. You could have sat quietly and daydreamed about remodeling your bathroom.

Agnostic here and glad the graduate is able to make the speech about things meaningful to here.

But about the bold? Totally stealing it. I mean, I tell myself to bite my tongue All The Time, but I could really be distracted by remodeling plans. Superb!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who is this new OP that constantly copies and pastes news stories all day every day?

+1. there's no question

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm opposed to this type of thing. I was at a seminar for work, and at the lunch, someone gave a benediction thanking Jesus for the food. We were asked to bow our heads at the start of his little spiel, and when he got to the Jesus Christ part, I felt manipulated into participating in a Christian prayer that is antithetical to my beliefs.

Your situation is different than hers. Read before making a comment.

Are you a Christian?

You are an adult.

You did not have to bow your head. You could have sat quietly and daydreamed about remodeling your bathroom.

The point is that I did not imagine that in a non-sectarian workplace lunch, with all different religions represented, that I was bowing my head to Jesus IN ADVANCE. I thought it was going to be a very generic, inclusive "prayer" - not one for Christians only.

It is WRONG to sanction one religion over another in a workplace setting.