GAY GEISER-SANDOVAL -- Educationally Speaking

On the birthday of our nation’s independence, I think about the

principles for which our country was founded. With that in mind, I

examined the United States Supreme Court’s recent ruling about school

prayer. I decided to go to the source and read the actual Supreme Court

decision.

Before you decide whether the supreme interpretation of the law of the

land should be followed, perhaps you need to read it, also. Then think

about the message the court is trying to convey.

I believe the decision is based on freedoms that are often in conflict.

Freedom of speech is often in conflict with other rights.

For that reason, unless there actually is a fire, you can’t yell “fire”

in a crowded theater. You can’t call someone a murderer unless he is one.

You can’t claim your product cures all disease unless it does. You can’t

shout your own political views in the middle of a congressional session,

even though you can do so outside.

Freedom of speech is not an absolute freedom. There are limitations that

have been deemed necessary. Freedom of religion is just as tricky.

At this time, about one-third of the world’s population is Christian; the

other two-thirds are of some other faith or have no religious

affiliation. The United States, which has long opened its doors to

others, represents more of a microcosm of the world than any other place.

Part of the reason the Pilgrims came to this new land was so that they

could practice their religion the way they wanted to. They didn’t want to

say their prayers in conformity with the majority religion, the Church of

England.

There weren’t a whole lot of Pilgrims over there, so if there was a vote

in the town square about whether the prayer that day would be one the

Pilgrims liked or one that the Anglican Church liked, guess whose prayer

would get picked?

That made the Pilgrims feel pretty out of it. They felt they didn’t

belong to such a degree that they were willing to go to some hostile new

place where they could say their prayers just like they wanted.

People of other faiths followed. It’s been one of the big draws about the

United States. We don’t take the “my way or the highway” approach to

religion. We take the “you can do your thing as long as I can do my

thing” approach.

Places of worship or private schools can choose their prayer and make

everyone there participate in it. But public schools are different

because that is where the government provides education for all people.

Students can pray silently every minute of the school day, as long as it

doesn’t interfere with schoolwork. Students and teachers can pray out

loud before school, after school, during every break and lunchtime.

The Supreme Court doesn’t have a problem with praying at school. Its

recent decision deals with organized prayers sanctioned by schools.

Isn’t a public school the place where we should teach tolerance by

example?

Would a high school football team want to prostrate themselves, face

Mecca and pray to Allah before its game? Would the players take time for

Buddhist meditation and chant? Would they participate in an organized

Hebrew blessing?

If such practices would make some of the Christian members of that

football team feel uneasy, they shouldn’t be required to do it.

With that in mind, shouldn’t we tolerate and respect the Muslim, Buddhist

or Jew?

So pray often at school. Pray that we will all have more tolerance of

each other’s religious beliefs.

* GAY GEISER-SANDOVAL is a Costa Mesa resident. Her column appears

Tuesdays. She can be reached by e-mail at o7 GGSesq@aol.comf7 .