funydirector

We're in that season of public school graduation events. There are some schools where prayers are inserted into these events, violating not only the separation of church and state, but civic decency.

I propose that whenever prayers are inserted into these events, people of reason quietly stand up and face the rear of the auditorium - as a deliberate show of disrespect for the proceedings. When the prayer is finished, objecters would resume sitting.

Proponents of prayer often claim that they are just exercising their free speech rights. How could they object to others doing the same?

Toto

I think this will make you look like an ass.

I think it is better to stand respectfully, but not bow your head.

Bluenose

I just look around room, or area to see how many other people are also looking around. Some have even been so hypocritical as to demand why I did not close my eyes or bow my head afterward, which leads to a longer time spent discussing atheism than was spent pretending to talk to ourselves.

Oresta

A Swift reply to your "Modest Proposal":

I simply remain seated and also look around for similar behavior.

DieToDeath

Why be so quietly disrespecting when you can laugh in their faces?

Toto

It's a question of political effectiveness. When you are disrespectful, you allow them to change to subject from their irrational beliefs to your lack of civility. Why give ammunition to the enemy?

DieToDeath

You make a good point there, but unfortunately any sort of protest will give the ammunition to criticize civility.

Toto

That's why you have to work hard to maintain civility but avoid participation.

If you want to be loud and in-your-face, you have to be much more outrageous that just facing the back or laughing in their faces. You have to demand equal time to sacrifice a puppy and stage a fertility rite with the entire cheerleading squad (especially if there are both males and females).

Buffman

Back in the early 80's, there was a parent rally at an after hours, local, public high school to supposedly gain greater parental involvement in what was being taught to the students. I invited a trusted lady friend to attend with me because I was suspicious about the so-called concerned sponsors...seven local clergymen, a nationally syndicated right-wing journalist, and a state level religious education activist. Approximately 300 people attended.

As people were arriving, there was a young girl, maybe 12 or 13, standing on stage with a puppet of Jesus doing a voice throwing performance. I started my pocket tape recorder.

After approximately two hours of sermons on the evils of Evolution and Secular Humanism being taught in the public schools, one of the preachers went into a revival meeting mode and declared, "That even if Satan surrounds me in darkness, I will take my shotgun and shoot into it in hopes of hitting him." He then charged to the front of the stage and said, "If you believe in Jesus and his righteousness, stand up. Stand up for Jesus!" Everyone leaped to their feet, including three nuns sitting behind me. Only my wonderful, and courageous, lady friend and I remained seated. Since we were relatively near the front, our failure to rise did not go unnoticed.

As we departed this Christian revival gathering, I actually began to question the wisdom of having exposed my friend to this kind of group. She had lived in this community longer than most and had earned a well deserved reputation for honesty and compassion. Suddenly nearly 300 pairs of eyeballs were looking at us with open contempt and, what can only be described as, hate. Since many of the vehicles parked out front had rifles and shotguns mounted on them, I hurried my friend to my car and whisked us away. I still have the tape of that event to remind me of the face of Christian love that I saw that night.

The next day the newspaper, that employed that same journalist, carried an article claiming that over 1,000 people attended a rally that favored teaching creation science in the public schools in order to be fair because only Secular Humanistic Evolution was currently being taught.

Approximately two weeks later that same paper carried a much smaller article which chastised the preacher who had messaged all the state's major news organizations about that gathering and had mistated the attendance figures. He had messaged them before the meeting had been concluded.

I share this story only to point out that the effectiveness of dissent can be very dependent on the where, when and with whom that dissent is displayed. If I had to do it all over again, the only thing that I would do that was different is warn any invited date about the potential consequences of my actions...allowing that other person to decide whether they wished to attend or not.

hezekiah jones

Good grief. What a creepy yarn that was.