Edwards supports prayer in schools, says Jesus likely upset with America

[coemgen]

I found this very interesting. It seems like the Sojourner influence is upon us. More Democrats are talking about their faith. And get this, they're starting to make some sense, too. (gasp)


CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards says Jesus would be appalled at how the United States has ignored the plight of the suffering, and that he believes children should have private time to pray at school.
Edwards, in an interview with the Web site Beliefnet.com, said Jesus would be most upset with the selfishness of Americans and the country's willingness to go to war "when it's not necessary."

"I think that Jesus would be disappointed in our ignoring the plight of those around us who are suffering and our focus on our own selfish short-term needs," Edwards told the site. "I think he would be appalled, actually."
Edwards also said he was against teacher-led prayers in public schools, but he added that "allowing time for children to pray for themselves, to themselves, I think is not only OK, I think it's a good thing."
In the interview, the former North Carolina senator discussed how he lost touch with his day-to-day faith during college, but that it "came roaring back" after the death of his 16-year-old son, Wade, in 1996.
Edwards has often cited religion as a part of his politics, frequently linking his efforts to fight poverty as a matter of morality.
Edwards was interviewed by David Kuo, a conservative Christian who served as deputy director of President Bush's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives until 2003. Kuo wrote a book, "Tempting Faith, An Inside Story of Political Seduction," that said Bush aides privately called conservative Christians "nuts," "ridiculous" and "goofy."
Edwards told Kuo he stood by a decision to keep two bloggers on his staff despite their provocative writings criticizing the Catholic Church. Edwards said he also found the writing offensive, but "decided to forgive them and stand by them, knowing there would be potential political consequences for that."
The bloggers later quit, saying they didn't want to be a liability to the campaign.

 

[coemgen]

Oh yeah — this makes Ann Coulter look even more like a piece of poo.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I read the whole interview yesterday on the site, here's the link if anyone's interested

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/213/story_21312_1.html#extndVer

 

[Irvine511]

i always tend to listen better when people use words like "god" and "jesus" and then don't follow said words with a justification of bigotry, or condemnation, or self-righteousness, self-aggrandizement.

 

[Vincent Vega]

As long as it doesn't turn out like a mandatory, "So kids, now get your five minutes of prayer done." kind of thing.

It’s time to stomp out atheists in America. The majority of Americans would love to see atheists kicked out of America. If you don’t believe in God, then get out of this country.

The United States is based on having freedom of religion, speech, etc., which means you can believe in God any way you want (Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, etc.), but you must believe.

I don’t recall freedom of religion meaning no religion. Our currency even says, “In God We Trust.” So, to all the atheists in America: Get off of our country.

Atheists have casued the ruin of this great nation by taking prayer out of our school sna being able to rpactice what can only be called evil. I don’t care if they have never committed a crime, atheists are the reason crime is rampant.

http://www.myconfinedspace.com/2007/03/06/reader-voices-strong-opinion-on-atheists/

I found this one pretty funny

 

[Justin24]

I would support having a room for students who want to use it during break period to pray if they wanted to.

 

[martha]

I would support having a room for students who want to use it during break period to pray if they wanted to.

As long as all forms of prayer are acceptable, and not just the ones Edwards approves of.

 

[Justin24]

As long as all forms of prayer are acceptable, and not just the ones Edwards approves of.

Of course. I would love to see, Buddhists, Taoists, christians, muslims and jewish and any other religion perform it's prayers.

 

[Chizip]

Of course. I would love to see, Buddhists, Taoists, christians, muslims and jewish and any other religion perform it's prayers.

but that would make baby Jesus cry

 

[BVS]

Private time for prayer is much differenet then conservative Christian's view of school prayer.

I always found it to be an empty issue, do you know how many kids pray in school, especially during finals?

 

[coemgen]

I know I sure did. Unfortunately, not too many were answered.

 

[indra]

I don't get the whole prayer in schools issue. No one can stop anyone from praying -- anywhere or at any time. Anyone and everyone can pray anywhere and everywhere. The only thing they can't do is pray in such a way that shouts "HEY!!! Look at me -- I'm praying over here!!!"

And to me that's an extremely ugly and self serving way to pray anyway.

 

[U2Man]

lol, this is like reading stories from good old hellas..."i sense Zeus' wrath, guys!"

"oh no, poseidon is totally gonna drown us all if we dont stop this and sacrifice a few female slaves at his temple!!!"

 

[coemgen]

I don't get the whole prayer in schools issue. No one can stop anyone from praying -- anywhere or at any time. Anyone and everyone can pray anywhere and everywhere. The only thing they can't do is pray in such a way that shouts "HEY!!! Look at me -- I'm praying over here!!!"

And to me that's an extremely ugly and self serving way to pray anyway.

Nice job, indra. You're right on.

 

[martha]

The only thing they can't do is pray in such a way that shouts "HEY!!! Look at me -- I'm praying over here!!!"

And this is what worries me about seemingly innocuous calls for prayer in school. The peer pressure thing that's a part of every school and every grade will come into play.

"We're all gonna go pray, Janie. How come you're not?" Maybe Janie prefers to keep her prayer completely private, maybe Janie doesn't pray, maybe Janie doesn't want to go with those kids to the Prayer Room.

Either way, it becomes a school/government sanctioned activity, with someone left out because of a different set of beliefs.

I don't like it.

 

[martha]

And who decides which prayers are appropriate? Does Joe get to pray out loud about how he wishes Jesus would save the gay guys at his school? Does Ahmed get to pray out loud about how he feels about unbelievers? Does Susie get to pray out loud for the poor dead unborn? Does Jimmie get to pray out loud for God to smite those who oppose him?

 

[BonosSaint]

I was a freshman in high school when they first banned prayers in school (or were heading that way). They got around it by having a time of silence (something like 3 minutes or so). You could pray if you wanted, I guess, although that was never mentioned. You could stare at the wall; you could meditate; you could fantasize. No one dictated anything but the silence.

I didn't pray but I kind of liked those couple minutes of peace.

 

[anitram]

Is this really a big deal in the US? I mean, do your kids all want to go pray or something?

I remember growing up and nobody and I mean nobody ever used the prayer room we had at our school. We had a little chapel and although it was a Catholic school, non-Catholic students could use the prayer room and wouldn't have to attend any services. And I just can't recall anyone ever even wanting to go in and pray. Not in elementary school and not in high school. Maybe we were all little heathens or something.

 

[martha]

Maybe we were all little heathens or something.

And look what your country allows now.

 

[BonosSaint]

I doubt prayer rooms would be used very much. I doubt this is kid-generated. Some of it stemmed, I think, from some Muslim students wanting a place for their daily prayers which they were given and I supposed excused from their classes to meet their obligations. I don't know if that was a real desire or a statement. Suddenly some of the Christians (parents, I presume) wanted prayer rooms where they never needed one before or ever thought of one. It's a perceived loss of rights that they never practiced anyway.

Most kids probably want to pray as much as they ever did--which is hardly ever.

 

[Vincent Vega]

Hm, we didn't ever sing our anthem or anything before classes start, we never had anything like chapels or prayer rooms in our schools and and we didn't ever get some minutes of silence (we had breaks in between). Neither did my parents.

And there was never anyone who mentioned the need of anything like this.

Bavaria used to have crosses in classrooms until a few years ago. But that's Bavaria and a whole different story.

And if it's never going to get used I don't know why bother installing such a room or three minute praying room? This would only be one of those measures where the parents felt better because they got their will, but didn't ever aks their children.

And who decides which prayers are appropriate? Does Joe get to pray out loud about how he wishes Jesus would save the gay guys at his school? Does Ahmed get to pray out loud about how he feels about unbelievers? Does Susie get to pray out loud for the poor dead unborn? Does Jimmie get to pray out loud for God to smite those who oppose him?

I think this is a very good point. Look at how sometimes threads here in FYM go of over different reiligious perceptions or interpretations. And then think about that those are children.

I'm not sure if Edwards would mention this in another, non-religious interview, or if it rather was a comment meant to appeal the "audience" (no offence).

 

[coemgen]

I actually think prayer rooms would be used. At least they would where I'm at. We have students regularly meet "at the pole" to pray and stuff before school.

 

[BVS]

I actually think prayer rooms would be used. At least they would where I'm at. We have students regularly meet "at the pole" to pray and stuff before school.

How would they work? I doubt you're going to have a private room to give access to high school kids...that would be the unholiest place on campus.

 

[martha]

before school.

Key words here.

 

[yolland]

I would love to see, Buddhists, Taoists, christians, muslims and jewish and any other religion perform it's prayers.

Honestly, I think most kids would find it weird and uncomfortable to be in the same room with other children reciting prayers peculiar to their own faith traditions while meanwhile they're trying to focus on reciting prayers peculiar to their own. Christians and especially Protestants tend to perceive this issue differently, I think, because they automatically picture the type of freeform individual (e.g., Edwards' description of his prayer as a 'conversation' with God) or collective ("Justin, do you have a prayer you'd like to share with us today?") style of prayer they're very familiar with. Whereas, say, a Jew like me automatically thinks of the required prayers we recite three times a day, accompanied at certain points with particular motions (bowing with knees bent, etc.). When I was a kid my family would recite the Mincha (afternoon prayers) together at home after school, then when I was in high school that was in the same town our synagogue was in, so I'd head over there for the combined afternoon/evening service after cross-country or track practice was over. I can't imagine it having been comfortable for me to have done my prayers in some "prayer room" at my school with my Baptist (or, in high school, Catholic) schoolmates sitting there gawking at me.

I'm certainly not opposed to privately organized interdenominational prayer, that can be very nice but it does require some knowledge and forethought on the part of the person leading it and a 10-year-old is not likely to have that. And a prayer room where only silent individual prayer is allowed strikes me as defeating the purpose of having one, which is presumably so that students can pray together.

 

[verte76]

Silent time for prayer is fine with me. I'm a practicing Catholic and we have parochial schools for a reason, to give our kids a Catholic education complete with mass at school. I'm against teacher-led prayer in public school.

 

[DrTeeth]

How would they work? I doubt you're going to have a private room to give access to high school kids...that would be the unholiest place on campus.

A prayer darkroom!? I think I've just found Jesus!

Seriously though, why does a school need a specific prayer room? If you want to pray, why can't you just do it to yourself or outside of school hours. Why is it necessary for a school to facilitate this?

 

[AEON]

A prayer darkroom!? I think I've just found Jesus!

Seriously though, why does a school need a specific prayer room? If you want to pray, why can't you just do it to yourself or outside of school hours. Why is it necessary for a school to facilitate this?

I actually agree.

That is why I think we should make it possible for every child to attend private school.

The parents can then choose a secular school, a Christian school, a "fill in the blank" school. As long as they meet fed and state standards, then I don't see what the problem is.

 

[BVS]

I actually agree.

That is why I think we should make it possible for every child to attend private school.

The parents can then choose a secular school, a Christian school, a "fill in the blank" school. As long as they meet fed and state standards, then I don't see what the problem is.

I'm confused. Who isn't able to attend a private school? And what does fed and state standards have to do with PRIVATE school?

Why can't education just be about science, math, history, language, social, etc... Why can't religion be left up to the church and family? Seriously why is this so hard for some people?

 

[u2fan628]

A prayer darkroom!? I think I've just found Jesus!

Seriously though, why does a school need a specific prayer room? If you want to pray, why can't you just do it to yourself or outside of school hours. Why is it necessary for a school to facilitate this?

AMEN!