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Choir can't sing Lord's Prayer at graduation
I found this looking around today:A report in yesterday's Christian Post shows that line drawing on Establishment Clause issues continues to be difficult. A Comstock Park, Michigan high school student, Nick Szymanski, was killed last October when he was accidentally electrocuted painting a house. Symanski, who was a member of the school choir, had a favorite song-- The Lord's Prayer. The choir wants to sing it in his memory at graduation on Thursday. It would also present a second, non-religious piece as part of its performance.
The choir sang The Lord's Prayer earlier this year at a concert to raise funds for Szymanski's funeral and during a winter school concert. School officials, however, say that commencement is different-- there is more of a captive audience. That is what the Supreme Court said in a 1992 decision. Counsel has advised Comstock Park school officials that the song should not be included. (Grand Rapids Press). Disagreeing with that advice, the Alliance Defense Fund sent school officials a letter last week arguing that the performance is permissible, saying that under the circumstances it would not be seen as an endorsement of religion.
4 comments:
Regardless of the piece of music, I don't believe it is appropriate to sing in memory of this student when it has already been done. My hunch is that is more of the concern over the singing.
It's an unfortunate clash of priorities in this case, to be sure, and what a sad story about the deceased student. But put yourself in the shoes of the "non-believing" graduates: There's already a tremendous pressure to toe the spiritual line and demonstrate the proper reverence (not merely respect) toward religious expressions in public settings. How much greater would that pressure be with the specter of a lost classmate looming over the proceedings as well? The "captive audience" concept is valid, as is the notion that one's own commencement ceremony ought not to leave one feeling excluded or uncomfortable if there's any alternative.
Not to be overly cynical here, but I would surmise that if the student's favorite song had been, say, "Color Out of Colorado," no one would be lobbying for its inclusion in the commencement ceremony, and the frankly odious Alliance Defense Fund would be off "protecting our liberty" somewhere else.
I hope they can reach a compromise that will leave no one wounded.
Don't schools hold optional baccalaureate services for graduates anymore? That's where all our religious service and music went for our graduates when I was in high school; participation was optional and nobody complained.
I have to admit, I clicked on the link to this blog, half expecting to witness a train wreck of ignorantly zealous religious drivel in defense of the singing of the piece.
Much to my happy dismay, I am so pleased to see intelligent, well thought out responses to the issue at hand. This isn't about a piece of music, sacred or secular. Bravo for staying on topic. Allow me to traverse slightly off topic.
I think part of the problem is that we model public school commencement exercises after a ancient and beloved ceremony that originates in the English universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Both of which are extremely integrated with Anglican theology. The concept of honoring God, simultaneously with the graduates is natural under these circumstances. Even today, at the most illustrious private American universities with NO religious affiliationto speak of, the chaplain usually gives a benediction. There is some sort of invocation of God.
As long as public schools in this country wish to model their commencement exercises after this style of ceremony, there will be those who feel something is remiss in not acknowledging a "higher authority" at this special time in students lives.
I enjoyed my private education, and the proverbial pomp and circumstance that accompanied a grand ceremony (including a benediction here and there) to celebrate its conclusion; however, I agree with Heather: Whatever happened to an optional Baccalaureate service? To me, this seems to be a perfect solution to the public school conundrum.
I too hope that a solution can be reached that honors everyone involved.
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