[Vision2020] Thoughts on public prayer and inteligent design

[lfalen]

In my veiw Donovan and Kai are right based on a literal reading of the Constitution. Jefferson did make statements about a wall of separation of church and state. That is in other places not the Constitution. To read anything else in the Constitution is acting as an activist jurist. There has been plenty of this. Based on these decisions subsequent jurist concur on the basis of established president. That does not make it right. There is a procedure  set up to amend the constitution. Only that procedure should be used.
It would according to the Constitution be unlawful for any school to mandate a set prayer ritual be it protestant, Catholic, Hindu, etc. There should be nothing wrong with a generic prayer or as I thing Ton Hansen suggested rotating the prayer between all religions that may be present. No one should be required to join in, but should respect the right of other to pray.
The President of the University Islamic Association is sharing my office. Every day he gets out his carpet and spends about 10 minutes in prayer. He asked me if it alright with me. I said "yes". I just keep on working. Every one should respect the right of other to worship as they see fit. What is to be prohibited is requiring other to follow suit.

There has been a lot of talk lately about intelligent Design being taught in science classes. This is wrong. I have no objection to it being taught in a course on religion or philosophy.  It does not fit the requirement for science, because it cannot be corroborated by any scientific method. Evolution can and therefore should be taught in science classes.

How is this for something that almost everyone can agree and disagree with?

Roger Falen