Quiet Reflection

Overriding the Governor's veto, the Illinois state legislature has mandated a moment of silence at the beginning of every school day. It will be interesting to see how it plays out since the law doesn't mention prayer or religion specifically. It's a "neutral" silence. You can pray of course. Or you can think about girls or Nintendo. They say there is no intention--just silence. They simply love moments of silence.

“Our children deserve . . . a moment of silence,” said Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago). She said it would enable students to “listen to the rustling of leaves, to listen to the chirping of a bird, to listen to the tip-tap of a kid walking."

hmm. If kids are walking with a "tip-tap" down the hall, they aren't doing a good job of observing a moment of silence. Supporters even seized on recent school shootings to help their cause, claiming kids need more peace of mind.

This isn't the most egregious transgression of the separation of church and state to ever happen but I find their need to enshrine prayer time into law law dangerous and unconstitutional. Christians with a persecution complex will always claim secularists are trying to take prayer out of schools. They don't seem to understand that you can pray in schools. Pray before lunch. Pray before class. Pray all day and ignore your work. It's just not going to be part of the curriculum.

I like this point by Kate Sheppard:

If I were religious, this would probably annoy me even more; mandating observance of your faith seems pretty contrary to the idea of faith. Shouldn't it be a personal choice, made by individuals or families, practiced on your own time? And if you feel that you need to observe your religion in school, you can go to a religious school. But I guess I'm forgetting just what sort of religious person would want to pass this law in the first place.

Exactly. Why the need for Big Mommy Government to tell you it's time to talk with Jesus. Can't individuals decide this on their own without some nanny state bureaucrat mandating it by law?