Friday, May 25, 2007

Going Bananas Over the Lord’s Prayer in Song

Graduation ceremonies are fast approaching once again this year, with the latest crop of high school seniors ready to quit the halls of secondary education and move on down the road to college, boot camp or what have you.

Typically this time of year we are treated to a smattering of controversies over whether a prayer may be uttered from the podium during graduation ceremonies.  The answer to that question is, in most cases, no, a prayer may not be uttered from the podium because of the rules defining separation of church and state.

Now, the separation of church and state is indeed a good thing.  The church should not be in the state’s knickers, nor should the state be in the church’s knickers.  But I was a bit surprised to read this headline.  Choir told not to sing ‘Lord’s Prayer’ at graduation.  From the linked story.

The Comstock Park High School choir performed “The Lord’s Prayer” six months ago at a benefit for the family of Nick Szymanski, a choir member and deeply religious student who was killed in an accident last October.

In honor of their classmate, the choir decided to sing it again next week during graduation.

But that plan changed Wednesday when choir director Keith VanGoor told the vocalists that school administrators would not allow them to sing the religious song during the May 31 ceremony at Sunshine Community Church.

Of course the reason stated for not being allowed to sing the “Lord’s Prayer” is the separation of church and state.  Further into the article we are informed that the choir did sing the “Lord’s Prayer” during an earlier school concert, but, for graduation it will be verboten because, well, here’s what the Comstock Park Public Schools Superintendent Dwight Anderson said.

But graduation is a bit different, Anderson said, because, unlike a choir concert, graduation includes more of a “captive audience.”

A “captive audience.”  Hmm, that’s interesting.  I’m wondering, if there are fears that this “captive audience” will be so moved by the singing of the “Lord’s Prayer” that a Pentecostal fervor will sweep over the crowd and a mass conversion, complete with altar call, will take place, which would of course delay the graduation ceremony and we don’t want that.

Or, are there concerns that members of the “captive audience,” who take supreme umbrage at hearing any reference to God, will spontaneously combust upon conclusion of singing this chorale?

Separation of church and state is a must, but disallowing the singing of the “Lord’s Prayer” during a graduation ceremony is a bit much.

Posted by John Venlet on 05/25 at 06:07 AM
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