Featured High School Valedictorian Stuns Audience After He Rips Up Speech and Delivers the Lor

No, that is a four word sentence.

Graduation events encompasses more than the invocation. Sheesh!

 

And you're not?:laugh: You seem to be seeing somewhere that they said the speakers couldn't pray. So please show me so that I know longer have to infer that they didn't tell the speakers they couldn't pray.

But I'M inferring?:laugh: It must not be clear to everyone as they took out the invocation and said NOTHING about speakers praying.

 

Show me where the invocation was specifically mentioned as the ONLY prayer to be removed.

 

You work for Pickens County now as the Story Police. If it tells a story, it's a story and there's no amount of haggling you can do to change that.

Who said it didn't? The invocation isn't a graduation event. It's part of a program.

 

You got another prayer in the official program that they mentioned? If there were another prayer removed, they would have mentioned it along with removing the invocation from the event. All the hubbub is about the invocation and prayer.

So when you find that they took another prayer out of the official program, let me know.

 

Yep, done with responding to you.

 

Here's the part y'all are missing: he ripped up his previously-approved speech.

Was that the only draft? Had he submitted other versions that included statements about God and/or Jesus, and was told to edit those out? Was he told to write a speech without using those references?

Y'all want to niggle and quibble about the invocation; try focusing on what he did. Did he write a speech; was told to change it; and subsequently submitted one that met approval, and then went with his original speech anyway?

What really happened here?

 

So then you don't know if he lied or was spontaneous? Or perhaps you don't care that he lied cause lying to talk about God is ok

 

Good I wish you had reached that conclusion after your first response. Some of yall on here just like to look for reasons to be contrary with every story mentioned.

You just got to have something to complain about or something to point at that you feel like the person did wrong.

Get over yourselves already.

 

Does it really matter which question is first, does that somehow change things

How exactly is he taking a stand, grandstand perhaps but hardly a stand.

So then you would be happy if a student who was Muslim got up and recited a prayer from the Koran?

 

As I read it, he decided to protest the new "no prayer at graduation events" by purposely staging an act where he rips up a couple pieces of paper (which may or may not have been his actual prepared speech) and then give his two sentence 'testimonial' and then recited the Lord's prayer.

He had submitted a totally secular version which was approved. Also he said the school district removed prayers from everything.

“Originally, they were only supposed to take away prayer in the school district before meetings — [but then] they blew it way out of proportion, taking prayers out of anything,” he said.


http://www.theblaze.com/stories/201...id-it-we-have-freedom-of-speech-for-a-reason/

 

Why would I focus on him tearing up his speech and wondering if he took references out?

The story is about prayer. The school board axed prayer not references to God/Jesus.

His tearing up of his speech seemed to be to make the point that he felt it was more important to speak to THIS than it was to give some rote graduation speech.

 

You're too strong here, I don't hate public displays of Christianity, do it every day and especially on Sunday when our service is broadcast on TV.

What I think is unwise and counterproductive are these score a point, look at me moments that are mistaken for "taking a stand".

How did he take a stand?

 

Yes.

Again, y'all call it what you want. I applaud him.

Who cares if I would be happy? Did they tell the speakers they couldn't stand up and recite a prayer from the Koran?

If not, there's no need for them to get upset over a student saying a prayer. They removed "state sanctioned religious" references just as the government has attempted to do with everything else.

They can't stop individual speakers from speaking on religion. That's just as much discrimination as the atheists have claimed.

 

Unbelievable!

Christians protesting that this man talked about God and then had the audacity to actually pray! I would expect this from atheists, but not from Christians.

He didn't cause a disruption or have to be removed from the activity. It seem that some here are more upset than the school board over this. How strange.

 

Robert, where I draw the line is "deceit." I'm not sure this qualifies as such; but if he led the school leadership to believe he would be delivering a certain speech, but then delivered another without prior notification - what kind of message does that send about Christianity, that we'll basically lie in order to get our message across?

Paul didn't lie to the authorities; he told them he was going to preach Christ. And he did.

 

I'm upset because I didn't think he said enough. He had a platform and his talk about God was restricted to one phrase thanking his parents for leading him to the Lord. He then recited a prayer that is heard so often and is so universal that it's impact has almost been rendered nil.

He could have used the opportunity to talk about how he trusted God during his high school years to get him through tough spots and how he is trusting the Lord to lead and direct his life as he enters his college years. People were expecting a speech, instead they got a minute and a half protest action.

Also, as Don pointed out he deceived the school because he submitted a speech for approval, then didn't use it, and then violated their stated policy regarding prayer.

 

Still no answer to how he actually took a stand for anything other then rebellion against school administrators if indeed this was planned and not spontaneous.


"I have been asked to not make any religious references or prayers during my speech today. Though I disagree with this policy, in deference to my school, I will comply and instead tell you my religion is very important to me and would love the opportunity to tell why. If you're curious, please look me up and we can discuss it over a cup of coffee or ice cream cone, I'll even buy."

Why can't something like this be said instead of making a show?

 

Personally - I don't think so.