Public Prayer Showdown in Desoto County, Mississippi

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Reported by: Marcus Holliday

Email: mholliday@localmemphis.com

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Published: 8/19/2011 5:39 pm

Updated: 8/22/2011 9:05 am

DESOTO COUNTY, MS - The Desoto County School system received a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation asking the district to stop allowing school-led prayers. The group says it did so after receiving a complaint from a student.

Preston Rogers, with the Freedom From Religion Foundation, spoke with abc24.com about the issue.

He says prayer is not illegal. It just can't be sanctioned by the school or led by a representative of the school.

Pamela Selby was a representative for Desoto County Schools for 28 years.

"I'm so sorry that Christians who stand up for the Lord are the ones who are singled out," she says.

Selby's all for praying before ball games.

"I think praying before a ball game," she tells abc24.com, "is fine. Praying that children don't get hurt, can you imagine being against that?"

Markus Godwin can't.

"I don't go to church," he says, "but I believe in God. I don't see anything wrong with prayer in schools."

But Rogers does see something wrong with it.

"The reason we have the Bill of Rights is to prevent people from being ruled by the tyranny of the majority," he says.

"I think the Constitution allows for everyone to have freedom of expression," says Selby. "If you're not a believer, you simply tune it out."

Freedom From Religion Foundation says it's not suing the school system yet, but if the praying continues, it will. Desoto County Schools leaders say they are investigating the matter.

"it's a little hard to wonder why they need to have a PA system for God to hear them. Just because most of the people here are Christians, it doesn't mean it's o.k. to force Christianity down students throats."

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Suburb - 9/12/2012 9:22 AM

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Way to go Desoto county!! Continue to stand up for our "freedom of speech" and for our God almighty! Nobody is pushing anything on anybody..just simply Praying for one another & praising the One who allows us to have this day!! Blessed be the Lord God Almighty..forever and ever..Amen So by me putting a prayer online it is imposing others into saying it as well?! No, I am simply praying, me myself, not "making" anyone follow suit. I think this athiest group is scared that their children will start to hear the truth (the Word of God) and their hearts be changed and their hearts transformed, yes we need to continue to stand for what we believe and for our Lord and Savior!!

DesotoGuy - 8/29/2011 2:00 AM

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When the Adamms family started, Uncle Fester farted, now they are retarded, the Adamms family.

skeptic4321 - 8/28/2011 8:40 PM

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And Cindy07 - we are NOT a Christian nation- the fact that the majority of Americans "claim" to be Christian (and that's not really something to be proud of) does not equate to America being a "Christian" nation- we are a secular nation with a secular Constitution. "As the government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian Religion..." 1796-97 Treaty with Tripoli, signed by John Adams And, "under God" was added to the Pledge in the 1950's (in violation of the Constitution, in my opinion)- do some reading and learn your history- stop trying to rewrite it like all the other ignorant Christians who are scientifically and historically illiterate.

skeptic4321 - 8/28/2011 8:29 PM

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Praise the milk jug! http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/video8.htm

Brian Wood - 8/27/2011 5:31 AM

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Very Soviet to demand that people mouth prayers and pledges they may not believe. Well, Soviet coercion is gone in Russia but alive and well here, eh?

dilberth - 8/26/2011 5:29 PM

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The way I see this fiasco, is that a pastor is denying everyone's right to pray. He is the only one that is praying and the rest are simply listening to him. Hell, they should be standing up and doing the praying, not the minister or pastor. Are they too lazy to pray themselves and must resort to have someone else pray for them. What's going on here?

gbjames - 8/26/2011 11:13 AM

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Cudos for the District's decision to do the right thing. This is not about preventing Christians from practicing their religion. It is about preventing them from forcing it on others in our public schools.

cindy07 - 8/20/2011 8:06 PM

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...and to the Republic for which it stands; one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. That being said, let us take a moment of silence and then make the Pledge to our Flag. We are a tolerant Christian Nation, which makes room for and respects other faiths. WE are a CHRISTIAN Nation, with love for all. That love does not and should not mean we abandon our principles. A moment of silence and the Pledge to our Flag. We who say it know the God that we honor. No one is forced to do a thing except respect our Flag and respect each other. Those who wish to refrain from saying the Pledge may do so without impunity.

Katina - 8/20/2011 4:07 PM

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The protections granted by our US constitution offer protection equally to the rights to follow whichever belief system you choose AND from being required to have any particular religion imposed upon you personally and in the tax structure. I don't want my tax dollars to pay for publicly funded Christian prayer sessions any more than I want our schools, town meeting halls or any other government funded institution to use my money to hand out prayer rugs and have our children face mecca and pray five times a day to Allah. If the leaders of these meetings wish to have a moment of silence during which attendees are free to silently pray to whichever god they choose to pray to, to meditate, or to think about their grocery list, that is fine - it does not impose anyone's belief system on others. Please, all, feel free to study the issue of separation of church and state. Here is a decent starting place: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion_in_the_United_States

sudo2u - 8/20/2011 1:28 PM

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In this country we have protection of "tyranny of the majority". That means even if the majority votes to own slaves, for instance, it will still be illegal. Christians are the majority but are prohibited by law from praying to Jesus or their god at govt. sponsored events. They sure wouldn't appreciate it to have a Hindu offering a prayer to Lord Vishnu over the P.A. system.

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