Current Event for the Week of March 12th,2007.
Is having Graduation Ceremonies in Churches wrong?
A School District in Trenton, New Jersey is being sued for holding their graduation ceremony in a Baptist Church when many of their students were Muslim. According to the Muslim religion, they are not allowed to enter a place with other religious markings.
Read the article here.
Do you think that Graduations should be held in churches? Is it right for the school to be sued, or should the punishment be more? If you were or are of a minority religion, how would you feel being made to graduate in the majority's churches?
A School District in Trenton, New Jersey is being sued for holding their graduation ceremony in a Baptist Church when many of their students were Muslim. According to the Muslim religion, they are not allowed to enter a place with other religious markings.
Read the article here.
Do you think that Graduations should be held in churches? Is it right for the school to be sued, or should the punishment be more? If you were or are of a minority religion, how would you feel being made to graduate in the majority's churches?
posted by phs_sociology at 12:35 PM
7 Comments:
Under usual circumstances, I'd say it's not really a problem if all students agree that it's okay, but if it's against some of the student's religion it's not right to hold it in a church.
I think it's right for the school to be sued only if they refuse to move the location of the graduation ceremony. Personally, I wouldn't care if my own graduation was held in a church but I'm also not part of any minor or major religion and I don't really care where I graduate so long as I get my diploma.
With that said, I can certainly see how some students would be upset by this and because of that it should be held elsewhere.
I think that, especially with the huge deal made about separation of church and state, a graduation ceremony shouldn't be held in a religious institution. I think that, in this case, suing the school is perfectly acceptable. The family isn't asking for money, just courtesy and consistency. Even if there was only one student who was part of a different religon, graduation should be held somewhere where that student's rights and religious freedoms aren't enfringed upon.
I believe that schools should not take part in any activity that counts some students out. Don't have a ceremony in a baptist church if some of your students are muslim.
I wouldn't care that my graduation was in a church probably because I'm not a very religious person but I can certainly a muslim person's aggitation in that scenario.
I’m also a religious person so I don’t have a problem with a graduation being held in a church, however, situations reversed I’d probably be upset with the ceremony being held in any other religious building such as a synagogue, mosque etc. I do think the parents/district have every right to sue the school. Then again these parents were also informed that graduation would be at New Hope there’s no reason to sue. If the parents could afford a private or Muslim school to send their children to then it’s not right either. They chose that particular school and knew graduation would be held at a church.
I think that holding a graduation cermony in a church is not right. I dont because not everyone is going to be the same religion. However some religious schools have their graduation ceremonies in churches and not all of those students are the religion of the school they're attending. I dont think that the school should be sued, but i do believe that they shouldn't be allowed to ever hold a gradustion ceremnony in a church ever again. I tihink that dpending on the religion of the church that i was going to would make a difference in how i felt about it.
I personally do not see the problem in graduating in a church. I don't see the harm if no one is preaching anything on you. Although i understand someone could be upset but for them to sue the school i think it is going a little bit overboard. But it is weird how we don't just have it somewhere like a rec center. I don't see why it's worth complaining, wherever it is you're getting your diploma. be happy.
I don't think it's really that big of a deal to hold a graduation ceremony in a church, but like many, I'm part of a major religion. Our ceremony is held in a baptist church, and I have never yet heard anybody complain. I also don't think it's right to sue the school just because it holds a graduation at a church that is not your own. Special exceptions can't always be made easily for only one person. Just because one muslim person complained, is the school in stead to hold its commencement activities in a mosque? I bet that would get quite a few more complaints. However, there are many schools which contain a high number of students who are part of a general minority. In those cases, I think it is right to hold the ceremony in a place that is non-discriminate to any party, such as a civic center, etc.
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