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Show !PAC.E 10 UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OPINION lf LETrERS \)J~ MONDAY. APRILlJ. 1001 6~f (305 H'S jA]( CvT t-tAve Mot<e 1 o SPt:t-JO. vJ~ 't.,.t. Prayer should be hidden TO THE EDITOR: pronouncement?! The Mormons/Christians would I want to commend the be incensed and outraged ! courageous letter written by Matt This is invariably what Hansen, "Religion has no place happens when public prayer is in school" (although it would permitted : people get angry , have been more accurate to title upset and start fighting among this "Public prayer has no place themselves . The only practice in school") . I have been that prevents this sort of concerned for some time that disharmony (and frequently SUU is drifting in a non-secular outright violence) is to disallow direction ; public prayer seems to all prayer in public institutions. be surfacin·g more and more The authors of the U.S. frequently. I personally refuse to Constitution recognized as much fold my arms and bow my head and consequently enacted when someone starts praying at restrictions on government this school. sponsorship of religion with the The problem with allowing First Amendment (note: not the prayer in a secular , state second or third , but the FIRST). in stitution is that it invariably You know, Christian scripture leads to contention and discord. actually does conta in some Take, for example, SUU : the wisdom, and it might not hurt prayers uttered here are Christians to read it. I quote overwhelmingly LOS . So right Matthew 6:5-6: "And when thou away , a distinction is made prayest, thou shalt not be as the between members and non- hypocrites are: for they love to members. Well, OK, you say, we pray standing in the synagogues will include traditional Christian ahd in the corners of the streets, denominations as well. Then , we that they may be seen of men . can begin to have contention · Verily I say unto you, they have between Catholics and their reward. But thou , when Protestants, not to mention non- thou prayest , enter into thy C hristians. OK , then , let's add closet, and when thou hast shut those folks, too. So what do you thy door , pray to thy Father suppose would happen here if a which is in secret; and thy Father Buddhist were to pray , or which seeth in secret shall someone were to offer prayers reward thee openly." . to the Goddess , or heaven forbid, a Wiccan would make a Peter Smith The University Journal has among its goals to provide news to the students of SUU . A letter to the editor must be responsibly written-no libelous or malicious material will be accepted.· Letters shall be~typed and include the author's name and phon e number . The phone number will not be printed. The 'Journal' does check the purported identity of letter writers, The 'Journal ' will not publish any anonymous letters. &lease deliver letters to our offices (TH 011) or to the SUU Post Office addressed to the 'Journal.' You may also e-mail us at journal@suu.edu. SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY · CEDAR (ITY . UTAH DIRECTING STAFF ANO DESK PHONE NUMBERS: Editor Kamilynn Savage 586-nSO Associate Editors Jessica Blonquist 566-7750 Photo Editor Janelle Reichert 566--7750 Copy Editor Amberly Robinson 586-1992 Focus Editor Stacee Ch~ds 586-1992 Arts Editor Ashley Adams 865-84-43 Sports Editor Jason Erickson 865-11443 Camery Lybbert 566-7759 Almanac Editor Jody Johnson 665-8226 Webmaster Russell 'Mlliams 586-7750 Ad .Manager Cami Per1<ins 586-7758 Adviser Larry Baker 586-7751 Writing Coach Paul Husselbee 865-8556 \ SENIOR STAFF WRITERS ANO REPORTERS' DESK 586-n57, 586-5488 The Unn,ers,ty .kxJmal Is ptblished e.e,y Monday and Thursday or tr-. ac:aoem;c yea, by and Jot lhe slUdenl boo,; ot Southern Utah Unhrersity, 11 rearives; aav,.111rnent from the uni ..."tJf'"li1ty admi"'5tration anc::I rrom the ..-;~·· communicobOn dePl(1ment. and op,n;ons . . _ _ in tne Journal a.'e lhos• Cl/ ro,io.Jal writers and do not neoo»anty n,nea lhe ot lhe mutulion. raruiy. stall o, ,..__,, bocly In general Tott unslgne(I edilDnal diredly at,ove ,s lhe oplrllOn ol lhe Uniwmity Journal as • sinOI• entity. Lener, to the must bo lyl*I and tndude the name and pllone numblt< Orly lhe name will be pmt..a. NamH wtA not be w i - \#lder any a,co.rnstances and lhe ltdilo< resef\'es edillng privileges Letters must be slJl>m,ned by 5 p.m Thl.ndl)• Jot lndo;slon In Monday editions. ard by 5 p m. Mondays Jot Thurtday edliona. GIMVonca: Arty lndlvldual with a gnevonce agafflll Ille Jouma/ lhoukl dire<:! sudl problem ~rst lo lhe edlOr. ~ utnSOlvecl. Iha! gnevona, sho<.MI ln4n be "'9cl4d to the advise,. University Joum.t· Ol!ic»t ., SUU T--.o!ogy Butrding 011. Mail al SUU. Cedar City, Utah 64720. FAX (435) 5116-5-487. E·mall Jou'Ml@sw odu T"".,.,.,... -•s: e r lITTEO aol 'IECYCLEO PAPER. Pl.EASE RECYClE THIS COP'!' ~ LETrERS Constitution protects religion TO THE EDITOR: As a student, I was dismayed by the opinion expressed by Matt Hansen. He argued that religion should not be allowed at SUU or any public school. ln fact he said "... the practice of religion, in my opinion, and the opinion of every public university in the country, should not be allowed ." Hansen could not be further from tl1e truth with this statement. As an individual who has traveled widely in this country, and abroad, I can assure you that I have found LOS Institutes on the campuses of several major public universities in this country, even in my own and Hansen's home state of California . I have participated in church-sponsored programs on the campus of the California State University at Long Beach. Furthermore if universities that accept federal funds agreed with and put into practice the opiniori Hansen attributes to them it would violate the First Amendment. The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled, and I quote now from Caselaw.com , "although government may not promote religion through its educational facilities, it may not bar student religious groups from meeting on public school property if it makes those facilities available to non-religious student groups. To allow religious groups equal access to a public college's facilities would further a secular purpose, would not constitute an impermissible benefit to religion, and would pose little hazard of entanglement. These principles LOS and it should come as no apply to public secondary schools surpri se that the majority of the as well as to institutions of higher individuals who choose to learn learning. In 1990 the Court and work here are LDS . And it upheld application of the Equal should surprise no one when Access Act to prevent a those students and faculty secondary school from denying members are proud of their · access to school premises to a beliefs. student re!igio_us club while lfwe begin to deny a person his granting access to such other right to speech simply because "non-curriculum · related student we disagree with his words we groups. must be prepared to suffer the "Similarly, public schools may consequences when it comes our not rely on the Establ ishment tum to be silenced . INhere would Clause as grounds to discriminate Hansen go as the next step? against religious groups in after- Should we tear down the statue hours use of school property on the upper campus because it's otherwise available for non- dedicated to a Mormon pioneer? religious social , civic , and Should we tear down Old Sorrel recreational purposes ; public because it is dedicated to more colleges may not exclude student Mormon pioneers? religious organizations from Should we bulldoze the benefits otherwise provided to a Sharwan Smith Center because full spectrum of student 'news , she had been a Mormon information , opinion, missionary? entertainment , or academ ic It is not uncommon to start a communications media groups;' public meeting with prayer in and a state that creates a many parts of the country. The traditional public forum for citizen Congress of the United States speeches and unattended starts each session with a prayer. displays on a plaza at its state However I have attended many capitol cannot, on Establishment extracurricular activities at SUU, Clause groun,ds, deny access for and I have yet to attend one that a religious display.· These cases . started with a prayer. The class make clear that the clause does which Hansen alluded to is not necessarily trump the First started not with a prayer but with Amendment' s protection of free · the Pledge of Allegiance. spe ech; in regulatin g private ' Finally Mr. Hansen said "I speech in a public forum, refuse to leave Utah knowing that government may not justify thing s are never going to discrimination against religious · change." To this I simply say that viewpoints to avoid creating an I wi sh Mr. Hansen a long and establishment of religion. happy life in Utah because he will It disturbs me that we are not be leaving anytime soon. having this discussion. Cedar City and the state of Utah are largely David Fryer I • |