Freedom of Religion

What caught my attention at first were questions 4, 5, and 6 on the survey. They questioned whether or not student speakers should be able to speak about their religion at public school events, whether or not student speakers should be allowed to offer prayer at public school events, and whether or not the first amendment requires a clear separation of church and state. What was striking about the answers were that the majority of people surveyed strongly agreed that students could speak to their religion in a speech at a public school event as well as agreeing that students can hold prayer at a public school event. The results however showed that people strongly agreed that there should be a separation of church and state. If religion can be brought into the school in speech or practice, then how does that elude to a separation of church and state? If church and state are to be separated schools should not allow students to speak to or practice their religion at the public school. The practice of religion might make some students feel uncomfortable, and could disturb the learning environment of the students. At Deerfield High School specifically, the disruption of the learning environment is never okay.

In the section "religious liberty," it was noted that America is one of the most diverse countries in the world. It is great that as an American I can say that I live in a country that is okay with me practicing Judaism while my neighbor is Catholic and the family across the street is Muslim. America being a community, it is important that we are all okay with each other. While different religions tend to have disagreements with other religions it is vital that America continues to work towards religious peace in our own country. In the case of the potential mosque being built in close proximity to ground zero,  it is important not to look at the religion that Al Qaeda practiced but the terrible people they were as individuals.

I chose to look at the section entitled, "distributing religious literature." The main point that I took from that overview was that it was okay to distribute religious literature as long as there was a reasonable time, place and manner. To me, it seems clear that the first amendment separates church and state. Because this is the case, it should only be right to have strict boundaries of when religious literature should be distributed. I don't believe that it is okay to force a student to study a religion, in classes such as history, that they are not comfortable studying. While a teacher may excuse a student who does not want to learn about the various religion, it is also important that, that student walks away learning the same amount as the people who opted to learn about the specific religion. In public schools it is only fair to allow all students to the same knowledge with out making them feel uncomfortable. Eliminating the distribution of religious literature would eliminate any problems regarding disruption of peace.

The article Schools Can Limit When, Where Kids can Hand Out Religious Material, had a right in limiting kids to hand out pencils that say,  "Jesus is the reason for the season." Church and state should be separated and by allowing students to hand out religious materials that may be attempting to influence other students to join that religion, church and state are not separated.

yours truly, 
Amy

Thoughts on the 9/11 movie

What really stood out to me in the 9/11 movie was how well the community came together in times of need. Organizational groups were put into action providing food for all of the workers and groups would stand outside NYC to cheer and clap thanking all of the workers who by going into ground zero were risking their lives to save the lives of others. There were memorial candle lightings in the city and many people felt it comforting that everyone was in the same boat. It was truly inspiring to see that when something so terrible as the 9/11 attacks happened that everyone came together as one to rebuild what was lost.

Watching this movie was very hard for me. Although I've studied the 9/11 attacks in various classes through out my education, I still find it very hard to watch the footage of the planes crashing into the World Trade Centers, the towers falling, and the aftermath of the attack. Even though the attack happened in 2001 and its 2010 already, when I watch the footage, it seems like it just happened yesterday. It saddens me to see all of the people feel as if they are in such danger, and to see them upset over lost loved ones. Overall, I think the movie was truly great and a positive item to be a part of our curriculum.

yours truly,
Amy

Speech Codes Issues

The activity that was done last week reinforced my thoughts as to the necessity of speech codes throughout society. The boys who participated in the party at the fraternity should have been punished. Their actions were extremely offensive and reasonably could have started violence. The punishment that should have been given to the boys was suspension or expulsion. It is necessary for all universities to have speech codes to keep a safe campus. Although speech codes "limit" your freedom of speech, college is not a place where violence due to demeaning commentary should occur.
The case that I looked at dealt with a student who was charged with discrimination and harassment for "offensive speech" at the University of Idaho. The organization FIRE was attempting to minimize and eliminate hate crimes by enforcing speech codes. I agree with what FIRE is doing. Organizations like FIRE need to exist so that the amount of discrimination that occurs between students will lessen. FIRE was organized to help students in society, not harm them. Even if it means disallowing students to say what ever they want, when ever they want, speech codes are a necessary and helpful tool in our society.

yours truly,
Amy