I think I can top that, Larry. I went to elementary school when they stiill said the Lord's Prayer every day. The town was mostly Catholic, an I was one of the few who said the protestant ending. Based on the teachings of my conservative Lutheran Church, I should have refused to say it at all. I had a choice: sit down and shut up, and have everyone glare at me, conform to the majority, or finish the ending by myself (the only other Protestant was an African American Baptist, who was afraid to say anything), and have them look at me like a heretic.
The next year, I was in the class where all the Catholics and all the Eastern Orthodox got out early every Tuesday for religious instruction. The one Jewish boy in the class and I did our homework on Tuesday afternoons. In my Rotary Club, we have a prayer before breakfast every week. We have a Buddhist, two Muslims, a Hindu, several Christians and Jews. at least two atheists, and a Reformed minister. The prayer is a plea for peace and aid in our effort for service. We manage to keep it to something that does not cause anyone discomfort. Last Saturday, I attended an diversity coalition dinner during which prayers were say -- and explained -- by 7 different faiths. It was quite enlightening. Dan Dan Matyola http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/danieljmatyola On Wed, Apr 10, 2013 at 3:55 PM, Larry Colen <[email protected]> wrote: > On Wed, Apr 10, 2013 at 03:43:48PM -0400, Daniel J. Matyola wrote: >> "Do you mean like the right to not have the government telling you >> when, where, why & how to pray, along with who to pray to?" >> >> I have many complaints about our government, but they have never told >> me when, where, why and how to pray, or to whom to pray." > > I grew up as one of very few jews in the schools that I went to. > > I always felt uncomfortable around Christmas because one of the class > activities > was singing Christmas carols. Christmas carols are, in effect, prayers, > at the very least statements of belief in Christ as the son of God. > > At 52, I am perhaps a little more flexible in my beliefs, but back in > grade school, it sure felt like I was being coerced into praying to > gods that I didn't believe in. > > Granted, if you're a Christian, Christmas singing carols might not seem like > praying to you. But how would you have felt if everyone else in your class was > participating in Muslim or Hindu rituals? > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
