While Gretchen Carlson co-hosts an official Fox "opinion" show (and that's gilding the lily because "opinion" is based on cognitive thinking and that's sorely missing on the curvy couch), Megyn Kelly has an official Fox "news" show which is, according to Fox brass, under the rubric of "fair & balanced." But in providing gushing and laudatory support for Roy Costner IV, the sparkling young South Carolina valedictorian who believes that he was entitled to an audience for his non-approved valedictory Christian prayer, Ms. Kelly didn't do her due diligence in providing "fair & balanced" coverage. Perhaps she was just so overcome with patented Fox Christian fellowship that she forgot to mention that the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty was gently critical of Costner's stunt. I guess when you're spreading the gospel according to Fox (public school prayer is just fine and legal), being "fair & balanced" is downright blasphemous.
The press release from the Baptist Joint Commitee was issued on Thursday so Ms. Megsy, who could barely contain her religious fervor on Friday, can't say that it wasn't available to whoever does her research. Oh, right, this kind of information cuts the propaganda buzz and we know that Jesus does love him his Fox News propaganda. But there's some interesting irony here. One would assume that Baptists are part of Fox's key demo. I mean we're not talking liberal sodomite supporting Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists and that totally heretical United Church of Christ. We're talking serious Bible believing folks.
While Don Boyd says that "every student deserves the chance to experience that moment according to the conscience of their own religious beliefs, and in a way that pays tribute to their own unique journey," he also notes that "no student should be forced to receive a diploma framed by prayer to a God he or she does not worship." (But according to Fox News, everybody worships Jesus, right except those heathen Muslims). He says that religion is important; but refraining from "grafting the religious view of one on to the celebration of all, even when it is the majority view" is the best way to honor the prayful journey of all students."
He opines that Costner's "transgression" was not courageous, but rather, OMG "disrespectful of the occasion, of the others in attendance who do not share his views, and even of the Lord's Prayer itself." In concluding he says something that, I'm sure, would earn him the righteous Fox Christian wrath of Megyn Kelly who showed lots of love to her young Christian hero: "What should have been about each graduate's achievement became instead about one graduate's defiance and disregard for the faith of others."
Ms. Kelly might have mentioned these concerns from one of Costner's fellow Christians. But because she had propaganda to push, she didn't. In fact, she totally abandoned any semblance of objectivity. Fox "News" - "Fair & Balanced" as always!
Seriously, Christians have twice as many rights as every other religion combined. The only real limit on them is that they can’t force a non-Christian to pray with them. To which I reply, let’s see them think prayer is so important when it’s not theirs. Even if the difference is merely a branch they don’t agree with.
And you know what? Fox News is inadvertently proving that everyone was right about that. The “Christian Nation” is acting like this proves we all want Christianity back in our schools as the only religion, and they’re being such asses with it that it’s polarizing.
Christians have their own school system- If they want to pray and persecute people who don’t say Jesus is the only path to heaven, they can enroll their kids there. But Public schools are for everyone, and forcing them to all say a Christian prayer, while only allowing religious electives that pander to Christians is not only bigotry, it’s bullying.
Or would they approve if we made all the kids do Jewish prayers? Bring Muslim prayer mats? Begin the day with 10 minutes of Buddhist meditation?
Yeah, they’d suddenly remember church and state for that. Public schools already allow Christian clubs and electives, you can check out the Bible from a school library (but not other holy books), and Christian/Catholic holy books are the only religious texts you don’t get in trouble for reading during free time. Drawing the line at mass prayer is not unacceptable.
At least, not in the America outside of these people’s heads.