Indiana Senate Bill 251 - Require the Lord's Prayer in Schools

Current information about Indiana Senate Bill 251 can be found on the Indiana Government website.

Synopsis: School prayer. Allows the governing body of a school corporation or the equivalent authority of a charter school to provide for the recitation of the Lord's Prayer at the beginning of each school day.

Authors: Senators Kruse, Tomes, & Holdman

Fiscal Impact: Explanation of Local Expenditures: There could be some minor impact in deciding the version of the Lord’s Prayer to use; however, it should be able to be done within existing resources. (Chuck Mayfield, Fiscal Analyst).

SECTION 1. IC 20-30-5-4.6 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2012]:
Sec. 4.6. (a) In order that each student recognize the importance of spiritual development in establishing character and becoming a good citizen, the governing body of a school corporation or the equivalent authority of a charter school may require the recitation of the Lord's Prayer at the beginning of each school day. The prayer may be recited by a teacher, a student, or the class of students.
    (b) If the governing body or equivalent authority requires the recitation of the Lord's Prayer under subsection (a), the governing body or equivalent authority shall determine the version of the Lord's Prayer that will be recited in the school corporation or charter school.
    (c) A student is exempt from participation in the prayer if:
        (1) the student chooses not to participate; or
        (2) the student's parent chooses to have the student not participate.

Irresponsible Statesmanship

I'm not quite sure what these state Republican senators were thinking when they drafted this bill, as there is no way it will survive a judicial review. The United States Supreme Court has a long history of killing legislation like this. In fact, the SC just ordered the immediate removal of a simple banner from a Rhode Island high school.

Surely these congressmen did not think such legislation could pass muster, which leads me to ask what purpose does this serve? Well, the fundamentalist christian right has been moving it's troops, testing its borders, and firing shots over the prow of the Constitution since the 9/11 tragedy.

I personally think that these men know this bill will fail and are actually hoping that the controversy surrounding it will earn the bill a spot in the sensational programming that passes for news and journalism these days. This would then feed the flames that power this sectarian war against freedom of [from] religion that most rational people understand is a fundamental cornerstone of Liberty.

So, I'm calling the drafting of this bill irresponsible statesmanship. Why? Well, unlike the poor fiscal analysis, I know this this legislation will be struck down if it becomes law. All the time spent thinking of, drafting, revising, analyzing, and in court proceedings will cost the taxpayers needless money... money and time that could be better spent actually solving real problems.