School drops graduation prayer when some students protest; weekly offers strong reporting, commentary

UPDATE, May 26: The class president gave a prayer at the ceremony, The Advocate-Messenger of nearby Danville reports. UPDATE, July 5: Kleppinger reports that a lawyer for the conservative Liberty Institute contacted the school board offering advice and warning that they needed a prayer policy, but the board decided to keep its current approach and rely on its own attorney.

For the first time in memory Lincoln County High School in Central Kentucky will not have a planned prayer as part of its graduation ceremony, after a six students, some who called themselves atheists, protested the move. That prompted a long, well-written story by Editor Ben Kleppinger for the local weekly paper, The Interior Journal, published by Schurz Communications. The school allows a planned prayer at graduation as long as the senior class votes unanimously in favor of it. (Kleppinger photo: Christian students gather for a morning prayer at the school.)

Students can still pray at graduation, but it can't be a scheduled part of the ceremony, Kleppinger reported. Principal Tom Godbey said, “I’ve tried to educate the students on the fact that the school will not remove a person’s constitutional right. It doesn’t matter if it’s the majority or the minority, we’re going to protect the rights of everyone.” (Read more)

Ben Kleppinger

In a column, Kleppinger noted that he is a Christian and said Christians should remember their roots. "Christianity did not form as a religion of the majority. It began with a small handful of rogues who did everything wrong by the world’s standards," he wrote. "The real power behind Christianity is not the rule of the majority; it is the quiet secret that passionate believers can change the world without being accepted."

He opined, "Your religion is not under attack just because your local school system is caring about the needs and desires of atheists, along with all students. You don’t need to fight anyone over anything related to prayer at graduation, because even if no one prays up front, you — and everyone else — can still pray before, during and after the ceremony without consequence. . . . American Christians are among the least persecuted Christians in the world. I think it’s time we acknowledged that and stopped pretending our religion is somehow being snuffed out every time someone with a differing viewpoint wants to feel accepted or normal." (Read more)