However, the Stanford-bound Hanby ran afoul of some small-brained administrators in his California district, which claims they have the right to censor any references to God, prior to his high school graduation last month. Hanby, the salutorian of his class, had to edit his speech 4 times before he finally stepped up to the mic to address his fellow graduates.
Let us just emphasize the point being made. In California, where Scientology runs rampant, you can't invoke the Almighty in a commencement speech.
SAY WHAT?
As William Shakespeare wrote, "what fools these mortals be"!
The Apostle Paul, in Philippians 4:13, wrote, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me". (King James Version)
Let's assume Hanby had the latter scripture in mind when he was composing his speech. Couple it with the first amendment right of freedom of speech, and the school district is fighting an uphill battle to prove their lame point. Don't any of these people say grace at the dinner table, as Hanby's family does?
While you contemplate that, let's see how Fox News spins it, courtesy of YouTube:
Thus, the administrators at Brawley Union High deserve a truckful of Weasel ears, plus a few Bible tracts, for their short-sighted attempt at censorship. I'll bet you anything at all they wouldn't say anything if someone acknowledged they were practicing scientology now, would they?
Why bring up Scientology? One of them wouldn't be able to invoke L. Ron Hubbard in such a speech, either. I personally am neither offended or frightened by invocations of the god of Abraham, but I can understand other people's sensitivity to any implied or inferred proselytizing.
ReplyDeleteDon't be so sure, Sam. It's California, after all, where a cult like Scientology thrives when it should've been expunged many moons ago.
ReplyDelete"Should've been expunged"? Weren't we talking about the First Amendment just now? And the history of religion shows that someone like Hubbard will only gain credibility once no one remembers the living man.
ReplyDeleteScientology is a cult, Sam. Period. It's not a true religion like Islam or Christianity, but, rather, worse. You can break up a cult. You can't break up religion.
ReplyDeleteCheers for the kid!
ReplyDeleteI had seen his story way before FOX brought him on. He had every right to thank God and his Christian faith for helping him get to this point in his life. He was not proselytizing, he was being thankful.
I'm also glad the administrators didn't pull his mike - something lefties typically do when someone talks about things they don't like. Other school administrators have all sorts of restrictions these days on grads - my niece's class wasn't even allowed to throw their caps into the air! Apparently they're afraid someone will get poked in the eye or something.
For the record, Scientology IS a cult. I've spoken with "cult busters" who put Scientology up at the top with similar groups.
Are today's administrators a bunch of wimps, or what? Tossing the caps in the air is a tradition as old as time. Maybe, yeah, safety is an issue, but it's the symbolism of it all that the wimps are missing.
ReplyDelete