As she stepped to the microphone for her commencement speech last spring, Erica Corder knew that what she was about to say might ruffle some feathers. But the 2006 graduate of Lewis-Palmer High School in Monument – one of 15 valedictorians who addressed the crowd – didn’t believe she had a choice.
“I really felt God calling me to do this,” Corder said Thursday. “My top priority is obeying God.”
So Erica Corder thanked all the teachers, parents and peers in the crowd for their encouragement throughout the years.
Then, deviating from the 30-second speech that had been approved by the principal, she began speaking about “someone who loves you more than you could ever imagine.”
Whoa, hold on . . . one of 15 valedictorians?
This is madness.
I commented on a secular blog about this. Her lawsuit does noting to advance her Christian witness. If anything, it detracts from it.
I can sympathize with the attitude that the valedictorian should just accept her martyr status and not bring a lawsuit. But that gives the whole cultural playing field to those determined to make our culture into a secular dictatorship (which this case clearly proves is well advanced). If there is going to be genuine freedom of religion in this country, then lawsuits will have to be filed–repeatedly and often.
Sorry. She was wrong in what she did. You don’t get to preach religion to a captive audience. The people were there for a graduation ceremony not a sermon. Her lawsuit is without merit and should (and I expect will) be promptly dismissed.
She gave thanks to those who had helped her through high school including a person who loves you (all) more than you can imagine; you should find out more about him. How is that preaching religion?
When we go along with the idea that our Christian speech is less than legal in this free society, we are reinforcing the restrictions that secularists want to put on us. Why should we be restricted from personal professions of faith when other such professions–agreement with homosexuality, witchcraft, secularism, and the like–are not limited in the same way? We need to stand boldly for what we believe including the fact that in THIS country, we may speak freely about one’s personal religious beliefs!
Re #5:
When you mention Jesus and say people should get to know Him it’s preaching. How you have reacted to someone preaching at your child’s graduation and encouraging you to get to know Allah by reading the works of his prophet Mohamed? I would have been ticked. You are free to speak to your religious beliefs as long as the audience is not captive. You do NOT have the right to preach to people who are there out of compulsion (students who want to graduate) or parents simply there out of the desire to see their kids graduate. This is a no brainer.
6, I must disagree. You are willing to accept a double standard.
#1: This is the shocker. 15? Valedictorians? Hum, well, farewell academic standards. How many saluditorians. 100? Anyone left out? LM
I agree with Ad Orientem. The courts have been clear that addresses at commencement ceremonies must be religiously neutral. This one was not. Furthermore, the student was deceitful in reading a prepared speech before a school official that did not contain a key part of what she intended to say. During her school years this student had plenty of opporunities to witness to her faith in appropriate ways in the classroom (e.g., wearing an “I love Jesus” T-shirt or writing an essay expressing her personal beliefs) and outside of it.
The courts have outlined numerous opportunities for learning about religion and expressing religious sentiments under the “free exercise” clause. But this student went farther than is permissible, and if she takes this matter to court, she will learn the facts of the law.
WRT 15 valedictorians, we have had extreme cases in my area: classes of 45 with 9 valedictorians (20%, for the arithmetic-challenged). It has gotten to the point that two local colleges with “local valedictorian” scholarships have withdrawn them.
The reason you have so many valedictorians is not only grade inflation in which the “B” is the new “C,” but the use of a 4-point scale rather than the 100-point scale that we used back in the stone-age 70’s. The combination makes it impossible to distinguish, in GPA, between great students and the merely good.