I thought it might be eye-opening for folks to see what some of our students are learning in our public school system. This was an open letter sent to me this week, unedited. I’m thankful that students take the time to write, or anyone for that matter and I always try to reply in a timely fashion.
Dear Commissioner Frazier:
As you know your Sectarian prayer openings at public meetings has caused quite a stir among
your constituents throughout the county. The recent Supreme Court ruling in favor of Greece,
New York allowing such Sectarian prayer technically allows Sectarian Prayer to open a public
meeting against the original intentions of the founders of this nation, as Thomas Jefferson once
said in a letter to the Danbury Baptists ” I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the
whole American people which declared that their legislature should ” make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of
separation between Chuch & State.” your actions are an affront to the original purpose of this
country as a secular nation to be a religious haven for all people not just those who hold a
majority. Of late there has been a demographic shift towards the Liberal side of the political
spectrum and those like me who disagree with your actions are growing in numbers particularly
in the schools. I realize now why it is you wish to defend the public schools, as people become
more educated they are less likely to agree with your Dark age beliefs about gods and
conservatism.
It is in the best interest of everyone involved that you cease opening public meetings with
Sectarian Prayer, as it says in your own Bible, Matthew 6: 5 ” And when you pray, do not be like
the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be
seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full” according to the faith
that you follow you are not to pray in public. Another tenet of the Supreme Court ruling is that
you must not deny others of their right to have their prayer open at public meetings; therefore, if
you continue this newly found tradition of opening public meetings with Sectarian Prayer than I
shall be forced to follow the example of a man in Florida who has requested that his town open
the meetings with Satanic Prayer. There are a growing number of individuals who feel quite
similar to me and are also in opposition to your offensive affront to others beliefs and nonbeliefs.
This country was founded with a foundation in freedom of religion that also stands for a
freedom from religion, I implore you now to cease your actions or you may have to soon deal
with another lawsuit from those of us that find the idea of someone like you repulsive.
For your own sake and the sake of all of your constituents it is time for your actions to cease, the
time is right for you to cease this affront to the Constitution and the intentions of the founders by
putting an end to the Sectarian Prayer at public meetings. As both your religion and the founders
of this country said public prayer is not an acceptable action in this country and in the modem
world. You may keep your freedom of religion in your private life but I and those like me have
the right to be free from your religion in public life. Despite what you claimed about the most
recent prayer you opened with being that it was given by George Washington a number of
historians have reviewed this prayer already and found that it was not actually written by him
because of the discrepancies between the prayer and his actual feelings about religion. In short,
it’ s time that you and every other individual who holds a public office to cease public prayer for
the sake of all involved.
D. L. W.
Student, Liberty High School
commissionerrobinfrazier 