Faced with potential church-state lawsuits, student protests, and even a biblical argument against it, officials at California's Exeter High School did the right thing, ending a 100-year practice of including a prayer in graduation ceremonies. Instead, the event will include a moment of silence.
Trustee Mark Pascoe said he's a person of faith but that his beliefs "aren't going to be changed one bit if we do a moment of silence."
AU's Joe Conn notes that protests against the prayer policy included student signs reading "God hates showoffs", an apparent reference to Christ's exhortation (Matthew 6) that prayer should be private and not piously in the open. As Joe says, ending the prayer policy "reflected pretty good theology as well as respect for the U.S. Constitution."
