captive audiences

[A.E. Brownstein]

  I appreciate the softness of Mark's comments about a compromise on
graduation prayer and his support for civility and for expression that
recognizes the diversity of the audience and the community. (And I agree
with his comment about personal expressions of thankfulness.)

My suggested compromise is a bit different regarding prayer. My daughter
and I value prayer highly. I believe that if there is going to be an
opportunity to solemnize her graduation ceremony two years from now with
prayer, the event should be structured in a way that allows everyone at the
graduation who values prayer. like my daughter and I,  to comfortably and
equally share in that opportunity. I also think that non-religious parents
and students should have a comparable opportunity to express their feelings
about this milestone in the students' lives.

I would endorse a school official or other dignitary saying something like
this:

"This graduation is a very special event for the graduates and their
families and friends. Now might be an appropriate time for all of us to
think quietly for a moment about our children and their achievements and
their future. We come from many different backgrounds in our community and
hold many different beliefs. But we can all share what makes this event so
important and meaningful in our own way. For some of us, the best way to
solemnize this event may be to offer a silent or softly spoken prayer. For
others, the joy and hopes and pride we feel is expressed in other ways. So
let us take a minute to quietly recognize the importance of this ceremony
today in a way that is most consistent with our own beliefs and traditions."

If Mark and I are attending the same graduation, we would probably not be
expressing the same prayer. And someone sitting (or standing) between us
might not say a prayer at all. But we and our children would each have been
given an opportunity to solemnize the graduation event with prayer or
another form of expression and we would each have been treated with equal
respect with regard to our different religious and non-religious traditions
without regard to the number of families in the community who adhere to one
faith or another or none at all.

                                                                Alan Brownstein
                                                                Uc Davis