A Most Very Worthwhile Read

[dcseain]

sa_hall wrote a beautiful piece On Growing Up Unitarian-Universalist. It's an amazingly well-written piece.

Recommended reading for all, but particularly for the statistically significant part of my readership, who like me, are too young to remember forced prayer in schools in the States.

I'm very glad not to have been exposed to that growing up, nor do i want my nephews, or anyone, having to do that. People should be free to make up their own mind, to explore and find what is right for them.

Comments

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting that.

I always complied with school prayer and the pledge of allegiance, but rather than causing the hoped-for group bonding, it contributed to my contempt for the majority. If they thought something so irrelevant could do something useful, they had no understanding of what was important.

I didn't know enough then to be grateful that they weren't actively trying to get into my mind.

School prayer went away quietly at the elementary school I attended in a suburb of Wilmington, DE.

There was a loss-- in retrospect, it was nice to have a little bit of pretty prose (sometimes the lord's prayer, sometimes the 23rd psalm) at the beginning of the day.

Thanks for the link. Aside from the choice of bible verses and the "Jesus was a rabbi" story being very funny, I'm utterly envious. My parents didn't encourage courage at all that I can remember.

[dcseain.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it. sa_hall is a very interesting woman with whom i am acquainted due to my time an the UU Church of Silver Spring.

Courage in the face of opposition and/or adversity is a trait that ought be encouraged in all, regardless of age. Of course, some people's temperament better suits them to such, particularly at young ages, and those are more likely to behave thusly, even with lack of support/encoragement - at least until, heavens forfend, their spirit is broken.