Every so often, a family member will copy me on one of those forwarded email messages that push a certain set of buttons. In this case, it was an essay complaining about not being able to pray before high school sporting events. I reproduce the message below, interspersed with my response.

Paul Harvey and Prayer

This isn't by Paul Harvey, but instead was written by a journalist with the Wichita Falls, Texas newspaper (see Snopes Urban Myths). The first thing I tend to do with a forwarded message these days is to check it against Snopes. In this case, Snopes mainly covered the misattribution of the essay, showing where it differed from its original appearance, leaving me plenty of room to address the fallacies of the essay itself.

Paul Harvey says:

I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December. I don't agree with Darwin , but I didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his Theory of Evolution

This person may not have, but many lawsuits have been filed challenging the theory of evolution (most famously in the Scopes Monkey Trial). In fact, such lawsuits are probably as common as those filed against school prayer, which somewhat invalidates the opening "argument" of this essay.

Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game.

Note that the phrase "life, liberty and the happiness" comes from the Declaration of Independence, one of the hallmarks of the creation of our country. This becomes important later.

So what's t he big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game.

They are doing so at a state-sponsored public event. By holding a prayer before such an event, the state seems to be endorsing a religion, which is a violation of the principle of the separation of church and state. But more about that in a bit.

But it's a Christian prayer, some will argue.

Actually, it doesn't matter what kind of prayer it is. What matters is that it is religious.

Yes, and this is the United States of America , a country founded on Christian principles. According to ou r very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So what would you expect -- somebody chanting Hare Krishna?

If I went to a football game in Jerusalem , I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer.

False analogy. The United States is not Israel, even though they often seem like a 51st state given the amount of money we supply them and their influence on our politics.

If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad , I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer.

False analogy. The United States is not Iraq, even if we are currently occupying their territory.

If I went to a ping pong match i n China , I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha.

False analogy. The United States isn't China. Note that the three countries the writer has selected include (1) a country based on a religion, (2) a country still establishing its democracy, and (3) an communist country. The writer is attempting to say that because a prayer before a sporting event is okay in these countries, it would be okay in the U.S., which extended, seems to imply that the writer wants the U.S. to be like Israel, Iraq or China. I think not.

And I wouldn't be offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit. When in Rome ......

Of the options presented, being like Italy would be my preference, but I don't think that's what the writer intended.

But what about the atheists? It's another argument.

What about them?
Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass the collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds. If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand. Call your lawyer!

Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do. I don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's foundations.

Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights. Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating; to pray before we go to sleep.

I don't recall Jesus' teaching that you should only turn the other cheek until you were tired of doing so. I believe the idea behind turning the other cheek was to show that you, as a Christian, are different, and that your belief is so strong that no matter what physical (or even mental) force was used against you, you would still have faith in Jesus. And just because an organized prayer isn't allowed at a football game, your rights as a U.S. citizen haven't been impaired. The courts have shown that it is perfectly acceptable for students to say a prayer--the problem is when that prayer is led by an authority figure (coach, teacher, principle) or performed in such a manner that it constitutes state-support of that particular religious belief. Note that this is only a problem for public schools. Private parochial schools have organized prayer as well as religious instruction. But the doctrine of the separation of church and state requires that public schools refrain from this.

Okay, think of it this way: If it's okay to put religion into school by saying a prayer, then it should be okay for the state to tax your religion by requiring your church to pay property tax. Ah! Now you see what that dividing line between church and state is good for, eh?

Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a Handful of people and their lawyers are telling us To cease praying.

This is incorrect. The lawsuits brought by people offended by this are not to stop prayer, but to prevent it in a particular time and place associated with a state-sponsored event. In fact, there's nothing wrong with the students individually saying prayers, or even their coaches, teachers and parents. Another teaching of Christ was that one shouldn't pray in public "as the pharisees do," because they did so just as a show of their belief, rather than living their lives in such a way that people could see that they believed (strangely similar to a number of current Presidential candidates of the Republican persuasion who seem to forget much of Christ's teaching in their personal lives but proudly proclaim their faith in an effort to win votes). In fact, why should we have organized prayer at all? Jesus supposedly broke down the barrier between us and God, so that we could speak to God directly. There's no reason why one should need to pray in a crowd, unless there's some other motive behind having our neighbors hear us pray.

God, help us. And if that last sentence offends you, well . . Just sue me.

The silent majority has been silent too long. It's time we let that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard that the vast majority don't care what they want. It is time the majority rules! It's time we tell them, you don't have to pray; you don't have to say the pledge of allegiance; you don't have to believe in God or attend services that honor Him. That is your right, and we will honor your right. But by golly, you are no longer going to take our rights away. We are fighting back . And we WILL WIN!

I refer you to the Bill of Rights, as well as the Constitution and even the Declaration of Independence, which limit the rule of the majority. If you have a problem with the limits to majority rule given in these documents, you're trying to tear down the very freedoms that established this country as the haven for those who sought freedom from having a certain religion forced upon them.

God bless us one and all ... Especially those who denounce Him , God bless America, despite all her faults. She is still the greatest nation of all.

God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right to pray and worship God.

2007 will be the year the silent majority is heard and we put God back as the foundation of our families and institutions... And our Military come home from all the wars.

Keep looking up.

If you agree with this, please pass it on. If not delete it.

Again, I disagree. When something is as wrong-headed as this message, it should be responded to, as I have done. I invite you to pass this on to those whom you originally forwarded your message. And, unlike the original person who sent this out, I'm not afraid to sign this with my own name, rather than attach someone else's name to it to try and give it some kind of extra authority.

"AND THAT'S THE REST OF THE STORY"

At last, something I can agree with.