Today we attended Honors Day at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a public university in Atlanta better known as Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech is a top 10 school of engineering and attracts students from all over the world. In fact the honorees today were representative of a cross section of the student body.
At the beginning of the program a representative of the campus ministries association was called to the podium to present a "reflection." This is, of course, a substitute for the Christian prayer, which was probably a tradition for the majority of years at the institution. Many would have lambasted the school for "caving in" to the liberal, heathen, un-American pressures of separation of church and state. They would say that this country is a Christian nation and therefore a Christian prayer should have been said.
Yet, as I looked across that full ballroom and as I heard name after name called and heard many different accents, it was very appropriate to have had a nice moment of reflection upon the values that make the institution and its students great. My guess is that there were Shintos, Buddhists, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Atheists, Agnostics and who knows what other world religions and views represented. To have said a prayer to a Christian God would have been totally inappropriate and an affront to all of those religions and views.
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5 comments:
"A reflection," I like that. I take great comfort from my time used to reflect on my life and goals. Yes, I like that very much. It suits my religion of inclusion.
I think it is a nice idea and much better than boring people with something they can't relate to.
Good for them. It annoys the bejesus out of me, for any public occasion or event, when they open with a Christian invocation. I also have issues with the Pledge of Allegiance, but I'm probably way out there with that one.
Ashamed of Jesus Christ? What religion do you profess?
I never cease to be amazed at the strange comments, such as the one above from the Anonymous person. They are ALWAYS negative and accusatory. Exactly what you should not expect from a Christian, except for the fact that many Christians, especially the conservative ones, are afraid of other ideas and religions.
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