Supreme Court on School Prayer

In response to “Is Prayer to Remain Privatized?” (Column Right, July 3):

Richard Neuhaus’ criticism of the Supreme Court’s Lee vs. Weisman decision, which forbids officially imposed prayer on graduating public high school students, does not do justice to that decision or the First Amendment values it protects. Contrary to Neuhaus’ commentary, the court did not “prohibit the American people from giving public expression to their deepest convictions.” We are free to do that at church and other non-governmental venues.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for the conservative court, “The Constitution forbids the State to exact religious conformity from a student as the price of attending her own high school graduation.” Our Bill of Rights protects individuals from the tyranny of the majority. It took Rosa Parks, a solitary black woman, to stand up to segregation in public transportation in the South, just as it took a brave Deborah Weisman, a Jewish girl, to oppose public pressure to conform to a religious exercise in her school.

Freedom not to pray is important because we do not trust government to define for impressionable young people what may constitute a proper prayer to God. That is left up to parents, religious creeds and ultimately to each individual. We stand alone in the world in affording such protection. Indeed it is one of our country’s glories.

MARSHAL ALAN PHILLIPS

Los Angeles