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Originally Posted by LessGovMrPrez
It is All Saints Day. And it is a religious holiday...lol. It isnt secular....lol. Another lie. I guess Easter, Christmas, oops cant say that sorry Winter Break, are all secular to right?
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A quick search of the history of the holiday would say otherwise:
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Originally Posted by The Holiday Spot
FROM HERE
Behind the name... Halloween, or the Hallow E'en as they call it in Ireland , means All Hallows Eve, or the night before the 'All Hallows', also called 'All Hallowmas', or 'All Saints', or 'All Souls' Day, observed on November 1. In old English the word 'Hallow' meant 'sanctify'. Roman Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherians used to observe All Hallows Day to honor all Saints in heaven, known or unknown. They used to consider it with all solemnity as one of the most significant observances of the Church year. And Catholics, all and sundry, was obliged to attend Mass. The Romans observed the holiday of Feralia, intended to give rest and peace to the departed. Participants made sacrifices in honor of the dead, offered up prayers for them, and made oblations to them. The festival was celebrated on February 21, the end of the Roman year. In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints' Day to replace the pagan festival of the dead. It was observed on May 13. Later, Gregory III changed the date to November 1. The Greek Orthodox Church observes it on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Despite this connection with the Roman Church, the American version of Halloween Day celebration owes its origin to the ancient (pre-Christian) Druidic fire festival called "Samhain", celebrated by the Celts in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Samhain is pronounced "sow-in", with "sow" rhyming with cow. In Ireland the festival was known as Samhein, or La Samon, the Feast of the Sun. In Scotland, the celebration was known as Hallowe'en. In Welsh it's Nos Galen-gaeof (that is, the Night of the Winter Calends. According to the Irish English dictionary published by the Irish Texts Society: "Samhain, All Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signalizing the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season, lasting till May, during which troops (esp. the Fiann) were quartered. Faeries were imagined as particularly active at this season. From it the half year is reckoned. also called Feile Moingfinne (Snow Goddess).(1) The Scottish Gaelis Dictionary defines it as "Hallowtide. The Feast of All Soula. Sam + Fuin = end of summer."(2) Contrary to the information published by many organizations, there is no archaeological or literary evidence to indicate that Samhain was a deity. The Celtic Gods of the dead were Gwynn ap Nudd for the British, and Arawn for the Welsh. The Irish did not have a "lord of death" as such. Thus most of the customs connected with the Day are remnants of the ancient religious beliefs and rituals, first of the Druids and then transcended amongst the Roman Christians who conquered them.
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While linked with religion in the past as anyone can clearly see... in America it is not a religious holiday. It is a secular holiday. Unless you're going to tell me next that Americans celebrate it as a Celtic holiday and imagine fairies and whatnot on October 31st. November 1st is All Saints Day.
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What I find funny is how people equate seperation of church and state to mean just that. Absolutely no connection. They couldn't be more wrong on that matter. Go read the constitutional convention and what occured there. The seperation of church and state only applies to the form of rule that occured in England and the Church of England. That is the seperation our founders wanted. Not complete seperation from everything God related as most now read it.
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If you can give another definition of "separation", I'm sure people would love to hear it. "Separation of church and state" is quite clear and concise. There is no other way to interpret it. There are a couple of ambiguous phrases in our Constitution and they were written that way for a reason. The founders were not stupid people. They also have some pretty clear-cut phrases in there as well. That is one of them.
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Why are people offended when a prayer is said? All a prayer is, is a good will toward those being prayed for. Who is harmed by that? Just another convoluted mentality, that somehow someone saying a prayer is descriminatory toward someone else, or insults someone else.
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Nobody is offended when a prayer is said at an individual level by students. However, it is not to be endorsed by the school. The school is not an exclusionary body. It is a learning facility. And it is state run. No religions are to be endorsed and no religions are to be given special treatment. It is perfectly acceptable to practice your religion personally and privately (isn't this what you are supposed to be doing anyway? according to your own holy books?) while you are in school. Trying to organize the school around your religion is not acceptable.
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How much better would the world be if everyone prayed for everyone else in everything they did? Understand, I am not saying you have to be a Christian or join a religion, but just doing something nice or keeping people in their thoughts. How bad can a prayer be really?
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The world would most likely be the same as wishing good will for people doesn't affect the outcome either way. And people keep other people in their thoughts without prayer all the time. Like I said, prayer is not a problem on an individual level. Public schools are just not meant to be churches for everyone (or more likely, the majority religion). They are for learning.