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MARK L. BAKKE'S
 Return to "Public Prayer" essay Back to Philosophy page Please feel free to E-mail me with your own comments on this issue or on anything else included in my Philosophy of Life section. Debate is good!
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REPLY #4 TO
"PUBLIC PRAYER"
Boldfaced statements are parts of the original essay (or a subsequent reply) to which the respondent has directed his comments.
 Italicized/emphasized comments prefaced by (R) are those of the respondent and are presented unedited. My replies appear under the respondent's comments in blue text and are prefaced by my initials (MB). (R) While agree with the separation of state and Church, how can anyone separate their morality from the state? (MB) It's easy unless one allows his morality to be defined by his own beliefs instead of any dictates of the state (or the Church). (R) What does this have to do with prayer? Just this, if you want me to respect your right to not believe, respect mine to believe? (MB) Respecting one's right to believe doesn't include agreeing with attempts to force those beliefs on others. (R) The complaints a lot people having about Christians shoving religion down your throats, can be answered rather simply by an analogy. If you saw me standing on a train track and train was coming would you tell me to get off the track ? If so, you would be shoving your belief down my throat.... would you not? (MB) Hardly. Perhaps you didn't see the train coming. If you saw it and chose to stand there anyway, I could only assume that you wanted the train to hit you. In that case, I would just wave "Goodbye" to you. How does this compare to public prayers being foisted upon those who don't subscribe to the religion under which the prayer is being offered? (R) The other big complaint " Christians are saying that everybody else is going to (not heaven) and what right do they have to believe this." As I said above I deserve the same respect to believe what I beleive as you do. But that does not mean that I can't tell you what I believe as in this forum. (MB) True. In fact, that is the purpose of this forum. Ask yourself what would likely happen if the non-believers refused to halt their conversations or continued to pile food onto their plates while the Christian was trying to halt the proceedings so that he could get in his prayer? While the Christian may want (or demand) his beliefs to be respected, would he be willing to give equal respect to other beliefs? During Ramadan, would you refuse to eat or drink between sunrise and sunset if you were in the presence of Muslims who were observing the fasting required by their beliefs?
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