As for reaction to the school prayer resolution, Hooper says, "Primarily, we've only heard this from a Jewish religion standpoint." He also says he has no way of knowing what religion the children in his district profess.
Unlike Santa Fe, Fort Bend has no policy on prayer before football games, Hooper says. It has no policy and is caught between warring federal policies that on one hand say to separate church and state and on the other say not to interfere with free speech.
Superintendent Don Hooper says all the district did was "promulgate."
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"I believe the best government is one that recognizes a higher authority," Hooper says. "The majority of people would acknowledge there is a spiritual part to all of us. Why is it that we don't acknowledge that?"
Hooper denies there was any political maneuvering, any attempt to build up one trustee's candidacy (Trustee Bruce Bain is up for re-election and voted for the resolution) while casting aspersions on another's (Hauenstein's). As a matter of policy, he says, he does not get involved in board races. "I do not work for or against anyone. I typically support the incumbents."
As for what it might mean if the U.S. Supreme Court okays school prayer before football games and ultimately reinstitutes prayer in the classroom, Hooper has steeled himself. He knows that if student-led prayers are opened up in the schools, he may hear some non-Christian prayers over the public address system. "I may someday have to listen to a Wiccan prayer."
Unlike decades ago, we in the United States have no further claim to obliviousness. We know everyone is not alike. We aren't all Christians. We don't even all come from a Judeo-Christian heritage. We are many different religions. We are nonreligious. We all have something to say.
There are few more essentially private decisions to make than to be religious. How we choose to profess that is up to each of us, whether in or out of mosque, church, synagogue or temple.
Prayer offers comfort and healing and does great things. It should be used at every needed opportunity. But Jesus himself warned against those who make a great show of praying in public.
Proponents of prayer in schools seek to have it two ways. The words in a prayer are so powerful that they will get out the guns, end violence and repair brokenness. But if someone objects to those words, doesn't agree with them, well, they're not meant to hurt anyone. Just be quiet, step out of the circle. Don't join in. We mean no harm. We do no harm.
Yes, you do.
E-mail Margaret Downing at margaret.downing@houstonpress.com.
