The following comes from a June 16 story by Todd Starnes on Fox News.
Brooks Hamby never wanted to be a rabble-rouser. He just wanted to thank Jesus in his high school graduation speech.
But the Brawley Union School District in Brawley, Calif., said the references to Jesus and prayer in Brooks’ graduation speech were “inappropriate” and violated “prevailing legal standards.”
School officials rejected three versions of the young man’s graduation address, and one administrator went so far as to redact every religious reference with a black marker – as if it were some sort of top secret government document.
“The first and second draft speeches proposed oppose government case law and are a violation of the Constitution,” read a warning letter sent to the young man. “The district is advising you that reference to religious content is inappropriate and that the two drafts provided will not be allowed.”
“I went home and thought, time is ticking down,” he said. “I wanted to impart something that would be meaningful and having some lasting positive impact.”
So the 18-year-old Christian did what any red-blooded, Constitution-loving American would do – he defied school officials and thanked God anyway.
“I didn’t want to compromise my faith,” Brooks told me. “I wasn’t interested in removing every trace of God or Jesus. I wasn’t interested in conforming to those demands. I did not want to compromise my values. I didn’t want to water down the message.”
The Stanford University-bound student’s troubles started last Monday when he was notified that he had been selected as the salutatorian. He was instructed to turn in his speech on Wednesday – the day before graduation.
The first draft of his speech was written in the form of a prayer. “Heavenly Father, in all times, let us always be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven us.”
Brooks was called to the front office, where he was advised by a counselor that the speech had been rejected. So he began writing a second draft that he turned in later that day. That draft referenced the school’s censorship of his original speech.
“Certain interpretations of the law, school policies and conditions have stifled my ability to speak freely to you this evening and prohibited me from doing otherwise,” he wrote. “However, if I could pray with you this evening, I would say something along these lines.”
On Thursday morning, just hours before graduation, Brooks and his parents were summoned to a meeting with the principal. The Hambys were given a notice from the district advising them that if their son “interjects religious content, the sound will be cut off, and a disclaimer to the entire audience must be made explaining the district’s position.”
After the meeting, Brooks decided to seek the counsel of his pastor at Western Avenue Baptist Church.
“We talked and brainstormed for a while and prayed for guidance and direction on what to do in words and actions,” he told me.
Afterward, Brooks delivered a third version of his speech – this time to the superintendent. That speech, too, was rejected. He was emailed a copy of the speech with every religious reference marked out in black.
With just a few hours left before graduation, Brooks was at a crossroads.
“I went home and thought, time is ticking down,” he said. “I wanted to impart something that would be meaningful and having some lasting positive impact.”
And Brooks was not interested in outright rebellion. He bristled at the notion that the school might consider him to be a rabble-rouser.
“I did not want to compromise my values but I wanted to work with them as much as possible,” he said.
So Brooks wrote a fourth version of his speech. At 5:09 p.m. he emailed the speech to the superintendent, principal and counselor. By the time he stood before his fellow graduates, Brooks had not received a reply.
“In simply coming before you today, I presented three drafts of my speech – all of them denied on account of my desire to share my personal thoughts and inspiration to you in my Christian faith,” he told his fellow graduates in the fourth version of his speech. “In life, you will be told no. In life, you will be asked to do things that you have no desire to do. In life, you will be asked to do things that violate your conscience and your desire to do what is right.”
He concluded his remarks with a reference to the Almighty – in defiance of school administrators.
“May the God of the Bible bless each and every one of you every day in the rest of your lives,” he said….
To read the entire story, click here.
” So the 18-year-old Christian did what any red-blooded, Constitution-loving American would do – he defied school officials and thanked God anyway.”
” In life, you will be asked to do things that violate your conscience and your desire to do what is right.”
“May the God of the Bible bless each and every one of you every day in the rest of your lives,” – now that’s a Christian.
Loves God, and loves the US Constitution – Freedom of speech, and Freedom of religion, and Right to assemble. – That’s a good Christian.
* * * * * * * * * Brooks Hamby may God bless and keep you always. * * * * * *
It is outrageous that a government school official would demand that a salutatorian submit his speech for government review for the purpose of censoring religious speech. –
All school Administrators, and Counsellors, and teachers – work directly for the government.
Yes it is outrageous and its time to sue!
I second that. God continue to bless Brooks and all who speak up for the Truth.
May God continue to bless this young man!
I’m starting to like these Baptist! They do fight the good fight. I would of written something that they would of approved and then at the time of my speech, I would have changed it to what was more pleasing to God! Yes I am a rebel!
Like I said before…it is in today’s modern days that those within the church, can more saints be made. We face many troubles today and it would take courage from God to stand up to Goliath!
The people running the Brawley Union School District obviously don’t understand the First Amendment of Constitution. They should be fired for incompetence!
No, not at all, they ought to be REMINDED of the case work that has been done, and instructed in what the rulings TRULY mean. As far as I can recall, the SCOTUS has upheld every challenge to the right to speak freely, especially in the case of prayer, etc. Most recently the SCOTUS decided that prayer was okay before a town meeting, someplace. I am going to look for that story, and email it to the school district administrators in Brawley. That poor place, out in the middle of the Mojave Desert, needs the refreshing “living water” of God, and the prayers of us all. They are simply ignorant of the law, nothing else, which is not a crime, but a pity.
it’s been established that the original intention of the founding fathers’ separation of church and state was to protect religion from the power of the state to suppress religion.but somehow this was turned around to make it appear as a protection of the public sphere from religion of any sort, a ‘demilitarized zone’. and since when must the public sphere be seen as the zone of ‘government’? is it not in fact the zone of ‘society’, once a very large sphere encompassing much that was not defined as under state or federal restriction?
I think until recently, almost all of our Presidents, and many American politicians and people in government offices, have mentioned God and their religious faith, as well as Biblical references, in their public speeches! It is quite possible, that most all of our Founding Fathers and famous leaders of American history, might have made similar graduation speeches, if in the same position, as Brooks Hamby! Religious faith was the backbone of America! To deny religious belief, was a scandal!! In today’s evil, tragic situation in America, we desperately need excellent public leaders, who believe in God, and firmly uphold Judeo-Christian morality! Maybe this fine young man will be one of our future leaders– maybe even a future President! Bravo!!
It would just be wonderful, if all graduation speeches given by leading Catholic students of our Catholic high schools and colleges, would be like Brooks Hamby, and stand up for their religious Faith! What a tragic– and truly evil!– situation, for our once-outstanding Catholic high schools and colleges, as they all have fallen into abysmally sinful ruin, since the diabolic 1960s and Vatican II!! Hardly a Catholic, or a Christian left, among these teachers and students! They are NOT Christ’s! They are truly of the Godless, immoral secular realm, and of the Devil!! The evil “fruits” of today’s Church!! A DISGRACE!! Wake up, Holy Father and Church leaders! Wake up!!
Bravo, Brooks! Good life lesson here, too, be true to your values and beliefs that society will constantly try to either belittle or deprive you of them.
Nature abhors a vacuum, so when God was removed from the schools, Satan and his minions moved in and have been in control ever since, peddling the anti-life Satanic sacraments of sodomy and abortion to the children. Now you know why children are the way they are.
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