University of Maryland welcomes porn, denounces prayer

April 14, 10:54 PMBaltimore Republican ExaminerSean O'Donnell

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    (Photo/University of Maryland)

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Last week, the student Senate of the University of Maryland voted to eliminate prayer from the school’s commencement ceremony. The student Senate voted 32-14 after a long discussion about having prayer at a public academic institution.

However, President Dan Mote overturned the student Senate’s decision to ban the commencement prayer. Mote cited the importance and tradition of the prayer as his reasons to exercise authority over the student Senate; a first for Mote since becoming President of the university in 1998.

For many people, a prayer of gratitude and a moment of reflection are an important part of our commencement tradition. – President Mote

This controversy comes after the school was involved in another controversy; defying the Maryland State Senate by showing a hard-core pornography film outside of an academic class. Some Maryland Senators had threatened to cut off public funding to the university if the film was shown. Consequently, the threat to cut funding wasn’t carried out even after the film was shown on campus.

As an alumnus of Maryland, I am beginning to wonder if any learning is taking place on campus. The only publicity that the school has received lately relates to nothing involving education.

The most outrageous arguments against prayer at graduation is that it could offend someone or that everyone doesn't share the same religion. Doesn’t the school teach tolerance and diversity?

Ken Holum, History professor and chair of the faculty/student university Senate, stated that “since it’s a state institution, why should we have religion? There should be a wall some say between the state and religion.”

The University of Maryland, which is a secular and taxpayer funded institution, has a Jewish Studies department. Didn’t Prof. Holum say that “there should be a wall… between the state and religion?” Where is he (or the student Senate) calling for the abolishment of the Jewish Studies department?

Couldn’t a Jewish Studies department offend Christian or Muslim students since there is no religious studies department for them at Maryland? If Maryland had a Christian Studies department, it would last for a day because the ACLU and their friends would denounce it using the same argument that the hypocrites in the student Senate are using to ban prayer.

I worked with Prof. Holum briefly in the History department when I was a student there. What I know now is that he has lost his mind along with the student Senate. If they allow a religious studies department to exist that is funded by taxpayers and then hypocritically cry out against prayer because of the First Amendment, then they should all be removed from their positions in the Student Government Association.

As the French writer and Nobel Prize winner Andre Gide said:

The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity.

Note: The author of this article, a Catholic, graduated one class short of the requirement for a Jewish Studies minor at the University of Maryland. The author supports the Jewish Studies department 100% and used it as a comparison.

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