School Prayer: A Community At War
“I appreciate that this was not a totally one-sided documentary, although it did seem to show some partiality to the ACLU. The ACLU is an organization that seeks to eliminate any public religious activity. Their spin has duped many fine but gullible people. They exploit fear and ignorance to advance their own frightening agenda. They use their enormous wealth and power to strong-arm the poor and timid. A quote from the documentary, "The ACLU s to Christians what the NAZIs were to Jews," is not far off the mark.”
Kaye - Roanoke, VA
“You said Ms. Herdahl and her family were "forced" to move. That is a complete lie. Ms. Herdahl and her family were renting a home on Highway 15 in Pontotoc County. The home a needed a numerous amount of repairs at the time Ms. Herdahl moved into it and the home owner told Ms. Herdahl that he did not feel like it would be worth it to do the repairs. Ms. Herdahl used the money from the ACLU (THEY DID PAY HER!) and purchased a new mobile home. I do not appreciate the fact that you are all so one sided. Our school district and Ms. Herdahl basically came to an agreement. You fail to mention on your website that while the prayers are still being done in another room, who happens to attend? Why, Ms. Herdahl's children themselves go to these student led devotionals.”
Angie - Pontotoc County
“Thank you for the excellent documentary. I do not blame Ms. Herdahl at all for what she did. I respect her tenacity. I believe that the Supreme Court decided in Murray vs. Cuttlett that school prayer is unconstitutional.”
MarcKay@aol.com
“I watched your documentary intently. I considered it to be a remarkably fair and balanced treatment of the controversy. The criticisms by one of the respondents that you were one-sided are unfounded in my opinion. I am a Roman Catholic of Irish descent. My ancestors came to this country to escape famine and persecution by the British in Ireland. They were forced to tithe to a church that they did not believe in and would not participate in. When they came to this country, they were forced to participate in prayers and readings from the King James version of the Bible when they attended public schools. The King James version of the Bible was on the Vatican's "Index," a list of books that the Church considered sinful for Catholics to read (which was abolished after the Second Vatican Council in 1962). As a result, parochial Catholic schools were established in this country. Not only so they could freely practice their religion, but also to avoid being forced into doing something their church cons idered sinful. I myself attended Catholic schools for all but one year of my education. My parents felt strongly that prayer and religious instruction should be an integral part of my education, which is why they sacrificed materialistic comforts to pay tuition to send four children to Catholic school. If religious instruction is so important to the people of Pontotoc County, then they should establish a private religious school instead of transforming their public school into one.”
Dee Dooley - Columbus, Ohio
“I just watched the Pontotoc ms school prayer program, which I must add, I only knew about because I was reading the Memphis flyer article on the program at the moment it aired, and I must say that this was the best documentary i have seen in decades (i'm 49). I live in Memphis, TN and i can tell you, you just saw life in the Mississippi. god bless lisa and the aclu. there are those of us who believe on the name of Jesus and, because of that, stand squarely in lisa's corner. i think i'll join the ACLU. and know if this is journalism, count me in.”Larry Laurenzi - Memphis, Tennessee
“I live in NY, the melting pot, and feel the need for the program tohave a sequel - teach tolerance for minorities, other religions, etc. The program was an eye-opener, and I considered that pastor to be bigoted! I sure agree on separation of church and state!”
Fran Eastman-Lippmann - New York City
“My name is Glenroy Clarke. I am 17 years old resident of Brooklyn, NY. I would likt to thank PBS for its airing of this programs on religious freedom. I found you candid and evenhanded broadcast of this decisive issue very entertaining and informative. I hope that you can broadcast more Point of View programs similar to the on broadcasted on religious freedom in Pontotoc, Mississippi.”
Glenroy Clarke - Brooklyn, New York
“Thank you for the great program on religious freedom in the rural South. I thought it was very fair and even-handed. It also made me proud to be a card-carrying member of the ACLU. POV is by far the best show on PBS, and I wish there where more like it.”
Kathleen McConn
“Excellent job! An outstanding reminder about whi I loe shows like POV that use television to tell stories and put a face to the abstract ideas of free speech and constitutional rights. Well done.”
Matthew Hawn
“I more then enjoyed you program, I appreciate you even-handed presentation. Mainly I was more upset then ever at the arrogance of the locals. Their claim that they had gotten away with breaking the law for 50 years, gave them the right to continue. I am proud to be a supporter of PBS. Keep up the good work.”
Roy Kem
“What an important show! I've seldom seen such a good job of illustrating how each side of an argument sees it in polarized and opposition ways while remaining basically good people”
Marcia Ribble
“The format of this programs was boringly predictable and familiar. It was in vain that I watched, looking for an even-handed, balanced presentation of the real facts. Instead, I saw merely the slick offering of emotion taking precedence over truth. I have been studying effects of television upon viewer for twenty years. All the subtle brain-washing techniques I have learned about were employed by the two "filmmakers" to enhance the anti-Christian point of view, without allowing an equal chance for the pro-Christian point of view.”
Windsor Loks
“I saw this last night 7/21/99, in Northern Ca. I wonder, How does the ACLU, with an obvious budget of millions, allow their worker/asociate attorney on this case to basically starve? To say that neither he nor Lisa had made a cent on this issue is good press! Yet, the scene where Lisa accepts the ACLU's highest award in Santa Fe, N.M., speaks of great power and money. How much money DID the ACLU raise using this issue To have one lonely brave family standing against the massed bulwark of Southern religious tradition WILL draw great sympathy from your veiwers, but I believe your broadcast was either naive or dishonest in handling the financial and political agendas of Lisa's backers"
John Cowper - Northern California
“I'm appalled at the state of this country! Again, I watch a liberal show condemning a small Christian community of it's RIGHT to worship... that's what I said. This show did not objectively show both sides. We were meant to leave the show feeling sorry for Lisa and her side, but they obviously got a LOT of money and glory for this case. It's another case of, "Stop that or I'll sue."”
R. J. Parker - California
“Your film pointed out a disturbing fact: that there are still places in this country where whole communities will hasrass and ersecute those who do not share their religious beliefs. I pity such communities. They live in self-imposed exile from the rest of us, smug in the illusion that they are right and everybody else is wrong. Yes, our public schools should be a place where children confront moral and ethical issues--good teachers have made such issues a part of their teaching since schools began. But most intelligent people, regardless of their religious beliefs, agree that schools should teach children to think for themselves and to respect others. Your documentary showed that, unfortunately, there are still people who want children to reject those who are different and to think like a mind-enslaved mob. I applaud the woman who stood up to these modern day Puritans who so blindly and maliciously attacked her. And I greatly admire the lawyer who took her case and worked so hard to help her. Your film also pointed out another important fact, that any American who values personal freedom -- religious or otherwise -- should support the ACLU and groups like People for the American Way. Who else will defend us from those self-appinted "soldiers of god" when they try to trample on the most basic of our rights? Thanks for an excellent film on an important topic.”
Tim - Marquette, Michigan
“This documentary took us away from the national spotlight and down earth: the lawyer living in his office, the white church fighting external forces, the black church being used politically, the mother getting death threats. Overall a good show, it gave me a new perspective on the controversy of school prayer. Forget the ACLU or Christian Coalition and they're tired detached rhetoric, we have the real players here living it out. This is what we need on PBS. This is great stuff.”
Anonymous
“Besides, many other religions besides Christianity believe that the father is the head of home, but the P.O.V show gave absolutely no information whether Herdahl's husband had any choice in the decisions about his children's education at the local public schools. In fact it sounded as though Lisa Herdahl's husband was estually to blame for putting his wife and kids through hell for making them move from Wisconsin to Mississippi! Yet the P.O.V film makers seemed to catch intimate moments which gave some reasons why Lisa's husband doesn't want to hang around to much. The camera caught that she seems to be very depressed, even around her own children when they are playing”Michelle Kunert
“After viewing you recent program involving the issue of school prayer for all appearances it seemed like an objective treatment of the matter. But upon careful examination, it was anything but objective. Obviously, by the very nature of the focus of the program on a woman who objected to the way school prayer was allowed in her local public school, it was one-sided. Now if you really want to show both sides of this issue, you should show a program dealing with what a Christian student has to put up with in most public schools! Moreover some teacher and principals trample on their First Amendment rights by forbidding them from carrying bible at school, and from uttering silent prayers before meals. But in our "politically correct" society, I guess only the rights of Jews, and various ethnic minorities matter these days”
Paul C. Magnussen - Tacoma, WA
”I think the director of this documentary that aired last week about school prayer controversy in Mississippi did an excellent job. I admire their objectivity in covering the matter”
Till Gokbudak - Woodstock VA
