“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” - John 8:7

“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.” - Romans 16:17

We could go on all day.

Religion is an intensely personal decision, and no matter how many Biblical passages you quote or how much empirical evidence you cite, the chances of changing someone’s mind on a topic that involves faith are slim. People are going to believe what they want to believe, and that is their right.

What everyone should agree on, though, regardless of religion or lack thereof, is that we should debate the issue without lobbing insults or threats at the other side. To see adults make death threats against a 16-year-old girl, no matter how much you may disagree with what she stands for, is sickening. Not to mention, it’s not exactly the Christian thing to do.

As Roger Williams said, “that cannot be a true religion which needs carnal weapons to uphold it.” Hopefully, the students in Cranston can glean something from this experience, and realize that civil discourse is a more productive course of action than throwing sticks and stones. Unfortunately, many of the adults in this community have not set that example for them.

Moreover, threats do absolutely nothing to help your argument. Making the debate personal only paints prayer supporters in a poor light and distracts from a position otherwise steeped in persuasive arguments.

And as the two sides retreat to their corners, gearing up for another round of boxing, it appears that the true victims in all of this have been forgotten.

Valuable time has been spent focusing on this issue, when educators and the School Committee would have rather been crunching budget figures or working to restore student programs. In addition to the time factor, the final dollar amount on legal fees that the district is on the hook for remains unclear, as does the additional cost that could result if Cranston takes up an appeal. Granted, it could be worse, as the district secured their legal representation pro bono, but there will be some cost and every dollar that goes into this case is a dollar taken out of an already struggling district. In the past three years, Cranston families have lost the EPIC enrichment program, middle school sports and music. What else will they lose, in part because of this case? And when the prayer ordeal is settled and the School Committee’s audience thins out, who will be left to advocate for our kids?

Let’s put this prayer banner case behind us and get back to what’s most important: educating kids in Cranston.