107 South Joshuas Way
Yorktown, VA 23692
February 11, 1998

Honorable Herbert Bateman
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Bateman:

As a student and co-founder/co-president of the Grafton High School Bible Study Club, I would like to bring an important issue to your attention regarding religious expression in public schools. As you may be aware, Alabama courts have been setting several alarming precedents involving "crack-downs" on public professions of faith. Led by Judge Ire DeMent, these court decisions have reinforced the division between church and state, an unjustified policy that was never set forth by any founding document or amendment thereof.

These judgements have virtually eliminated any and all school prayer, complementary to the unfortunate, unprecedented, and unjustified (by official documents) judgement in 1962, Engel v. Vitale, which eliminated formal, non-denominational prayer recitation in public schools. Any audible prayer, no matter how private, quiet, and voluntary, has been forbidden, along with audible traditional prayers (such as graduation prayers and coach-led prayers before sporting events). Even in times of national crisis or life-threatening circumstances vocalized prayer has been outlawed.

In addition to the further removal of prayer, forms of "religious harassment" (which has been interpreted as witnessing to others, discussing one’s personal faith, or even wearing religious clothing and jewelry) have also been banned. Some argue that profane sex education is what should be attacked rather than school prayer, but rather than switch the focus and alter the entire issue, I suggest that we primarily focus on regaining rights guaranteed to us by the First Amendment. Twisted beyond recognition, this priceless amendment has been interpreted incorrectly for decades by those who somehow find the invisible phrase "separation of church and state" among the stark black and white. North Carolinian Senator Jesse A. Helms presents this opinion very well in the January 1995 edition of Congressional Digest.

Essentially, these actions taken by Alabama courts have alerted the Christian community to a possible trend. Letters, e-mails, and phone calls are spreading the word, but without political support and more publicity, such callous disregard for religious rights will continue. When you are faced with such issues in congress (e.g.- Representative Ernest Istook’s "Religious Freedom Amendment"), I urge you to take this letter, others like it, and the will of the widely unspoken majority into consideration. Please take political action to correct misinterpretations of the first amendment, ensure the preservation of religious rights, and maintain the religious integrity of our great nation.

For your convenience I’ve enclosed copies of a related e-mail I received last month as well as a complementing research paper I composed in my junior year of high school.

Sincerely,

Ted M. Otero IV
Co-president, Grafton Bible Study Club
Encl: Let America Pray essay
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