He made us hold hands and meditate about all of the starving children in the world and how we are all connected by water molecules. He said when he drinks water he thinks, “Maybe Mother Theresa touched this water.” He told us to suspend thinking because we are in a “paralysis of analysis”.

He also talked about conversing with angels. At that point I was laughing so hard I didn’t hear the rest of what he was saying.

a difference between potential and actual; that an egg is not a chicken and that an acorn is not an oak tree.

What the hell does an abortion argument have to do with atheism?
I don’t see any other relevance for this statement.

The speech was OK. Mostly, though, it was just a (slightly too redundant) litany of the contrasts between faith and Reason, ending with the typical boilerplate hopes for the future generation with the added novelty of being tailored more specifically to non-belief as it relates to a better society.

I still have the text file – I’d share it if I had a good way too.

Come to think of it, neither the very Christian Valedictorian nor the equally Christian Salutatorian mentioned anything religious, and they both gave wonderful speeches. Our Vice President, too, spoke beautifully.

I’m afraid that I haven’t as good a reason to feel as cynical or slighted as most, it seems, but that’s all for the better

Instead the superintendent talked about the GPS system in his car and how it guides him on where to go, making the comparison that the people in your life are your GPS systems. And of course the greatest GPS system of all is God.

Apparently this system isn’t able to steer one away from insipid analogies.

Graduation speeches are designed to make those giving them feel good. The people listening…well, the students are thinking about the big picture and where the after-grad party will be…or how fun gad-night will be. The parents and family members are looking for their kid, looking for their kid;s friends and worrying about the food at the pot-luck that will take place afterwards.

Graduation ceremonies are quiant and traditional…but they are in no way monumental or of any real importance. Just someone’s opinion of couched in their perspective given authoritatively because of the nature of the ceremony..

My son graduated last year…and my daughter will graduate next year. They have been taught…by me…to think for themselves. I told them that the only thing they needed HAD to learn from me was that. Everything else they could take with a grain of salt (as that would take care of itself had they learned the lesson anyway…lol). Following that view…why would i care what was said at their graduation? When the speaker waxes religious, both I and my graduating child will listen and form our own conclusions.

Prayers and calls to god at times like this should be ignored by those of us who claim logic and rational thought as our stand. Why? Well, any reasonable person will tell you that what is said there stops there, and is sledom listened to, let alone taken to heart. So let the person call on god if it makes them feel better. At the very least, smile to yourself knowing that your future will not be filled with trust in a sky-fairy as the speakers is.

I think that as atheists we need to pick our battles. Removing god from everything is just not going to happen, at least not like that. We should focus on removing god from official areas, not speeches made by people at an emmotional time when of course their spirituality is going to come out. Especially speeches like graduation speeches…as your kid was not listening, he was thinking about grad-night at Disneyland.