Here at Yukon College, prayers are an integral part of any official ceremony. As the College is located on Traditional Territory of local First Nations, a First Nation elder is always asked to say the prayer. It is usually recognized that people have different faiths, and so we are asked to thank whatever force in our lives we find significant. And as most of the prayers are uttered in languages that only a few hundred people still understand, we are really left to be grateful in any way we desire.
I believe it is important to not be restrictive or exclusive to one faith only, as this is very disrespectful. I am an atheist, and actually enjoy the ceremonies, knowing that I can be thankful in my own way, without anyone shoving a God in my mouth... I feel included in an open ceremony. Some elders thank Jesus, others the Creator, others life in general... Anything goes, the expectation being that we take a moment to recognize the good around us. First Nation People are good at being inclusive (here anyways). I like that. Happy prayers to whatever makes you tick! Jean-Marc -----Original Message----- From: Deborah S Briihl [mailto:dbri...@valdosta.edu] Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2009 3:42 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] Not really about teaching of psych Hi - Sorry for the non teaching question, but I'm in a bind here. I'm not looking for any kind of debate here (please don't start one), but I serve on a committee at VSU that has been requested to develop a policy or recommendation on prayer on campus (yeah, yeah - I know some of you have a joke in mind). Anyway, the idea is to discuss the appropriateness of it at events that you might not expect it and may feel required to attend (such as Student Government or Honor's ceremony dinner). We are having difficulty finding one. If somebody at a public university has such a policy - could you send it to me backchannel (dbri...@valdosta.edu)? Thanks. ---------------------------------- Deb Dr. Deborah S. Briihl Dept. of Psychology and Counseling Valdosta State University 229-333-5994 dbri...@valdosta.edu --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
