Summary Of In The Face Of Fact By Pamala Paul

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Pages: 3

The idea of religion has been adopted for more than two hundred thousand years worldwide. Pamala Paul, a columnist for the New York Times, published an editorial titled “In the Face of Fact, the Supreme Court Chose Faith.” Contrary to the Supreme Court decision, Paul decided to voice her own opinion on the matter. In the court case Kennedy v. Bremerton, Coach Kennedy publicly prayed at the 50-yard line while he encouraged students to join in. This was against school policy and the constitution’s establishment clause, so the district decided to fire Coach Kennedy. While the Supreme Court favored Kennedy’s religious rights, Paul believes this would cause vulnerability for non-believers. Paul’s argument is strengthened when she introduces victims …show more content…
Paul highlights the significance of maintaining religious liberty and diversity in a community. She then expressed her concern about the deep-rooted consequences of the court’s decision. When discussing Kennedy’s statement, Paul contradicts his claim his religious act didn’t disturb anyone and was “private.” Despite his assertion, Paul introduces verified testimonies of students and other community members who detailed the act as routine. Evidently, Kennedy showed pride and self-satisfaction in organizing and encouraging others to join in his prayer. In the editorial, Paul states, “Participation in Kennedy’s prayers was ‘expected” (paragraph 4). Unquestionably, this supports the idea of persistent social pressure on community members, but more specifically, students. Paul’s usage of the word “expected” indicates the possible consequences for students who decline the offer to participate. Thus, further pushing the claim, that the actions Joseph Kennedy took were unconstitutional and went against school policy. To add, it is evident that Mr. Kennedy was fully aware of the circumstances he created for other students and the setting he was