Steph-ville discussion on prayer in schools. Or the pledge of allegiance now not including "under God." Both of them, actually.

I'm surprised my perspective isn't skewed because I went to a Catholic school. I don't think that organized by the school prayer should be a part of public school life. Quiet time, moments of silence, sure, but actual prayering wouldn't seem right.

In a lot of ways, my school wasn't a bad one (naturally an opinion formed only after many years away, over which time St. Patrick's has gained the rosy glow of history). We studed evolution alongside creationism and no one questioned the validity of one versus the other; they were both facts presented to us as part of our education.

The only time I ran into a mildly intolerant nun was poor Sister Claudette, who must've been in her early 20s back then. She taught religion and at one point began discussing the "stupidity" of Mormons, Baptists and anyone not a Roman Catholic. It provoked a good debate in the classroom, during which I was able to finish reading a book totally unrelated to the subject at hand. I'm not sure Sister was convinced by the other girls' arguments, but at least she had the grace to blush when it was brought up that she wasn't being very nice just because the Mormons and Baptists didn't believe the same things she did.