High School Graduates' Defiant Response to Atheists' Demand That the Lord's Prayer Be Stripped From Commencement — and the Rousing Applause That Followed

The choir at East Liverpool High School in East Liverpool, Ohio, had a long tradition of singing the Lord's Prayer during graduation ceremonies  — a 70-year practice that school officials recently halted after demands from an atheist activist group.

But students apparently weren't willing to bow down to the Freedom From Religion Foundation's complaint so easily. When class valedictorian Jonathan Montgomery took the stage this weekend, he reportedly led the entire class in reciting the popular Christian prayer.

What followed was a rousing round of applause from the audience. Watch the moment unfold at the 2:25 mark below:

Some have questioned why the school district backed down so quickly — a question that the head of the East Liverpool City School board was more than willing to answer.

School board president Larry Walton told WTOV-TV that officials decided not to fight atheists' demands due to the costly legal battle that could have unfolded as a result.

"We said 'okay, we just won't do it anymore,'" he told the outlet. "It was a decision made because we don't have a lot of money and we'd rather hire teachers than pay lawyers."

Walton previously apologized and said, "It's a war we can't win."

We'll leave you with another report about the defiant move below:

(H/T: WTOV-TV)

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