In a May 19 press release, with plenty of time to think the matter through, Barry W. Lynn—a Methodist pastor who heads Americans United for the Separation of Church and State—explained the April 20 killings in Colorado thus: "Evidence indicates that the two students who killed their peers, and ultimately themselves at Columbine High felt alienated and ostracized. We know from experience that school-sponsored religious displays and worship inevitably make some students feel like second-class citizens."

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