Prayer in public schools?

Question

are you for it or against it?persoanally im against it,i think if you want your children to pray in school,send them to a private school where they can do so!

Answer 1

Against it!!! Separation of religion and state aside--parents should be responsible for their own child's spirituality or lack thereof. Not the public schools. If a parent should have the right to teach their child about God, then shouldn't another parent have the right to teach their child that God doesn't exist? Or what about other religious denominations that don't rely on prayer or a different sort of prayer? And I agree, if you want mandatory prayer in schools, there are Catholic schools around.

Is religion now going to be mandatory in order to be a citizen of this country? I can't believe anyone would advocate prayer in schools!

Answer 2

I'm against the school organizing and leading prayer. I don't care if the students want to say a little prayer privately, that's their right.

I think a lot of people are forgetting that when the gov says prayer shouldn't be in schools they are just talking about organized prayer and not that of the individual student. This isn't a Big Brother situation, the kids are still allowed to have their own thoughts and pray on their own time.

I think separation of church and state and civil rights are very important. If the civil rights of Christians were being threatened I wouldn't think twice before speaking out to stop such an injustice....why is it so hard for some to care about the civil rights of those who don't share their beliefs?

Answer 3

I am a Christian and that depends on some things. First, in what way would prayer be in school? And what prayer would they be praying...a Christian prayer, a Buddist prayer...see my point? And how do teachers handle that if they are not Christian or Buddist or whatever? It's a loaded issue. Here is what I think should happen. Kids should have the right to bring a Bible to school and use it during breaks and lunch time only. They should not run around the playground trying to preach. Prayer should be allowed in a special room where there are chairs for students to come in a sit and pray if they choose, no denominational items, etc.

Answer 4

Well I am for it but I am aganist how some make it a public thing. I don't need to meet at a flag pole each day for prayer, only reason they do that was to tell the public that they gonna do it one way or another. I heard about a school having a walk out day for prayer and then they wasn't praying. Prayer is between God and you and you don't need somone elses help to pray. I say bow your head quietly and pray. No one needs to know you pray.

Answer 5

Being a teacher, I would be very uncomfortable leading an organized prayer to my students. Last year alone, I had students who were Buddhists, atheists, Catholics, Muslims, Hindus...you get the point.

That said, what is there to stop any of my students from praying whenever they want to? I personally pray all the time in class (to myself), and ask God for wisdom and peace during the more difficult times of the job. If a student wants to pray, no one is stopping him.

So what we're really asking is, should there be some kind of organized prayer? Definitely not.

Answer 6

I think children should have the right to pray in public schools if they wish. No one should have the right to force their prayers on anyone. I do think that they should have that choice. I am a Catholic Christian and we do pray but I feel that this is a choice many schools don't let kids make.

Answer 7

This country wasn't founded on Christian principles alone...does anyone remember that wonderful European era called Enlightenment whence came the importance of liberty?

So fair is fair - no one should be constrained from exercising their belief. Perhaps if people got less offended by someone praying to something that isn't their deity (or lack thereof) then this concept could actually reign true.

That just means that everyone on here who answered that they are for praying because the Christian kids should be able to do it have to realize the Buddhist kids can too, and they Atheist kids don't have to at all!

Answer 8

I am absolutely FOR prayer in schools, government meetings, etc. over 76% percent of Americans claim to be Christian yet they do not have the right to speak openly about God. Those that do not want to participate wouldn't be expected to do so, so a 60 second prayer by others wouldn't hurt them.
Christians are forced to listen to things that we disagree with in these settings i.e. evolution, homosexuality indoctrination, arguments against having "under God" in the pledge. Where is the justice in that?

Answer 9

First of all many people can't afford private schools. This land was founded on religion, even the money as inscribed on it "In God We Trust". Why take someones freedom away to pray in school when all the unbeliever has to do is not participate? You should have the choice if you want to or not. One freedom taken away leads to more taken away and one day may come when most have disappeared.

Answer 10

Against it. If it is a state funded college that is one thing.. people are old enough to decide for themselves if they want to take the class. Any grade below that, it does not belong there. Teach the basics and leave religion to the the private schools, families and religious leaders.

Answer 11

LEAD Prayer, I'm against. I do not want anyone teaching my kid anything about any religion. Public schools are for teaching the child how to make it in our society. Our society is secular at heart.
But one can hardly stop a kid from bowing his head and praying in school.