What are the ethical issues at stake when considering prayer in schools?

Question

Why should school sponsored or mass prayer be allowed?

Or, why should it continue to be banned?

What ethical issues inform your decision?

I'm writing a paper and getting some ideas.

Answer 1

I'm sorry, but a ban would be preferable. God can hear silent thought prayers anyway, so why waste time? I mean, the school is for learning, so learn there and pray elsewhere.

The difficulty here is that if a secular institution permits one type of religious ritual, it will have to do the same for all religions. Soon you'll have exaggerated examples like Pagans spilling blood and Taoists throwing salt around or something. Gross and insensitive stereotyping aside, the point is these rituals (a diverse and valid exercise that belongs to the individual and their faith) don't have a place at school.

Once again, learn in school, pray anywhere else. It just gets in the way and offends others that feel they aren't being recognized.

Answer 2

The constitution only says that the government should not interfere with people's religious practices. The constitution clearly states, ""Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". Nowhere in this statement does it say that prayer is not allowed in schools or other public places. Unfortunately, the courts have twisted this statement of the constitution to indeed prohibit the free exercise thereof. What could be clearer than the actual quotation from the document itself? Is it ethical to take away a person's constitutional rights by twisting the meaning of what was clearly stated?

Answer 3

You can pray any time that you choose to as long as it does not affect others. The odds that they will take you away for praying to god is pretty low.
Mass praying should not be allowed b/c it affects others.
You then have an issue of which religion should the mass prayer be under. People are idiots and don't get along. We will have fights just like the crusades. The irony in the crusades is that all those people who fought in it believe in the same god. That god does not like humans fighting and would whether have you spreading peace instead of war from my point of view any way

Answer 4

Okay, question to Dav here. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". Yes, that is what it says. Now explain to me how a prayer at school (or any other public place for that matter) would cause congress to make a law regarding the establishment of religion. I'm getting a little tired of the concept of free speech unless it happens to mention God or Jesus. You can hand out condoms at school, but not bibles. Explain it to me Dav, because I don't get it.

By the way, when the founding fathers wrote the constitution, I think they were thinking about various divisions of Christianity, not eastern religions or Judaism.

Answer 5

I didn't read the answers before I answered but I may be in the minority here. I think children should not pray in school.
I'll tell you why: when people say "praying in school" they assume all children are Christians. That's not the fact. There are many religions in our schools, in fact I always put down that I am a buddist because that's the one that best suits me. I don't want govermental prayer forced down my child's throat. If a child's or his family's beliefs are not christian then they should not be forced to pray. I think it's wrong. The school has NO right to educate my child on the popular belief of the moment. If that were to happen he'd be homeschooled. No way would I allow someone else to teach him who or how to pray. There's churches for that. There's schools that you can take your child to, but don't do it in public schools.

Answer 6

Romans 13:1 States
Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there. All governments have been placed in the power by God.

The public schools continue to allow children to wear items sucha as "Harry Potter", Marylyn Manson, Slip Knot and etc. But however do not have Halloween partys or Christmas or Easter partys(Man, I think that's ridiculas!).

But However do not allow prayer, And yet allow in the pledge of allegance, "One nation, UNDER GOD, Indivisible, for LIBERTY and JUSTICE for ALL!"

I think there should be 1 mintue set aside for prayer or SELF REFLECT. Alot of the children in elementry school mind the prayer, IT'S THE PARENTS WHO DO THIS TO THEIR CHILDREN.

My son and I have been members of our church for over a year now and I think(imho), It has made him a better person. He was a sweet boy before we were regulars there at our church, but even more so now.

I'm not "pushing" religion, I still think we need God.

Think about when the rapture comes! ;)

Answer 7

MY ethical issues are at stake. Prayer should never be considered in a public school.

Answer 8

there are so many different belief systems in our country. To say a prayer will definately go against someone beliefs. There are also a lot of non-believers. The school system needs to leave religion up to the parents and keep it out of the schools.

Answer 9

America being the melting pot we all have the freedom of religion.. but we also have the freedom to not have someone else's views shoved down our throats....

Take the new idea for pray at the ballparks... Are they then going to have a Jewish day? David bobble heads? All this religion and prayer and what not only centers around certain religions.. and I think it tends to offend an ever growing population who doesn't practice those religions..

Fundamentals of seperation of church and state.. i think they are finally getting really bored and trying to do something about it..

Answer 10

I think prayer should neither be mandatory, nor banned.

If it were sponsored, en-masse, or made mandatory in some other way, it would 1.) put off the atheists and agnostics 2.) be forced to be spoken to one deity, which would put off everyone else of every other religion 3.) if spoken in such a vague manner, that neither any deity nor any believer could be offended, then chances are, said prayer would be ignored since it could be equated as saying "I speak to all gods, in the hope one would answer, and I still do not recognize the one who did"... and I don't think any deity, real, imagined, or otherwise, would appriciate answering someone who is merely reciting words to no one in particular, instead of believing on the one who is listening to the prayer.

If we banned prayer in school altogether, then who shall get in more trouble... the bully who beats up on a Christian, or the Christian who prays for salvation from the bully? Who shall get in more trouble, the one who cheats on a test, or the one who prays for deliverance from the temptation of cheating too? The one who is free to wear a Marilyn Manson T-shirt, inverted cross, and a black trenchcoat, or the one who dresses modestly, and wears a cross, and spends 5 minutes alone before class praying that everyone in his class, even the guy in the Marilyn Manson shirt, would be blessed today?

I say, to each their own. If someone chooses to pray or not to pray, let them. Direct evanglism would be better left to after-school hours, but they should not be forbidden to speak about spiritual things in school.

My opinion is formed both on my beliefs as a Christian, and as a mother, in which at my sons' old school, kids were permitted to wear such clothing as mentioned in my example, but our rights as Christians were trampled on (for example, we do not celebrate holidays, and asked their Kindergarten teacher if there was going to be any Christmas events, and if so, we were to be notified, and our boys placed in a different classroom during the event. Santa Claus then showed up during their last week before Christmas vacation. We were never notified, nor were they removed from the class. It took Stone Cold Steve Austin dressing up as Santa, and stunning The Rock, to get them to understand *again* that Santa wasn't real [very long story, and by that time, we were at our wits' end]).

Also, part of the fact is also that when I was in High School, I was more than able to wear a Metallica's Ride The Lightning T-shirt (a graphic of someone being executed in an electric chair), or a friend of mine wearing a Chronic the Hemphog T-shirt (A mockery of Sonic the Hedgehog, but with a green hedgehog smoking weed), however, I saw Christians being forced to turn their Christian T-shirts inside out. Back then, it didn't bother me, but in hindsight, I realize that it's by no means right nor fair to let one person to say "Death, through punishment of a crime, or self-destruction, is good", yet censor the one who says "Life, through Christ, or God, is good".