If the purpose of "moment of silence" is not for prayer, then why does it look so much like prayer?

Answer 1

Please don't complain about the moment of silence. Its a the time when religious students could pray and non-religious students think about whatever they want.

Answer 2

Because like the Intelligence Design farce, it's a thinly-veiled attempt to introduce religion into schools. Legally, they can't ban a moment of silence that isn't stated as being for prayer. If a school holds a moment of silence before starting, well, nobody knows what's going on in a kid or teacher's head. This isn't Orwell's 1984. We don't have Big Brother nosing in looking for thought crimes.

The government can't read minds, so as long as silence is silence, they can't stop someone from silently praying. Or silently wishing they had their homework.

If the moment is silence is stated as being a brief moment of silence for prayer, then that's the difference. If it's just silence, it's silence. But if it's for prayer, that's where it breaks the wall of church and state. So technically, calling it just a moment of silence, there's not much anyone can do to ban it unless they have proof it's for prayer.

But everyone knows that it's for prayer. It's like a moment of silent reflection during a church service. Save for allowing kids to pray, there's no real purpose for a moment of silence before a school day. What are kids and teachers going to do besides use that time to pray? Worry a few more seconds over that pop quiz from the day before? Kids do that anyways and it takes far less time than a "moment" to think about it.

It's very much a farce and everyone knows it. It looks like prayer because it IS for prayer. It serves no other purpose other than to appease the religious believers and to allow their religious offspring to get away with prayer in school.

Answer 3

An understandable misconception, but easily fixed. You can't actually see prayer. You can see what looks like people praying and people DO have a personal right to pray silently anywhere in the US that people want to pray. The moment of silence gives everyone the opportunity to do any quiet thing that they think is appropriate at the moment. Some choose to pray. It's their right.
All better.

Answer 4

The moment of silence is for whatever the person wants it to be about. It is not prayer unless for you it is prayer.

Answer 5

Any reasonable person knows the difference between a moment of silence and a prayer.

I'd imagine only someone unreasonable would make a big issue out of a moment of silence.

Answer 6

I guess that it is how the person participating in the moment of silence interprets there selves as being. As long as everyone is silent and doing what ever it is that they do, it really doesn't matter if there head is up down, hands folded or in their nose. Eyes open eyes closed, doesn't matter. The individual is determining that for themselves. What? Now you want a law forbidding your head down or folded hands or closing your eyes in public? By the way, from a Christian perspective, you don't have to do any of these things to be praying. My eyes can be open, my hands busy working and my head looking up, to the side, whatever. Again, quit blowing up "A Moment of Silence" which is used as REFLECTION time for whatever you, as an individual, want to reflect on!!!!!!!!

Answer 7

no doubt people who wanted to pray wanted to get around the prayer in school is a "no No". Mad Madeline was just that Mad. Mad at most evrything and every body.

I understand not being forced to pray. I understand not wanting to listen to people pray. I do not understand no organized prayer in school. We have freedom of speech or we pretend we do so why not let others go to recess, or come in early to pray. What has happened is rights have been taken away from those who would have group prayer. They did not like it. They stewed and now we have a group of merchants who noticed (Bush in Iowa while Daddy was gettin whopped) we feel cheated. They needed to broaden their base so they investigated this groups dissatisfaction built them into a campain plans and wa la we have yet another merchant run war. Whu because freedom of expression was supressed. Think about it check the history it is very accurate.
People want to express themselves find a way to accomodate them or they will vote against something instead of for what is good for us all.

if you can view the FRONTLINE story on Bush's history, watch it and see what happened to this country and why.

Answer 8

This is nothing against you - but I'm tired of this topic. Why do these pansy-assed kids need a moment of silence? Do they lack the organization skills necessary to allow them to pray - or reflect - prior to getting to school? Why is an organized moment necessary? They can't stop flapping their lips for a bloody minute without being handheld?

Oy freaking vey!

Ok rant over! To answer your question - it's beginning to appear that it's nothing more than changing the words let's pray to let's shut up for a minute. Just semantics, in other words.

If you want to be quiet, then be quiet! Do we need an act of congress for this? Sheesh!

Answer 9

It's what you want that moment to be. I personally pray during a moment of silence. Others might think about what they're having for lunch.

Answer 10

Some people put their heads down. Those are the ones that pray during thsi time. But some just close their eyes or some just look out the window. But just cuz some people pray or look like they are praying doesn't mean that moment of silence means that its time to pray. I wish it was but its not. If people were able to pray to God anytime anywhere it would be goood.

Answer 11

Moment of silence was thought up for the people who are offended by praying out loud.