Should we have prayer in school?

Answer 1

Yes, Every since prayer has been taking out of the school there has been more school shootings than you can count.

Shalom

Answer 2

Depends on what sort of prayer you have in mind.

If you mean government and school-sanctioned prayer requiring every student to pray(be it to the religion/God of their choosing, or to a specific religion/God), then absolutely not.

If you mean whether or not it's ok for a kid to take a moment before a pop quiz and pray to God silently to himself that he passes, well, that's already legal.

Schools, as governmental institutions, can no more require students to pay respect and prayer to any religion than Congress can amend the Constitution to execute anyone who isn't Catholic. To require students to recite the Lord's Prayer or any other prayer before the start of the school day violates the First Amendment.

The First Amendment states that the government cannot prevent individual people from believing as they choose. It also states that the government cannot establish a state religion. Most people get the first half. It's the second half that tends to be a little confusing.

All the establishment clause means is that were the government to pick a religion and make it the official US religion, that religion would be favored and take precedence over all others. Therefore, if the government were to choose Catholicism, the Catholic faith would be the faith required to believe in if you're to be a citizen of this country. If you don't, the very least, you face a long waiting line to get aid, if you ever get aid at all.

The worst they could do to you is execute you.

So not only does the First Amendment guarantee the individual's right to believe(or not believe) as they choose, they also protect that guarantee by ensuring that the government cannot favor one religion over another and discriminate against those who do not share one faith or another.

To require prayer in school violates this. After all, if it were allowed, the next problem would be deciding what prayer. Believers may find it "easy" to just say; "To God, of course!", but even believers fight amongst each other over which version of God to pray to. So even if we were to allow prayer and choose a religion and a version of that religion to pray to, that's only one of many.

Anyone who does not share the faith of the chosen religion of the chosen, school-sanctioned prayer, would be forced to pray to a religion and a God they don't believe in, to say nothing of those who don't believe at all. Those who don't hold a belief in any God would suddenly find themselves forced to believe against their will, and not only believe, but pray.

If you think that's a GOOD thing, then put yourself in the shoes of the person on the other side, or the shoes of a nonbeliever. Then tell me if you still think forcing religion is a good idea.

Answer 3

You fail to understand that now, as always, there is no ban on students praying in school. IF a kid wants to pray before class, or a group of kids want to get together at lunch to pray it is allowed. Always has been. What isn't allowed now, or ever before, is for the school to organize, promote or endorse any type of prayer. This is how is should be. I would think the religious people would also welcome this since if you start having the government (i.e. the school) mandating prayers in a public school then what and whose prayers do you allow? Only those of your particular religion? Only the ones you approve of? It would open the door for a huge fight, and probably more violence, over whose religious prayers should be the government approved ones. Government should absolutely stay out of the business of religion, no exceptions.

Answer 4

No, especially in elementary schools. Small children are easily susceptible to having a religion stuffed down their throats, and I can see the lawsuits now when angry parents sue the school because a teacher taught the child to pray a certain way. Now tha I am in high school, I wish that I could have a small room to pray the noon prayer during school, and I could if I put a little effort to finding a clean place and being discreet, but that would be during lunch on my time.

You know the phrase "Don't pray in our schools and we won't think in your churches"? Its an extreme view, with little validity, but prayer in schools is an icky situation, one that is bound to get out of hands. Prayer is so sensitive, especially to young children, that it should be left in the hands of the parents until the child is old enough to make their own spiritual decisions.

Answer 5

This is actually in answer to the person who said there weren't school shootings before the banning of prayer in school. Actually the worst school massacre was in 1927 in Bath Township Michigan. There were MANY others through the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. They're not a new phenomenon.

Answer 6

Because there are so many different Religions and Faiths, and also atheists and just non-believers, I think they should have a time of silence so if some want to pray they can, if others want to try to remember what they did with their home work they can, if some want to take those few moments to take a quick cat-nap, go for it. Just whatever, but don't call it prayer time, call it a few moments of silence to reflect or something. Why keep kids that want that time to pray from doing it just because some don't believe or what ever, let them just sit and let their mind get ready for the day ahead.

Answer 7

No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No!
If the child is in a public school, there should not be prayer in school.
And to those that say yes, here is a thought for you...
You allow prayer in school, and someone from a different Christian belief as you is their teacher, is that ok? Well how about if the teacher is from a religious cult that believes in things such as that of David Koresh? (The Branch Davidian Compound)

Never, ever, would that be ok, never.

Answer 8

The Catholic Church agrees with the U.S. Constitution as currently interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court and does not support "structured" prayer in public schools.

In the Vatican II document, DECLARATION ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, DIGNITATIS HUMANAE (Human Dignity), the Church states:

The human person has a right to religious freedom. This freedom means that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of any human power, in such wise that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits.

Children will continue to privately pray before tests just like they always have.

With love in Christ.

Answer 9

Prayer is a personal thing, so it should not be forced on anyone. But if students wish to have private prayer, be it a blessing said over their lunch, a quick one in between classes, or something else of that nature, then that's fine.

flashypsw> Correlation does not prove causation. That is one of the first things they teach in statistics classes.

Answer 10

I used to think yes, but the problem would be the differing religions represented. All should be given the right to pray...moment of silence, etc. The Bible says to "pray continually" so even if there is no set time to pray, believers always have an open to line to God and can pray whether the ACLU likes it or not.

Answer 11

Yes. It's obvious that all of the world's problems began when the liberals banned prayer from public schools in the U.S. It's obvious that we need to get back to our country's moral basis, by having school administrators lead the children in a prayer to the Flying Spaghetti Monster every morning.

Ramen.