Do you think prayer in schools would help?

Question

when I was in school we started each day with a prayer by the principal over the intercom and the pledge of allegiance to the flag now neither is done and things are getting worse all the time would this help at all

for those against it why should one group have their way where are thje rights of the kids who want to start the day this way no it doesn't cure all but it is a positive note in which to start each day it's not required to participate

the woman was Madalyn Murray O'Hair

people and their thoughts on christians should be pitied so narrow minded i am talking about a positive start to a day just God bless us today and keep us safe as we sure aren't safe in school anymore either. God can be any God to other religions again i go to the point of so you don't like it or want it and i do for my grand kids Where Are MY Rights???!!!

alot of kids don't like to sing in a group or other wise either and that would be more forced this is just a prayer being said by the principal no preaching or speeches just a prayer for safety it doesn't require participation at all just a minute of 2 of listening or tuning out it sure didn't hurt back in the days and there weren't open fire school killings then either

Answer 1

I don't see how it could hurt. Prayer is to praise God, give God thanks, ask forgiveness, ask for aid and direction. It shows faith and trust in God. I don't see how that could be considered a bad thing. Prayer needs to be serious, from the heart, and not haphazard. The pledge of allegiance is just that--A pledge is a vow or promise. Allegiance is loyalty, alliance, association, respect. Saying the pledge of allegiance is a way of stating ones feelings,respect, thanks, and agreement to our country and what it stands for. I can't see where that could be considered a bad thing either. To give God thanks, honor, and praise in the pledge and in prayer shows what is in a persons heart and an appreciation for what we have. Our founding fathers thought both of the above were good ideas. To take these out of school shows disrespect and might be considered a little arrogant. I say bring them back ASAP

Answer 2

You say it's a positive way to start each day. I ask, positive for who? Clearly only for the children whose religion the prayer fits. The others will feel like outcasts. That is, if it would be done like you suggest, over the intercom or something.

I come from a country where the majority of the population is Christian and where there is quite a number of atheists and a small number of people who follow other religions. Prayer hasn't been a part of the school day for a couple of centuries now in my country, simply because people (including the Christians) felt like it didn't belong there, school is supposed to be for something else. Things haven't changed for the worse since that. In fact, things have gotten better in my country over the past few decades (not necessarily for this reason).

I don't believe that there is a connection between religion and the quality of life. Taking God out of school is not what causes problems. I think it's capitalism, all this greed and the living in a fast way (working a lot to make a lot of money to waste it on a lot of unnecessary things that we are led to believe will improve our lives somehow, but don't) that is causing problems. Parents no longer have time for their children and just dump them to school and expect everything to be taken care of for them. A lot of parents don't bother raising their own kids anymore. THAT is the problem.

Parents should take out more time to spend with their kids. Parents should be more responsible. Parents should be the ones teaching their children about religion, morals, manners and such and it's the parents that should be praying with the children, not the teachers. Schools can't be expected to do everything.

Do you want a positive way for the kids to start the day? Ok, how about that the ones who want to pray do so before they go to school, or that they get a few minutes of "personal time" at school, which they could use as they wish, for prayers or something else. Then the kids could sing something together. You see, that's something that I think would unite kids much more, something that I think would be a positive start for almost everyone and nobody would feel left out. This is how we started school days at my school, by singing. We all enjoyed it, it was a positive way to start the day and everyone who wanted to pray had plenty of time for that during breaks and in their free time.

I don't feel like that arrangement discriminates anyone, at least I have never heard anyone complain about this.

Answer 3

I don't see why religion is necessary in school. If somebody follows a religion I think they can worship their god(s) in their own time. If children want to pray (or if parents want their children to pray) in the morning, can't they do it at home before school? Why must it be done at school? And if it's so important to do it at school, why can't each child just quietly say their prayers if they want to without making school officials and other kids participate in a common prayer? I'm not against giving kids a couple of minutes in the beginning of the school day to pray if they wish to, but I'm against it being like a ceremony lead by school officials, because that is pressuring the kids to participate even if they don't want to and it alienates the kids who don't "fit in" or feel like they don't belong in there.

Answer 4

as long as there are exams in college there will be prayer. you won't be able to alter that. it is not suited for a instructor to steer pupils in prayer. For one component, the 1st modification forbids it. for yet another, this united states of america is so religiously distinctive that there is a extensive threat the instructor and a few of his pupils might have distinctive faiths. Do you maintain on with the religion of the instructor (subsequently "coaching" the student that the instructor's faith is right) or of the student (forcing the instructor to make distinctive prayers in faiths which they could or will possibly no longer have faith in)? Do you have a prayer it is so imprecise it may save on with to any faith (which might mean it is so imprecise it would offend any actual god/goddess listening to it)? Do you waste time sorting out what the religions of all of the scholars in the class are and then having prayer for each of them on a daily basis? Do you confirm you have ten male Jewish instructors/pupils who've been bar mitzvahed to make up a minyan? terrific to no longer have any good prayer in any respect, rather.

Answer 5

Sure, why not? Maybe we should also insist upon having all children start each school day with a satisfying breakfast, remove the junk foods from the lunch room, and send them home to an actual adult. No, sorry- I don't think that lack of praying is at fault. It's a lack of parental interest in their children. Folks all have our own party nights, and careers, and personal interests.
So what do we do? pack the kids into the crappy day-care system, then either give them NOTHING to fill their time afterwards, or schedule them to the hilt in soccer, karate and music lessons. Then we flay our marriages right in front of these kids, buy them their Playstation 3's and X-boxes to try to appease them, and give them Froot Loops for dinner because we're too tired to cook.

What do they do? join a gang, have sex at a young age, and get involved in drug use- to fill the void that poverty and a lack of parental attention leave behind...

Yeah, prayer in schools would fix all that!

Answer 6

Yes
How many school shootings did you hear of when prayer was allowed in schools? The kids have no hope.
Take God out and all hell breaks loose.

Answer 7

No matter what anyone else argues about or answers here.....The proof is extremely evident in how children were before prayer was taken out of school and how they are now. This is a Christian country and those Christian prayers held families together and kept schools in order. If people do not like Christian prayers in school in a Christian country, they should honor those who do. Again, I would not take my child to a Muslim country and expect them to change everything and accommodate me. I would still worship my God my way in my own space.

In the 50's, the most common trouble in school was tardiness and chewing gum. Now it is rape and murder. I agree with you completely. It has even come to the point that kids are hurt and killed for choosing to pray and serve God in school.

The more America kicks God out, the worse things get. He doesn't force Himself on anyone. it's time for believers to quit being afraid of offending people and put God first again.
I for one have decided that when my daughter starts school next year that it will only be in a school that prays and pledges allegiance to one nation under God, or she will stay home with me and I will teach her myself.
Thanks for letting me vent.
God Bless you and may God Bless America Again!

Answer 8

If such activity is in the form of a joyful activity so that kids become interested it's OK. But if you get kids in line and shout out loud no matter if it's word of 'God' or someone else, the act is evil. Because it gets those kids bored and disgusted. Specially when the message has a political content, it backfires. We should not forget the fact that the main reason religion is unwanted in west is wrongdoings of church before Renaissance.

Answer 9

It is interesting that you brought this up. Prior to 1962, when the Supreme Court ruled against prayer in public schools, this was the prayer that was prayed: "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country."

In a video called "Our Godly Heritage," David Barton demonstrates authoritatively that the crime rate, unwed pregnancy, venereal disease, and divorce were at a relatively constant rate prior to the Supreme Court decision.

After 1962, all of these categories skyrocketed exponentially. While I agree that removing prayer alone was not the only cause, it is probably at the very least, noteworthy. The graphs clearly show the onset of the statistical climb as 1962.

Answer 10

R U NUTS ?

The kids would start religious gangs, Baptist, Catholics, Wiccans, Atheists, it would turn into a holy war on the play ground.

Why should your god be prayed to,
(what about the ppl who have a different god or no god at all) ?
SOME OF YOU CHRISTIANS ARE SO SELFISH !

I think they should set aside a time to teach morels in school, not religion.