Do you think prayer in schools would help?

Question

Do you think prayer in schools would help?
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 the 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. Just a prayer for peace and safety after all in todays schools it may be the last comforting thing they hear. Too much violence and killings in schools

I like the comments about god please help me pass this test i bet even atheist said that one this is not a forced prayer and for someone to say in their day prayer incited violence makes no sense back in the day God was God and this country wasn't quite the melting pot it is today so there weren't alot of different religions and Gods to pray to also this does not have to be a big deal just " I pray for the peace and safety of our children in school today as well as when they leave here keep them healthy and safe Too many school shootings fory angry kids who may have found some measure of peace in their hearts if they had prayer

Answer 1

Because the atheists would be offended, the very concept of God seems to offend them.

Personally, I think it couldn't hurt. If someone just said a prayer, it might be a bit more difficult to pull a drive by shooting after school. Wouldn't stop drive-by shootings, but might make a few of these kids think first and may not do it.

Answer 2

For those who chose to, absolutely, who's stopping them? Should there be a designated prayer time during the school day? No. This would cross too many lines and single out children who are of different faiths. Fostering a sense of faith and spirituality in children is up to the parents and the religious community. Continuing that path is a personal responsibility and has nothing to do with public education.

Children have the right to pray at any time they choose. Why does it have to be made a spectacle when really it's a private conversation with one's creator that can occur any time, any place? Why not take the time to sit with your children at the breakfast table and pray as a family? If the children were to initiate their own prayer or organize as a prayer group before classes, before meals, whenever... I seriously doubt that anyone would stop them. They already HAVE these rights.

Having gone to a catholic school (even after deciding christianity wasn't my thing), they did lead prayer over the intercom. I was forced to stand for prayer, but would not hold my hands in prayer or bow my head. This is expected and allowed at a private school, but for those that were there for the educational value (not faith), it was a time of judgment and ridicule. Kinda funny that one can manage to dart dirty looks to someone during prayer...even teachers. Children have enough pressure to conform, but you can't take faith so lightly that it's just considered mandate!!

And in what school is the pledge being skipped?

Answer 3

That is the problem, isn't it - that one group gets their way.

A prayer over the intercom forces everyone to participate. So which denomination will the prayer be from? Mention saints and you offend some, not mention Mary and you offend others, claim there is only one god and offend others. Should the prayers be in English, Hebrew, Slavonic, Arabic, Hindi? Then there are those who don't want their children subjected to other's religious beliefs, some don't want them subjected to any religious beliefs.

If children want to pray, they can, but it is best if they do it themselves, not have one prayer forced on to others, it is more peaceful that way.

Answer 4

Correlation Not Cause fallacy at work here.
(when it is assumed that because two things occur together, they must be causally related.)
Just because mandated prayer has been taken out of schools, that does not mean it has contributed to the killings that have been happening.

Prayer isn't outlawed in schools. The kids can pray their little hearts out.

Public school-mandated prayer is against the separation of church and state.

Personally, I don't think it's constitutional for kids to be saying the pledge of allegiance, although nothing is stopping them from saying it as long as it doesn't disrupt the class.

Edit: katlady you may believe in God but you certainly don't believe in periods you need to use periods when you're ending a sentence otherwise you pretty much get something confusing like this where it's really hard to read and no one will bother reading because they can't separate the thoughts into easy-to-digest bits

I don't know why I've gotten a thumbs down on this answer. Everything I said, according to my research, is true.

katlady, you have to understand. In this country, we have separation of church and state. Past violations of this principle do not justify future violations. School-mandated prayer/moment of silence is unconstitutional. Would you want to send your children to a school where they would be forced to pray to Allah every day? I didn't think so.

Christians should not have specal dispensation simply because they're the majority belief. The Bill of Rights is in place to protect the rights of the minority. My tax money is paying for these schools. As someone who doesn't believe in God, I don't want my taxes to be paying for a religious service.

Answer 5

I think prayer in school is ok but no one needs to make a big deal out of it. In others words no need to get on the news to make a point about prayer. Just pray if you pray. Prayer needs to be at home as well.

Answer 6

Do you really believe in freedom of religion?

Any structured prayer in public schools will favor one religion over all others.

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 7

Instead of prayer, I advicate a quiet moment. That way, those who want to pray, can, and those who don't want to pray, don't have to. Now, if it;s in a private,religious school, they can do what they want, but a public school should respect teh wishes of all groups that attend. I do, however, think that the violence in school is from a decline of religion, but it is up to the parents to teach that, not the schools.

Answer 8

There is no general assembly or mandatory prayer in schools. Those children that want to pray are allowed to do so on their own, and that is the way it should be. You speak of people having their way, and that is how everyone gets to have their way - by taking their own responsibility for doing it rather than making everyone else do it with them as well.

And no, I don't think it would do any good, because the evidence says that prayer has no effect whatsoever. In fact, under some circumstances it makes things worse.

Answer 9

No, it will only complicate things. People have different beliefs and not everybody wants to have things crammed down their throats. And which prayer would be acceptable? One that is led by a 7th Day Adventist? A Jehovah's Witness? A Mormon? A Pentecostal? A Muslim? You get the idea.

Answer 10

Science is so big on their theories and experiments, why don't they do an experiment to find out. Have one school start the day with prayer for a year and compare the results with a school that doesn't. Personally, I don't think it would hurt a thing to have prayer. Kids need all the help they can get.