Would you be offended if I prayed in school?

Question

If I was in school and I prayed, let's say over my food, or was seen reading my Bible, would you be offended?
I can see how you'd be mad if I prayed right in your face (i.e touching you) but is there a problem with praying or reading my Bible?
The Bible TELLS us to pray all the time. So, schools saying I CAN'T pray is going against my beliefs.
That's one of the reason's I'm homeschooled.

I KNOW that we are allowed to pray/read bible in school. What I am asking, is, WOULD YOU BE OFFENDED?

Answer 1

I wouldnt be offended. I prayed over my food at school. And I read my bible during break time.

Answer 2

Depends.

Taking your time by yourself to pray is one thing. I have no problem with that. If you are not disrupting the activities at the school or demanding others join you or stop what they are doing then I have no problem with it. Have fun. Pray away.

Expecting everyone else to stop what they are doing so that you can pray is making everyone else observe your religion.

Expecting the school to set aside prayer time is making people observe religion.

Making your prayers vocal and disruptive would be forcing people to observe your religion.

These are the pitfalls people fall into in prayer at school. They want special treatment because they are praying. Lets say that the teacher is handing out a test and you are praying. The teacher is talking away and is expecting everyone to be listening. You miss an important detail because you were praying and thus fail the test. Do you expect the teacher to take this into consideration in your grade? If so then you are expecting the teacher to make an exception for you based on your religion. That is wrong. What if there are two students in the class, one christian one wiccan. Both prayed and both missed the detail and both failed. The teacher is now obliged to give the same exception to both students if the teacher gives it to one.

There are a few problems that can happen with homeschooling. There is more to school and the education that comes from the books. Learning how to interact with others is a very important aspect of school. That can only happen when you interact with people all the time. Limited social contact is not too good for a person. Also, am I right to assume that you are carving out the parts of science you do not believe in? If so, what else are you changing the studies to suit your beliefs? Also, there are other opportunties at school that you cannot get at home that can be helpful in life. Various school programs such as sports, clubs, and associations that can help you build up contacts for future college or jobs are being missed.

Answer 3

Schools cannot stop you from reading your holy book or bowing your head over your food or taking a moment before a test to silently pray inwardly. This would be a violation of the first amendment of the Constitution of the United States. As long as, as you point out, you did not get in someone's face about it or did something to disrupt the learning environment, no one could touch you.

For example, if the teacher gave you undirected reading time, and you chose to read your Bible, the Torah, the Koran, the Bagavhad Gita, the Satanic Bible, etc... that's perfectly find and the teacher would be in trouble if he/she made an issue of it. On the flipside, if you were directed to specifically spend the time reading "The Great Gatsby," well first you have my deepest sympathy 'cause that book sucks, but if you then started reading your holy book instead, you are disrupting the learning process and are liable to discipline -- NOT because you were reading your holy text but because you were not following the lawful instruction of your teacher and thus were interrupting the learning process.

Answer 4

Well, I have no objection to you practicing your faith in any manner that you choose at school, as long as it harms no one else. What I do have a problem with, is if you try to make me pray with you or, if, like you said, you prayed right in my face. I think prayer is up to the student, the student's parents and God, not the schools and as long as there is not an official prayer, anything else is good. I do not hold with a school or any official office of the government cramming a specific religion down my child's throat. And I wasn't going to say this, but I changed my mind; Any public school that is located in the USA CANNOT tell a student NOT to pray. So I think you are mistaken or you are not speaking of a public school, when you talk about a school not allowing you to pray.

Answer 5

I'm an atheist and I wouldn't be offended if you prayed in school because you have that right. You can pray quietly to yourself before meals, a test, read the Bible, it wouldn't offend me and nobody can tell you that you can't. I wouldn't like it if you were, as you say, in my face and being discriminatory, but if you're just exercising your right, nobody can tell you you can't.

I say this not because of the Bible, but because of the Constitution. For a teacher or principle or any school staff member to say you can't pray before meals or read a Bible(like other kids might read Huck Finn) or anything like that, that's unconstitutional. Public schools are government institutions and the government can neither tell people how they must pray, nor can it tell people they can't pray at all.

There's no problem with being unobtrusive with prayers or Bible reading. I had a fourth grade teacher, very nice lady, that was a teacher in a public school where I went. I remember her taking a brief moment before partaking of lunch to bow her head, close her eyes, and say a quiet little prayer. She never required us to join in, nor said anything about us going to hell because we didn't. She just did it herself and it was her right, never bothered anyone.

So I wouldn't be offended at all. Frankly, I'm more offended by schools that swing too far one way or another to either eliminate prayer or require it. Schools can't stop individual prayer, nor can they enforce everyone to pray a certain way. They just have to leave it alone up to the individual. In your case, praying to God and reading the Bible. Nothing at all wrong with that, not one bit.

Answer 6

You poor, misinformed girl.

If you were in my class and prayed, sure, I'd think you to be a little cuckoo in the head, but it's your right. You can pray your little heart out and read your Bible until your retinas started bleeding. As long as it doesn't disrupt the learning process (i.e., you don't disturb a class by getting on a soapbox), no one's stopping you. Freedom of religion and freedom from religion are constitutional rights.

Schools aren't telling you you CAN'T pray... they're just telling you that you can't force OTHERS to do the same.

Answer 7

It is perfectly legal for people to pray in school. Even religious studies and prayer groups are allowed on school property, but they cannot be lead by faculty or mandatory for participation. Often, these groups meet before classes begin. No school would prevent you from praying; that would be illegal. You are also allowed to read the Bible, and many public school libraries have Bibles for students to check out and read.

It's fine that you're home schooled, but whoever told you about the prayer thing is wrong. Many people have that misconception, but as I stated before it is totally okay for you to pray in school.

Answer 8

The Bible also says don't make a show of praying, but pray in secret. It is between God and you, no one else.

That being the case...pray silently.

People will see you taking a moment of silence before eating right away - big deal. They may ask about it, but there is nothing that could bother them.

Reading the Bible is your own business, no one elses. But don't make a big show of it.

~ Eric Putkonen

Answer 9

I'd be pissed... Nah, I'm just kidding. The state cannot tell you that you cannot pray in school; that would be close enough to telling you that your religion is wrong and that whole "separation of church and state" thing comes into play. No, the school cannot make YOU pray; but you can pray all you want, as long as you don't cloud the minds of the precious youth... Michael Jackson should be knighted for molesting chidren.

Answer 10

I would not be offended. The first couple of times you prayed I might get uncomfortable, but then after that I would be fine with it, and might even join you.