On the Subject of Prayer in School

Prayer is a touchy subject these days. If one were to see an Islamic man kneeling towards Mecca in a public place, say a grocery store or on a sidewalk or a school, it would cause no little fuss. It would be a strange sight indeed. People would certainly stare and talk; some might even take offence. There has been much controversy concerning the issue of public prayer. Most of it pertains to the conduction and leading of a prayer, especially in instances where school is the setting. Many individuals are ignorant of the actual laws in our country regarding the matter of prayer in schools: there are no laws against individual prayer. That would be extremely unconstitutional. There are, however, laws against involuntary prayers. Here is what the Bill of Rights has to say about it: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” (1). It is well known that The United States allows individuals to have freedom of religion; however, since this rule was established, there has been some confusion revolving around it. One major difficulty is the difference of interpretations. Some say that prayer should be totally eliminated from schools, while some suggest that prayer should be mandatory. Neither of these proposals are acceptable; a balance is needed, freedom is needed. Prayer should be allowed in schools because individuals should have total religious freedom.
The definition for liberty in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is, “the state or condition of people who are able to act and speak freely: the power to do or choose what you want to” (1). Although many countries are considered “free”, it is not a precept that is worldwide or one that has been easily obtained. Freedom is a...

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...mote or institute any belief over another; however, that does not require government to restrict the religious observance of others. People must have the right to pray or not to pray as they choose.

Works Cited

Boston, Rob. "How Five New York Families Ended Coercive Prayer In America's Public Schools." Church & State 65.6 (2012): 12-15.Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.

Columbia University, Press. "Text Of The Constitution Of The United States." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1-10. History Reference Center. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

Jefferson, Thomas. "Draft For A Bill For Establishing Religious Freedom." Draft For A Bill For Establishing Religious Freedom (2009): 1. History Reference Center. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

"Liberty." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. .