The issue concerning prayer in school has been active for several years and continues to be a topic of debate. With increasing concerns about our children's moral foundation and safety, how can there be a negative view of allowing children to voluntarily pray in school? The recent shootings that have taken place in our nations schools, injuring and killing many of our children, has brought to light issues concerning the lack of moral standards among our countries youth. Whatever your religious belief, the concept of asking for help and guidance from a higher power when you are confronted with difficult situations or dilemmas, at the minimum, gives us a chance to step back and evaluate what is going on in our lives. If only for a minute, it gives us the opportunity to pause and concentrate on what is really bothering us. Even if you do not believe in the Christian religion, or any religion for that matter, the Bible is filled with sound morals and practices, which in a time of despair, could aid in guiding a person to make the right decision or offer piece of mind.
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Praying in school was first addressed in the Supreme Court in 1962 in the Engle v. Vitale case. The Establishment Clause emerged and stated Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. The court ruled the Union Free School District in Hyde Park, NY had violated the First Amendment by directing the principals to cause the following prayer to be said aloud by each class in the presence of a teacher at the beginning of each school day: “Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country” (Longley, "Public"). I agree with the courts ruling because not all students in a classroom share the same beliefs. To cause everyone to say this prayer surely violates their rights.
Prayer in School Affects all of Society. “Creation Today” 1 January 2014. Web. 9 April 2014. .
The removal of prayer from public schools is a very controversial and misunderstood debate. This paper will address the history of the debate, common myths and misunderstandings, and the current trends.
An issue that has been constantly debated for years is whether voluntary prayer in public schools should be permitted. A student should be allowed to pray voluntarily at the beginning of each school day based on many reasons. Prayer based on moral beliefs reinforce good citizenship as defined by our forefathers. A daily reminder of a need for the belief of good over evil is a necessary part of this society. Daily voluntary school prayer should be re-instated in public schools due to three reasons, the historical basis of the beginning of the United States government, the serious moral decline since prayer has been outlawed, and the government infringement on the constitutional guarantee of individual freedom of personal beliefs.
In 1789, delegates from the 13 states of a new nation created a Constitution that established policies which had never before been seen. One of those policies guaranteed a complete seperation of Church and State.
The pros of prayer in school are that prayer would fit the needs of the whole person. Schools must do more than train student’s minds with academics they should also care for their spiritual needs and boost the values taught at home and in their community. School prayer would allow religious students an opportunity to observe their religious beliefs during school (Pros and Cons of Prayer).Public schools should have religious groups before or after school so they can still keep in touch with their spiritual side. Taking prayer out of schools is taking the students’ rights of religious freedom away from them. If p...
Those in favor of prayer in school pose several arguments. They say it will increase tolerance in schools, as children learn of different religions and how they practice. Many feel it will bring to surface the personal questions kids have about god and religion and allow them to search for their own belief system. The most common however is the argument that bringing prayer back to schools will help reverse the moral degragation of this country. As the Reverend Jeffery L. Osgood, pastor of the First southern Baptist Church in Dover wrote, "Back in 1962, when prayer was removed by the Supreme Court, something happened to America's soul and America's schools. Our nation became increasingly secular and less tolerant of moral standards and values. Since America became to proud to pray to the God of Heaven who created us, we have been reaping the rewards. Crime is way up. The family has broken up. The test scores of students have taken a submarine dive. Its time for a change!"
Another valid point is that it goes against what our country was built upon. America was formed because the colonists wanted religious freedom. When our Founding Fathers came to the States over from England, one of main issues was that over in England, religion was forced upon the people and individual choices as to what to believe weren’t an option. When our countries Founding Fathers wrote the constitution, they were very careful about granting the freedom of separation of church and state. Many Americans feel that having prayer in school would indeed violate that part of our constitution.
Students are guaranteed the right to pray, as long as it is not disruptive, and it is not promoted during classroom hours. Not only are these permitted, they are actually protected forms of speech under the U.
The issue of prayer in school cannot be dealt with in a manner that will please everyone. The main thing that needs to be stressed is that tolerance of other people and their beliefs is the only true way to ensure that everyone has freedom and equality in America. Until that day comes there will always be groups of people who cause disruption in our schools and take away from what the focus really should be: quality education and an understanding of others as well.
Praying should be allowed in school. It should because people are taught to go to the lord when you are in need of help. The supreme court says it is unconstitutional to pray in school because the school doesn’t teach it. They want to take praying and reading the bible out because they think you are not learning anything in school
Prayer In School A very controversial widespread issue today is the right to have prayer in public schools. The proposed amendment reads: “To secure the people’s right to acknowledge God according to the dictates of conscience. The people’s rights to pray and to recognize their belief, heritage or traditions on public property, shall not be infringed. The government shall not require any person to join in the prayer or religious activity, initiate or designate school prayers, discriminate against any religion, or deny equal access to benefit on account of religion.
Religion and prayer can benefit students in educational settings by positively contributing to better grades and behavior. Personal faith and prayer are important to people in many walks of life. Some individuals believe that this need for religious stimulation includes the youth in our school systems. There are different reasons why knowledge of religion and prayer can be important to students. For example, if students do not know about diverse faiths, it can be difficult for them to have a well-rounded knowledge and understanding of other cultures. There are oppositional sides to this issue as well. Some people believe that prayer in educational settings could be used as a way to persuade students into believing certain things that they otherwise would not have believed. We live in a diverse world, so it can be hard for everyone to agree on religious convictions and what prayers, if any, to pray.
All the school is trying to do is allow the kids to have a few minutes of prayer, so they can get through their day. Why do you think prayer should be granted in the public school systems? As i have said once before, I myself believe it should be allowed. Prayer is a meaningful thing; it may allow kids to have a much better day, do good on test, and stay out of trouble; therefore, I feel that once the people took prayer out of public schools that's when all the really bad things started happening in the world. I’m not saying that bad things weren’t already happening i'm trying to say that things seemed to have
School prayer is a very controversial issue in today’s society. This issue has been a problem since America was first founded, in that the country was founded on religious beliefs. The Pilgrims wanted to be able to express their beliefs freely, but in England this freedom was not found, so they decided to come to the Americas, where their beliefs could be expressed freely. As time passed they realized that having this kind of freedom caused problems between different belief systems. Many people started questioning the founding of their nation and what the foundation was made of. This questioning is still going on today and people are torn between letting prayer in to the public school system or keeping it out.