Prayer in Public Schools
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.
First, a student should be allowed to pray voluntarily at the beginning of each school day because the United States government was originally based on Christian principles. The Declaration of Independence, a document written to express the mission and purpose of this new country, states, ? We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that God endows them, with certain unalienable rights?..? Credit for the rights that Americans hold dear is given to God, the Creator, by the founding fathers of this Nation. In order to understand the basic fundamentals of the US form of government, students need to understand the religious teachings that influenced these early leaders; that is the creation, the providence of God and a final judgement day for accountability. Since the government was formed under these principles, it can only stay strong if students understand these beginnings. The first amendment states ?that congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof?? The first clause declares that the federal government cannot establish a common state church. Many of the US forefathers left Europe because they did not agree with nor want to be forced to support the established state church. The second part of this clause insures and encourages individual religious belief. The demonstration that religion is
important to the workings of the government of this country can be seen when
every session of Congress opens with a prayer. Why are the governing bodies
of this nation allowed to pray daily, but schools are prohib...
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...ople of color, women, and others fight for individual rights. If told they could not talk of their beliefs in public, this country would probably face another civil war. But for some reason, those who wish to practice their religion publicly are treated as criminals. In one instance a child who brought her Bible to school to read during free reading time, was sent home and told not to bring the Bible to school again. Silent messages are sent to children when disapproval seems the norm. Future generations accept this infringement on personal rights, and so goes the country and moral responsibility to each other.
Voluntary prayer in public schools should be reinstated due to this country?s founding principles, moral emphasis, and first amendment rights of individual freedom. Due to the non-confrontational nature of those who ascribe to religious beliefs, the government has adjusted to those who have been confrontational. The elected officials of this nation need to re-evaluate volunteer prayer in school, and pass a resolution supporting that as long as beliefs are not forced on a student (citizen) the practice of faith and morality through volunteer prayer should be encouraged.
This paper was written for my Writing 209 class. For the assignment ,Donna Marsh, asked us to find an article in a periodical that dealt with an issue in our American culture. We were then told to express our opinion on the topic discussed in the article and to analyze the argument presented in the article. I chose the topic of school prayer because I believe strongly in the separation of church and state that exists in our country. This is a controversial issue that is worthy of discussion, and hopefully my essay will provoke you in some manner whether you agree with my premise or feel that the views I express are totally invalid.
Chapter three of Civil Liberties: Opposing Viewpoints inspired me to research today’s issues of school prayer. To understand how we got to where we are today, I first delved into our countries history of court cases pertaining to rulings on prayer in schools. Lastly, to update my audience on how our lives are being affected today, I directed my efforts toward finding current situations. By analyzing these situations, I gained knowledge for a better understanding of why society needs to be aware of these controversies. I don’t think there should be any form of organized prayer in today’s public schools.
Until the early 1960s, religion was accepted in most public school systems across our nation. One of the main purposes for school in early America was for religious purposes (Prothero). Benjamin Franklin stated, "It is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand." Thomas Jefferson stated, "The question isn't what religion is true. The question is what religious traditions do we need to know something about in order to be an effective citizen." Something that can be beneficial to our nation should not be taken away. Even though religion offends some people, it should be allowed in public schools because of its influence on America and western civilizations, and its ability to help form closer relationships.
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.
Financial wellness is a necessity for successfully going through not only college but all of life. Managing your finances can be stressful especially when there is such much to do in the world. Something I am really passionate about is traveling. My parents instilled this into me from when I was very young. Now that I am older, it is time for me to adventure on my own without my parents. It is exciting until I realize I have no money to do so. On iGrad, I decided to look up travel and what I found was an article titled, “Top Tricks for Cheap Student Travel This Summer,” by Mackenzie Maher. This article brought up many ideas I never even thought of. Here are just a few I thought were interesting.
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...
For years now there has been a heated debate about whether or not prayer should be allowed in school,. Everytime the argument is rekindled, it ends in a stalemate, and is a topic that campaigning politicians tend to stay away from.
It is argued that there isn’t a way for every religion to be recognized within the public schools to accommodate everyone without offending anyone. It just isn’t a possibility to incorporate a sense of a “prayer service” that meets everyone’s needs without completely throwing off the school day’s curriculum and without making a form of an offense.
"God help, I'm so lost!" If you listen carefully, this is a common thought that is heard throughout many schools in the nation. Is this thought appropriate? The following statement clearly shows that the law allows students and adults to practice religion, but at the same time be respective of others and their beliefs even if they do believe or if they don't. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, or to petition the government for a redress of grievances." (First Amendment, The Constitution of the United States). Prayer is not normally permitted as a scheduled part of classroom activities, because it would result in the violation of the principle of church-state separation, which has been defined by court interpretations of the 1st Amendment to the U.S, Constitution. The separation principle is extended to Public school as an arm of the government, with an exception which can be permitted if, during the school year, a mixture of prayers, statements, etc are delivered, using material derived from a number of different religions and secular sources. So far, this has never been tried in a school or ruled upon by a court (Religion in Public).
Throughout the twentieth century, the United States Supreme Court has protected students’ rights to practice their religious beliefs, so long as they are not “disruptive, discriminatory, or coercive to peers who may not share those same beliefs” (Education Weekly, 2003, para. 3). In 1943, the Supreme Court ruling in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette stated that students could not be “forced to salute the flag or say the pledge of allegiance if it violates the individual’s conscience” (First Amendment Cyber Tribune, 2002). The 1963 decision in Engel v. Vitale made school prayer unconstitutional, and similarly found school prayer at graduation ceremonies in its 1992 Lee v. Weisman decision (First Amendment Cyber Tribune, 2002). Student-led prayer at public school football games was found unconstitutional in 2000 with the Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe (First Amendment C...
This paper deals with the stance of our schools and government on prayer in school. In this paper I will show how our government is hypocritical in its dealings of the prayer in school issue and how some of us as citizens are hypocritical as well. I will discuss the freedom of religion rights and how its interpretation affects prayer in school. Also, I will address the popular phrase, “separation of church and state”, that is often used to argue against prayer in school.
This paper discusses how the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the United States government interact to allow each individual in a public school freedom to pray while not endorsing any religion.
The argument over the separation of church and state has been an ongoing debate without a conclusion, and has always been a topic to speak on. Many people have strong opinions for or against the separation. While some believe that prayer in school is beneficial to the development of children and of their faith, others believe that it could completely criticize their faith by not giving the student the option to explore their beliefs. In the “Resistance to Civil Government” by Henry David Thoreau, the author is passionate about allowing people to beli...
To have prayer in the public school system is against the idea of separation of church and state. The state should not institute school prayer because the public schools are for education, not a place where religion should be taught (Gaylor, 1995, p. 1). The state should not force every child to say a prayer in the classroom because not everyone believes...