Should Prayer Be Allowed In Schools

Is banning the practice of prayer in school the new anti-Christ? Religion is a guiding light for any individual seeking morality, guidance, hope, and spiritual growth. In fact, the founding of America was governed by the ideology that citizens should be allowed to freely practice their religion without the fear of getting killed or punished. One of the things that makes America superior to other nations is our freedom of religion. With that comes the debate of school prayer; although school-wide led prayer is unconstitutional and should be banned, silent prayer should be allowed because it does not indoctrinate religious beliefs, allows citizens to freely practice their freedom of religion, and does not interrupt the school’s educational mission.

At the beginning of the roaring twenties, children were placed in schools in an effort to stop child labor practices and to allow their future generations to be educated in a variety of subjects so students would have the foundational knowledge to continue to grow and develop as individuals. Although America was founded on Christian principals, the founding fathers arguably had no intention of indoctrinating religions in schools. Schools are put in place to teach future generations how to be the ideal citizen and have a voice in politics, not to teach or force religious practices. Therefore, school-wide prayer is unacceptable because it restricts the rights of individuals who are not religious or who follow or practice a different religion. Furthermore, it is unconstitutional for public school lead prayers to be held, recited, or practiced. A fair compromise in the school systems is including a separate praying area in which students can come together to pray. This decision not only continues to allow children who rely on daily prayer to practice freely but also allows for schools to be about learning and not about indoctrinating

An individual practicing a prayer in silence should be allowed to pray because they are not publically indoctrinating their beliefs. With that being said, it is recommended for students to pray in a designated praying area to maintain a separation of church and state; however, a silent undisruptive prayer is acceptable because prayer is meditative and reflective. The ban on school prayer is not in place to stop religious practice but to stop the public indoctrination of religion when all individuals have the freedom to freely practice whatever religion they choose if any. Students are allowed to silently pray if their acts are non-coercive, non-disruptive, and do not interfere with the rights of others. Additionally, students are allowed to form religious study groups without adult supervision and say a prayer before eating lunch as long as their behavior is not disruptive and does not lead to religious superiority and