The Debate for Prayer in Schools

625 Words2 Pages

The United States was built on prayer. Prayer or religion is on our currency in the many halls of our justice and federal buildings so no matter where we go, we cannot escape prayer. Our founding fathers did not exclude the bible in building our nation and educating our future and there will be no expectation. No matter what there will be prayer no matter where you are. Some people just don’t believe in God that’s why some don’t want prayer in public school. Though each of the clauses are originally applied to the central US government, and the Fourteenth Amendment was extended to scope out the whole entire First Amendment to all levels of government, including state level. Thus compelling states and the subject schools adopt an equally detached approach to religion in schools. The issue of school prayer was seriously debated in the U.S. since the 1900’s. In the 18th, 19th, and the early 20th centuries, schools locates country customarily opened with an oral prayer or Bible reading. Religious people would sometimes object to the distinct observations performed in schools. For example the Edgerton Bible Case. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in favor of Catholics who was objected to use the King James Bible in Wisconsin schools. The ruling is based on the state constitution and only applied in Wisconsin. Like the other challenges elsewhere in the country, provided a precedent for federal rulings to come later. Legal climate for school prayer in the U.S. began to change in 1955, when the New York Board of Regents developed a prayer recommended for the school districts under its purview. Couple years later, Steven I Engel would bring action against Union Free School District number 9 for its adoption. Arguing that it constituted th... ... middle of paper ... ... Abington were widely negative, to where many school districts and states had attempted to reestablish school sponsored prayer in many different forms since 1962. In the 1990s , controversy in the courts has tended to revolve around prayer. Public prayers at graduation ceremonies and to those conducted via public address system prior to the high school games. Despite to their attempts to present a clear stance on school sponsored religious activity, Engel and Abington cases was served as precedent and cited by some proponents of school prayer. While the Establishment Clause proscribed the state sponsorship of religion and the Free Exercise Clause forbids state interference in individual religious exercise. Where state entity moves from accommodation as state promotion of one religious activity over another. Works Cited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_prayer

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