Final Draft Essay Topic 7

.docx

School

Grand Canyon University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

330-0500

Subject

Philosophy

Date

Feb 20, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by BarristerIbexMaster500

Prayer in Public Schools Kacey Core EDU-330 Grand Canyon University Instructor Larena Barnett June 25, 2023

Prayer In Public Education Prayer in school is a controversial subject that puts many stakeholders to children's education on contradictory pages that can affect our children's education. In this instance, the line between social justice and religious freedoms is not black and white. In a country founded on religious freedom, you would think religion and prayer in school is a no-brainer. In the United States, we have many different cultures and religious beliefs. Our world is quite different than that of the day of our founding fathers, as there are many contradicting religions and ideas throughout our country; this creates many different mindsets and implicit biases within people. As for any controversial topic, each side has pros and cons, and all come down to the implicit bias, ethical, and moral code of individuals, groups, and cultures involved. The first amendment protects the rights of students to freedom of religion and expression ( Religion in Schools | OSPI . (n.d.). When working with students and other adults with different beliefs and biases, the atmosphere can suffer if everyone does not feel the same. As a Christian, I see my job as using my spiritual gift and my purpose in life. I enjoy starting my day with silence to pray and ask God to bless my students and our day. However, knowing the district's dynamics is important to keep the boundary between endorsing and silencing religion for themselves and their students is an important part of being an educator. Supreme Court Cases Due to the focus on everything being secular, it is hard to stand in your own beliefs without potentially stepping on another, especially where education is concerned. There have been times throughout history when the Supreme Court has had to step in and protect the freedoms of individuals and entities rights under the First Amendment. In 1947 Everson v. Board of Education was the first case to change the system by incorporating the Establishment Clause

theory and introducing the metaphoric wall between church and state. This case is the only recorded case in the supreme court that mentions the doctoral reasons and importance behind prayer in school (Marshall, 2018). In 1962, Engel v. Vitale could be considered the beginning of the demise of religion in education. School-sponsored prayer was ruled unconstitutional under the first amendment rights of the Constitution (Lain, 2015). The intention of our founding fathers was never a complete separation of church and state; their actual thought was that religious beliefs would only strengthen and establish a republican government, being that the majority of the colonist were religious. Giving individuals and states the freedom to decide for themselves is the proverbial wall between religion and government as long as they do not infringe on individuals' God-given rights. Enverson v. The Board of Education was the first to use the Establishment Clause to justify the religious rights of students publically transported to religious institutions. In 1962 Engel v. Vitale was one of the most notable cases on this controversial topic because some considered voluntary prayer in schools and academic institutions unconstitutional (Lain, 2015). Engel is not the counter-majoritarian case that it initially appears to be; the Engel case is a vibrant account of Supreme Court decision-making. that advances several conversations in constitutional law. Engel adds a fresh perspective and maintains to provide insightful analysis of Supreme Court decisions to the growing body of academic research on the capacity of culture generally and social movements specifically to bring about constitutional change (Lain, 2015). Prayer in School Today Today's emphasis on equality and secularism throughout our school system it is hard to cater to every religion and cultural belief without infringing on another. However, the need for

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help