Prayer Within Public Schools : The United States Is A Free Country

important decision was the Engel v. Vitale case in 1962 which said that it was

Another issue has been the banning of public prayer in schools. It was decided that public prayer should be outlawed in the Supreme Court case Engel v. Vitale. (Schlafly et al. 150) Some people could understand this as it is not right to make prayer mandatory in school, when there are people who don’t believe in any religion. What might get some people is what was decided in 1962 by the Supreme Court,”… even a voluntary, non-denominational school prayer led by a public school official violated the Establishment Clause of the First Ammendment.” (Merino 8) Many people might wonder why prayer in school, if held on a voluntary basis, is bad. Why shouldn’t the kids who want to participate in prayer at school not be allowed to? One reason could be that the school officials don’t want to put a target on kid’s backs. For example, if everyone but one kid did partake in prayer that kid may get bullied or questioned or at the very least feel left out. The same could be true if only one kid went to prayer, that child could feel targeted and awkward. Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe, which took place in 2000, decided that any individual could pray at

School prayer is a very controversial issue in today’s society. The issue of school prayer is about whether the public school systems should let the students pray, at the start of the school day, as a class. The issue of school prayer began in the late sixteenth century when people in England did not approve of the way one religion was forced upon them, so the Puritans, known as the Pilgrims decided to come to the colonies. Even in the colonies the Pilgrims had problems with religion they had to sometimes resort to highly creative strategies in order to pray. When people were caught having a secret service they would have to face the consequences that the law enforced, whether it was going

For centuries, the debate has existed whether or not to allow prayer in public schools. Many Americans feel it is not right of the schools to teach religion. With all the diversity associated with the United States, public schools cannot select one standard religion to practice, due to the cultural and religious differences in the country. Not only are schools the storm center of controversy involving religious differences, they are the principal institution charged with transmitting the identity and mission of the United States from one generation to the next. If we fail in our school policies and classrooms to model and to teach how to live with differences, we endanger our experiment in religious liberty and our

Religion has played a major role in our country since the beginning. Our Founding Fathers were very devout Christians. This country was set up with the intent of having our religious freedom secured. They passed laws that would create a division between church and state. However, in recent years, this separation has begun to diminish. Our government should stand and protect the rights our Founding Fathers instilled in this country.

They also argue that the government should not allow prayer to be in schools. Praising the 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court banning of prayer and religious readings from public schools. Saying that school prayer assumes that all students believe in God, and that a given prayer might be applicable to all different faiths that could be practiced among students. It is much more likely that the typical prayer or

The issue of school prayer is not one of religious freedom, as it is already legal for children to pray in school, either individually or in groups. Since the Engel decision in 1962, religious advocates have been assailing the Supreme Court for "taking God out of the classroom." In an effort to reverse this trend, conservative religious groups have been fighting for the passage of a school prayer amendment to gain greater leeway for religious activities in schools.

The First Amendment states “ Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” (U.S. Constitution). As Americans, we have been granted rights, there for our rights should be applicable at all times. The first amendment clearly states that religion can run freely without question. Since we are granted the right of no laws being made against banning religion in schools, then why is prayer banned in schools within the staff? What should be made clear, is that students are allowed to pray at school

From the beginning the United States of America was formed, it has been founded and established by religious toleration and freedom. Without religious freedom, people are forced to comply with laws and policies that blatantly contradict their beliefs. This results in people living their lives in a struggle between their personal beliefs and obeying the laws that are placed before them. Obviously upholding personal convictions is very important, but people are forced to decide if it is personally worth the persecutions they may endure in result of it. Freedom of religion is considered to be a basic human right. Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance” (Leiter, p. 6). However, there are many countries throughout the world that are actively engaging in religious persecution daily. Roger Trigg, author of Equality, Freedom, and Religion, states that “without the ability to decide, and live by, what we consider to be most important and valuable in life, we cannot be free” (Trigg, p. 153).

Prayer in schools has been a much talked about debate in America over the past half-century. Conservatives, trying to regulate the religious freedoms of Americans , have tried numerous times to pass amendments that allow private student-led prayer in the classrooms(Baik, 243). Liberals, realizing that private prayer is and has always been legal, try to keep the balance between church-state separation as it is. This has kept the political issue of religion at a boil and confused many people on the actual issue of coercive school prayer. The banning of school praying is a major assurance of individual freedom and must be cultivated.

Religious prayer within public schools has been a heated debate for many years and ultimately has caught national attention. Overtime many court cases have challenge this issue. The Constitution itself is on the fence of religious prayer because of the First Amendment’s freedom of speech clause which prohibits the government’s involvement with the freedom of exercise of religion. The policy of religious prayer within Mississippi public schools is a state policy level. In the year of 2013, Governor Phil Bryant of Mississippi signed a bill/law that protects voluntary prayers from students on public school property and other public property. This policy also protects student prayers at public school related events such as praying over public school intercoms, at assemblies, and sporting events. In addition, the policy allows students to openly discuss their faith with classrooms and permits students to establish organizations such as a bible club. To clarify, the term protection does not imply that the law is promoting any religion or religious belief. However, it is against the law for administration from public schools to lead a public school prayer.

Lately, many Christians have come to feel they are being persecuted and denied their religious rights, specifically the right to pray in public schools. They believe there is a direct correlation between not allowing prayer in public schools and the problems that plague America. Maybe they are right about the impact of prayer on America’s issues, but they are misinformed to believe our nation’s problems are due to the lack of prayer in public schools. The truth is that school children have always been allowed to pray in public schools, but their prayers cannot be coerced, guided or influenced by public school employees. Restrictions on religious expression in schools apply to the adults not the children and therein lies the rub.

If public schools are just that, public, then why is the issue of prayer in school such a

Praying is a privilege every American is given in the First Amendment where it states: ?Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.? Many people get caught up with the phrase that says, ?Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.?(The Constitution) It is true that the founding fathers of this country wanted to ensure that no American citizen would be forced to practice a religion. However, when it comes to understanding the laws concerning religious freedom it is crucial that both parts of this statement are given equal attention. The second part states that Congress can make no laws concerning religion that would result in ?Prohibiting the free exercise thereof.? Therefore, Congress can outlaw schools from forcing religion upon a student, but they cannot keep a student from exercising their beliefs. It is not up to the administrators

is to assume that a moral law cannot be taught without the use of religion.