Public School Prayer is Not the Answer Essay - 871 Words

Perhaps you still remember High School. There were certain routines to execute, certain activities of rote habit that you did each and every day. You sat with your friends at the same table at lunch, often in the same seats. You took the same route from your locker to your Homeroom everyday--not always the most direct one, but the one that took you past your friends lockers. Often you talked to the same people at the same times of day everyday. And of course, there was that most routine of all exercises, the most habitual of all activities, The Pledge. nbsp; The Pledge of Allegiance. Odd, isnt it, the idea of swearing lifelong loyalty to a piece of cloth every day. Yet the vast majority of those students who are reciting the†¦show more content†¦Sure, there will be prayer, but only as dictated in the curriculum. An organized moment of prayer is by definition favoritism to one sort of prayer--silent meditation (a rather Judeo-Christian view of prayer, one might add). I suppose that prayer will occur once a day, not five times; it will be done, sitting, not standing, kneeling or dancing; it will involve no smiling or making a joyful noise unto the Lord, so to speak. This is not only discriminatory towards one sort of religion, but completely removes the personal aspect from prayer. The government will determine the proper method of petitioning the Lord (assuming on our behalf that there is one, and only one), and therefore have unprecedented access to even our spiritual lives. Not even the sacred is sacred anymore. Looking beyond the problems, one might ask, what are the benefits? Conceding all possible problems could be dealt with, what are the overriding advantages to institutionalized school prayer over the current system? Clearly, students are allowed to pray now. The issue is not about students praying on their own initiative. I knew many people who prayed before tests and performances, and who prayed on a regular basis in and out of school. There were groups who gathered outside around the flagpole to pray several times a year. Anyone who wants to pray, can. The issue becomes forcing minors to pray, and pray when and how the school boardShow MoreRelatedThe Argument Of The First Amendment878 Words   |  4 Pagesgovernment intrusions on religion could a football coach at a public high school lead the players in prayer before a game? Well the answer is no, it is against the law for schools to sponsor or endorse speech. Therefore a coach is not allowed to engage in any activity that the school itself is forbidden from doing. 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