Should Prayer Be Allowed in Public Schools?

Yes How can GOD protect you protect you(us) when you donot want HIM around

please sign my petition on change.org to get this movement going.

no bible thumpers should be aloud to pray to "god" hes fake so get out!

School, as you know, is a place where people educated to become smart and morality. Some people think that going to school is to get a degree in order of career. How about moral character? This is important. In bible, lots of pieces are the good lessons for people (students). So it's no way to abondon bible stuff. Lot of people think that bible is just a myth, and we can not see the god. Therefore god is no longer exist and massage from god is fake. Such as human being. bible says the god formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. In evolution, human was evoluated from ape. Lot of people think that evolution is more reasonable and believe it. Human was evoluated from ape, but how about ape? How about the first animal? No wonder from plants or bacteria? So it's not scientific.

during this debate is that prayer is, and always has been allowed in the public schools . Children can pray privately anytime and groups are allowed to pray together during free time (Lunch, before and after school ) as long a a few simple rules are observed. Don't disrupt class learning time, don't forcibly proselytize and the teachers cannot lead the prayer.

That really seems simple, and the religious people already have these rights. What they want is a different story. From a majority of these suits that are brought by the Religious involve wanting their prayers used and only their deity prayed to. And they insist the government in the form of the school system help them achieve this.

The ones I have spoken to about this (including candidates for the local school board) agree that it has to be Christian prayer, not Islamic, not Native American, or Pagan. Furthermore, it must be their SPECIFIC kind of Christianity. According to the ACLU, the majority of lawsuits on this subject are brought by one flavor of Christianity against another.

What this shows me, as an observer, is that the prayers themselves are not really the issue. It is the power and control to force one sect of a religion onto the rest of the population as the only one. And that cannot be permitted to happen.

I think religion is not the primary issue, but one's spirituality. Prayers allow one to communicate with his higher being. Even children pray to seek guidance or wish for something.

Since public schools , unlike sectarian or boarding schools have students of different denominations, teachers should not encourage just one religion. They should instead encourage students to pray according to their own faith.

If only we could have prayer in school , what a wonderful world it would be, if only the students and parents were up to the challenge of tolerance and acceptance. Even better if we could teach religion in school . Every couple weeks it could be a different one and learn to pray in different ways; not just Catholicism, Protestantism, or other forms of Christianity, most students get enough of that at home, they need to learn to appreciate Judaism, Islam, the Rastafari movement, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Confucianism, Shinto, Taoism, Wicca, Bahá'í, Unitarian, African, American, Oceania and Eurasian indigenous traditional religions, Samaritanism, African diasporic religions, New Age, Esotericism, Mysticism, Scientology, Jainism, Universalism, Manichaeism, Mazdakism, Yazdânism, Zoroastrianism, Caodaism, Chinese folk religion, Falun Gong, Chondogyo, Mohism, Oomoto, Tenrikyo, Legalism, Deism, Discordianism, Ethical Culture, Secular Humanism, Juche, Fellowship of Reason, Humanism, Jediism, Subud and many others even including Parody and mock religions.
So that everyone can learn to pray in their own way, with mutual acceptance and appreciation. Imagine the concept, going to school and learning something new.

Our country operates under the US Constitution which is the Supreme Law of the Land the colonists of many beliefs, cultures, creeds and backgrounds fought and died for in the Revolutionary war to expel a distant omnipotent British King from interfering in their lives. Let's face it, religion has historically been the crux of most human cruelty and warfare in this world, and our founding fathers were not only acutely aware of these facts, but personally knew how dangerous religion can be to a society if it's not kept in check (see Church of England ).

The primary objective of schooling is to provide children with the tools necessary to go out into the world and support themselves so they will not be a burden upon society, period. Religion is a personal choice that one accepts or rejects, whereby, 98% of children take on the beliefs of their parents. I know for A FACT Christians would be up in arms if they were forced to pray or accept Buddah, so why they have come to believe its OK to force Buddists and others to pray to their religious icon (god) is beyond me. Don't get me wrong , I have no problem with a student conducting a SILENT prayer before a test, eating lunch or easing some stress , but it should never be incorporated into the ciriculum or activities where children of many different beliefs/non-beliefs must go for the sole purpose of obtaining an education .

This is exactly WHY our founding fathers incorporated the first amendment into the "Bill of Rights", so no one religion could invade the freedoms, liberty and rights of others to choose their own beliefs without interference, especially from the government ! Like they say "your rights end at the tip of my nose" and when I go to school it's to learn the three R's, not be subjected to religious dogma.

Pray any where and any time They cant stop you.Life is awesome with Jesus!

I mean theirs a limit but a student-led Lord's Prayer acceptable before the big game on Friday night is voluntary you don't have to pray, and a two-minute "moment of silence" during home room dosen't even have to BE for prayer . The moment of silence could be for those serving your Country, and those who have passed.

The government is not allowed to make any laws regarding religion , neither prohibiting it nor promoting it, due to the First Amendment. There will always be prayer in school, or anywhere else people are gathered. The problem is teacher-directed prayer or "moments of silence". These are wrong. If students or anyone else wish to pray on their own, they must be allowed to do so. But, when the "leader" in the class suggests a prayer or moment of silence, children may feel pressured to go along against their will, and in violation of their rights.

The real foundational issue is that "public schools" are unconstitutional and financed through theft ("taxation"), which causes them to embrace and promote socialism. They MUST be eliminated completely. Education is much too important to leave to the bumbling socialistic fools of government.

I believe that if a person should want pray in a manner that does not offend others then yes. However I believe that prayer should not be mandatory or even initiated by public schools or groups in side public schools.

Why can't we have a moment of silence? I can see disallowing vocal prayer. A school is a public institution. It might offend some people. But, say a classmate has died. Would a moment of silence be out of order? And during a moment of silence, cannot some students pray and others reflect?

As a student, i think schools should definately support prayer in schools . No amount of teachers and staff can keep students from throwing up a prayer before class or a test or before they eat lunch. As far as a moment of silence during homeroom, I say why not?. Children who don't want to pray don't have to, and those who do can have their concentration to do so. A moment of silence doesnt require students or teachers to pray; Prayer isnt even mentioned in the words, so why make a big deal of it?. I fully understand nonbelievers or nonreligious people who dont pray, but their moment of silence can be used for relaxation or even sleep if they want.

Public schools are not there so kids can get together and sing songs and pray about how much they love god... just so other people know how much they love god. If a student needs to pray, a student can pray. All that student has to do is close her eyes and presto-chango! She's praying. Just because a Muslim student is in school doesn't mean she can't pray at the times her religion mandates her to pray. It just means that schools can not - and should not create specific times for students to pray. That would be taking away from the individual rights.

Moments of silence are fine. What's a moment of silence but just that? Silence.

Students leading prayers before games forces students who don't believe in that religions to not only hear about it, but it loses focus on what the students are there for. Again... if a student wants to pray, a student can pray.

The bible says to pray in private. It also says to not use God's name in vain. It's ironic that it is viewed as anti-christian to not want prayer at school and in public venues, to not want "In God We Trust" on our money, and to not want "One nation under God" in the pledge of allegiance because we really haven't earned that claim. Funny I really could care less if people are offended by these things, but I am quite concerned that God might be. As far as prayer in school, I think a moment of silence to allow a private prayer of any type for anyone who wishes to give such is most appropiate.

Hello,

I constantly hear and read the cliches ( no offense ), "I am not ______, but I don't the ______ should do _______.". Give me a break! Either there is Religious Freedom or there is not. "How long will you waiver between two opinions?" All or Nothing people, there cannot be middle ground. Why? Well, duh, it is this simple: Religion is a structure of beliefs that influence everything you do, think, and say. It by definition must be NUMERO UNO in all areas of life. Saying a student or a teacher can't pray is a OBVIOUS VIOLATION OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM! WAKE UP AMERICA, PLEASE!

Thanks,
Michael Byrd

Throughout the history of the United States of America, we have lived life the way we wish, without people telling us how we should or should not live, for this is a “free country.” We have freedom of religion, something that should not be denied or taken for granted. Having traveled to many nations throughout the world, and seeing and hearing about the ways religion affect a society, I think it is important to be thankful for the freedom of religion that we have here within the United States.
Personally, I think that prayer in public schools should be completely allowed. I believe that regardless if you are Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, if people feel inclined or led to pray then great. I don’t think people should feel forced to participate in these, and that if they don’t want a part in it, than don’t participate. However, if prayer is going on and someone is opposing it, respect becomes a factor and people need to learn to respect others regardless if they agree or disagree with what is going on.
Honestly, if there are non-religious people leading the prayers, then I don’t think the purpose of prayer is being walked out, and I think its hypocritical and gives a bad name to whichever religion is being exalted/demonstrated.
However, I think denying students the freedom to express their spirituality is wrong and unconstitutional. I am not saying that everyone should have to partake in the prayer meetings, or moments of silent, but at least if there are these events happening, people, regardless of what religion, should respect the other people participating in religious activity. Offense is a choice a person takes, as a result of a contradicting feeling or opinion of someone else. It has to do with insecurity and pride. The question becomes do students in public schools today have enough respect for themselves? When they don’t respect themselves, how do we expect students to respect those around them?
Prayer in school is freedom. Are we a country that allows its citizens to walk as freed people?

As the ol' bumper sticker says: If you don't pray in my school I won't think in your church.

Something that was alluded to earlier really needs to be reiterated. This question is a tad silly, because if a student wishes to pray in school, whether it is permitted or not, he/she can! If a student prays silently to themselves, there is no way that anyone would ever know, so the student couldn't possibly be punished. It is my understanding that true religious faith is not dependent on reciting specific words or making showy expressions of faith. Anyone who argues for prayer in school must ask his or herself why it is so important to let everyone know what God he/she believes in by making a production out of their relationship with that God. Like it or not, this country is composed of a wide variety of religious beliefs, and especially when children are involved, we need to be mindful of the possibility that others may not be comfortable with our own.