Should public prayer be allowed in schools? If so, what are the ramifications of that--should public prayer to Allah or other deities be allowed as well? Do you think this is a non-issue?
Monday, January 03, 2005
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- Name: Jamie
- Location: Detroit, Michigan, United States
I like Australia. I like cowboys. I like funny movies, funny books, and funny people. I like Calvin and Hobbes. I like the color Red. I like artwork by Peter Sis...
...but I LOVE Jesus Christ, and nothing else will ever be more important to me than He is.
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15 Comments:
I think that prayer should be allowed in schools because God should be the source of everything. Without God there is no proper education.
Ah, but which god? Yours, mine, or Osama Bin Laden's?
I know who the first anonymous comment is by, but subsequent commenters, please put a name at the bottom so I can distinguish between anons, as it were. Thanks :)
Sorry,I don't have a website I'm afraid but you can call me Anon2 if you like, though my name is Charles. I live in San Diego.
Thanks, Charles :) What do you think the answer should be to my question? Prayer? No prayer? Prayer only to the Christian God? Prayer to all deities?
No prayer, except in single-faith schools (Muslim, Jewish, Christian, etc) where there can be no dissent.
I should have signed the above Charles
I see...and you don't think that violates the First Amendment's freedom of religion clause?
No.
Charles
And yet prayer is certainly a fundamental expression of one's faith...an integral part of religious practice. If the government may not make a law "prohibiting the exercise of [religion]"...how does prayer in schools not fit under the "exercise of religion" which is Constitutionally protected?
Ah, but giving the right to practise one's religion is does not mean that prayer must be permitted anywhere, any time. You might just as well say that not allowing the playing of baseball within the school building is tantamount to banning baseball.
Anyway, as I understand it Christians believe that they can speak to their god at all times so if they want to pray they can do it silently in class, provided they don't distract the others. More difficult for Muslims of course because of having to face Mecca and do it seven times a day and so on, but I guess you weren't thinking about Muslims' rights when you posed the question.
Regards
Charles
San Diego
I also meant to say that as a lawyer I am very well aware of the provisions of The First Amendment, and particularly of the annotations to it. Have a look HERE.
Regards
Charles
Sorry, I meant HERE:
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment01/
Regards
Charles
I wasn't doubting that you knew the First Amendment! Sorry if it sounded like that--I was just trying to feel you out...see where you were coming from.
Actually I had forgotten that Muslims needed to be facing Mecca when they prayed. So...yes, I was thinking of everyone when I mentioned prayer...I just didn't recall the particulars of some of the other religions :)
I have read the first amendment before...and the entire Constitution and Bill of Rights (which is more unusual than not in this day and age!).
I noticed that you said "giving the right to practise one's religion"--I was under the impression that the Bill of Rights guarenteed rights that already existed, not gave rights to the American people. I think it was Madison--correct me if I'm wrong--in the Federalist papers who talked about the possibility of that mistake arising (either that or it was during the preliminary discussions during which they fashioned the actual wording of the Constitution)...I doubt you meant to imply that though, so if I'm preaching to the saved, sorry!
And you're also right that Christians can pray anytime that they wish. I haven't come to a conclusion yet as to what I believe about public prayer in schools--and whether or not that would encompass all prayer to all deities (my first inclination is to say it would). I have a very strong feeling, though, that the Founding Fathers would have been surprised that the question even came up--as if faith in God was something irrelevant to government. They were themselves nearly all men of faith and considered religion necessary for a moral government and for the morality of the governed, as I'm sure you know.
I don't believe the government should fund education, which means to me the issue of prayer in public schools is moot.
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