Prayer In Schools

There’s been prayer in public schools for as long as there have been tests. So goes the old joke.

But for religious minorities it’s not so funny as the the school prayer issue reemerges with proposals in various states, most recently Mississippi, to test just what is permissible.  It’s complicated legal terrain, for sure, and everyone’s rights should be respected.  But, the issue is frequently approached as though there isn’t prayer in school now and these proposals will introduce it.  Anyone who spends time in schools in many parts of this country – especially the South – gets that there is a lot of religious activity now. So while the people pushing these various laws are obviously trying to foist one version of religion into the public square – are they inadvertently setting in motion something that those favoring a church-state divide in education will come to appreciate? If every prayer before an event or every holiday Christmas concert needs a laborious and clumsy set of disclaimers ahead of it (something more robust than a notation in a printed program), then might these proposals actually lessen rather than increase the amount of organized and quasi-organized religious expression in public schools?

Worth remembering: The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (which seems likely to find a rich set of converts among high school students) isn’t yet engaged on this issue.

3 Replies to “Prayer In Schools”

  1. His Noodly Appendage seems a particularly appropriate choice of divine intervenor on such things as football, baseball, lacrosse, and anything else where participants need dexterity and stickiness in multiple appendages.

  2. Despite of our various religious background prayer is essential and vital in schools. As a teacher each day we have to deal with students from various culture and background, different acaemic abilities and so many other aspect. Teacher needs a peaceful and conducive environment where learning can take place and in order for this to take place, we need to invite God’s presence with us. We cannot do it on our own, we need God’s mercies to deal with thechildren that come from different homes and society such as drugs, gambling, criimes etc, to function as a normal human being in the clasrooms. Prayer is always my first strategy to over my challenges.

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