|
Prayer in School
(Public) schools benefit society most when they stick to teaching the facts and skills all people require. There is no reason to have prayer in public schools. Prayer already has it's place in the church and the home. Religion does not suffer because public schools are kept secular. For those that feel it necessary to mix religion and education, there are ample parochial school options.
On this topic, people polarize into two camps: those who want prayer in school, and those that don't. Currently each view has options that suit them. If parents wish to exclude prayer from school, they may choose a public school; if parents wish to include prayer with education, they may choose a parochial school. If we were to allow prayer in public school, then the pro-prayer advocates would have MANY schooling options and the pro-secular advocates would have NONE.
Pro-prayer advocates are willing to promote the mixture of religion and education as long as they think it is promoting THEIR point of view. This is very dangerous because the mixture could lead to circumstances they didn't intend which will be of great detriment to their beliefs. For example, what will happen when your Johnny sits next to Abdul, a fundamentalist Muslim, and listens to Abdul's prayer in regards to killing the infidels (Do you Christians think the Muslims have a monopoly on killing infidels? You better check your own Bible; read Luke 19:27 - ANY version). Johnny will soon learn that in Abdul's eyes, HE is the infidel and Abdul is praying for his death. Will we then call for limiting which prayers can be recited? What will happen when Lutheran parent are told by a Catholic principal their little Johnny cannot recite a certain prayer because it causes strife? Do pro-prayer advocates really want the government to tell them which prayers are acceptable and which are not? The separation of church and state is intended to protect the integrity of both religion and government. Few people realize this.
Religion, historically, has stood in the way of scientific truths. Christian churches have argued the world is flat, the Earth is at the center of the solar system, and life doesn't evolve. Even when faced with irrefutable evidence, religious leaders have sheepishly embraced disproved concepts. This practice is contrary to the advancement of mankind. What concepts are being professed by religious teaching today that will be considered ridiculous in 200 years?
Quotes "And when you pray, do not be like the
hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on
the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they
have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into
your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.
Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
"Our Constitution was not intended to be used
by ... any group to foist its personal religious beliefs on the rest
of us." |
The opinions expressed
here are mine alone. Care to comment? Click
HERE |