Should prayer be a sanctioned activity in public schools?

Should prayer be allowed in public schools? Is it necessary? Is it harmful?

2 Comments

I'm assuming the question really means "should Christian prayer be allowed in public schools". Pretty sure no public school is going to tell a Muslim kid that they can't pray whenever they need to... Children should be allowed to pray and express their faith as they see fit. This includes drawing manger scenes at Christmas time, talking about Jesus, praying, etc. etc. Too often it's Christianity that is marginalized in favor of "acceptance" of other religions and faith traditions - diversity is beaten into these kids, most often at the exclusion of Christianity. I'm all for Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Christian and whatever else all learning about and from each other in a school setting.

Fri, 2009-04-10 06:30

bella

I don't see where it would do any harm. Do we know the words to our national anthem? We are still ...one nation under God... right? or did that get changed or omitted since I was in school?
What is the harm in all other religious practicing pupils that are attending the public schools to stand out of respect for those who 'choose' to pray in silence. I mean no one is going to force them to pray or grade them poorly for not praying. Come on, as Americans we are giving more and more concessions for one thing or another at the cost of the traditions that we have had for not too long because we are not a very old nation. Don't get me wrong, change is good but good when it benefits everyone.
Anyway, I agree with the comment above diversity is good, it's great infact. How about including our own diversity in the mix when we are providing education.

Tue, 2009-04-14 14:17