Prayer in Scnool

I am pretty surprised at the overwhelming NO vote.

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Originally Posted by gazzak

My only reservation would be at secondary school (12 and up) when they should be given the choice, but at an early age they should be given every opportunity to learn about the world around them, including religion and prayer.

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Actually, you bring up a valid point, and didn’t' capitalize on it...so I will.

A large portion of religion is a basis for most of history. I remember studying Greek and Roman Mythology as a history...it was a religion...but it gave us a perspective on the time, and what people did and believed...I found that quite interesting. If you ban religion, you ban a lot of important history, or at very least an open discussion on the reasoning behind the actions. What about the Salem witch trials, the Spanish inquisition, countless wars, and geographical designs as regions changed all due to religion, and so many other things I have long since forgotten? (been out of school way to long!)

Bottom line is, if you want to ban religion, you will be banning far too much of the curriculum too...that is if you try to remain consistent, and that is a bad thing.

I don't see a problem with religion and teaching it, but practicing it is differetn. Practicing the prayer, or the communion, or goat sacrificing or whatever. It doesn't need to be in there.

The 10 commandments thing, so you want a tablet out there saying that you can only pray to the one God?

I mean look at 4 of them

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ONE: 'You shall have no other gods before Me.'

TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.'

THREE: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.'

FOUR: 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.'

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What does this, almost half of them, have to do with our laws and our judicial system?

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Originally Posted by paraflyer

You're absolutely right. So along with religion, let's also get rid of school-sponsored sporting events, extracurricular clubs.......

Not that I'm religous, but isn't giving kids education with no moral compass (or in this case, suppressing it) even worse?

The way I see it, the separation of church and state doctrine seems to do no more than prevent pledging allegience to a God and replacing that to elevate government to "godhood".

That's why there's a big push to eliminate "the 10 commandments" from all government buildings.....those housed within do not wish to be reminded of their shortcomings, nor do they want to hold the idea that there may be a power greater than theirs.

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And how is the Rev. Jerry Falwell these days?

Moment of silence i can agree with (in most cases read on), how ever a class prayer no.

Why: Freedom of Religion. which is why i also have a problem with the moment of silence. Many religions donot practice prayer standing or for only one minute.. so this would infringe on their religeous freedom. I wish I knew about this stuff when i was in Grade school, i would have spent a lot less time in detention for monkeying around during prayer (damn mormons run public school)

So no it should not be a school sponsored event but it should be supported, if a group of students or a student has religeous needs then we should respect that, but we should not force one way of thought on everyone. So unless the moment of silence changes its format to be more accepting (if you have to kneel then it should be allows, if you need more time then you should be excused from class ect...) then no, the student will have to do it on there own time.

Yes, of course.

Practitioners of Islam in particular require regular times of prayer throughout the day, and so if they happen to be on school property when that time occurs, then that's just the reality of it.

I recall praying before exams, challenging sports events, etc. on my own, in private.

While I can understand the need for restrict religious practices sanctioned by the school itself, there is no way it can legislate what people do in matters of spirituality regardless of whether it is a public (government) building as long as it does not interfere with the regular schedule and workload students have.

That being said, I think there's a fine line between how a person discreetly practices his faith and the government's reach into that right that needs to be better defined and refined.

Seperation of church and state never intended for the government to legislate how or where people practice their faith - especially not in public.

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Originally Posted by techs

I am pretty surprised at the overwhelming NO vote.

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Why?