Essay on Prayer In School

Free Prayer In School papers

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Prayer in school

Prayer in school is a controversial issue these days, and it is held dearly in the hearts of many people in America. Prayer has been in public schools from the colonial times until 1962.

Supporters, of prayer in school, view that starting the day off with a prayer will not harm society. Some people see it as a "way of allowing the students to clear their minds." (Mireless 28) It gives students a peaceful way to start the day, instead of a teacher to quiet an obnoxious group of students. They also think, "prayer is a healthy way to start off the day." (Mireless 50) It clears the minds of the students and makes them start to think deeply. This also starts the day off with a purposeful mood.

People supporting prayer view that not only does it help make the transition into learning smooth, but it also helps the students to resolve personal issues. Prayer gives students a time every morning where they think about values and faith to help them through life. "Many students have problems and prayer gives them time to think about their issues." (Mireless 30) Supporters also say that our youth has lost the respect that students had for their country, their peers, and their lives.

Many consider the uprising of crime and the lowering of values in society a result of taking prayer out of school. Since the expulsion of prayer in public school in 1962, studies show that teenage pregnancy went up two hundred percent, teen suicide increased three hundred percent, abortion increased one thousand percent and violent crime went up five hundred percent. These people say that prayer inflict faith and values to those that would have otherwise contributed to the worsening of society. They also say that if prayer flows into their souls it may cause them to become better human beings, better members of society, and better parents for our young.

Supporters state that even early congressional action encouraged and approved in religion in public schools. The Northwest Treaty (1787 and 1789) declared: "Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary for good government and happiness of mankind, school and the means of learning shall forever be encouraged." Religion, which includes prayer, was deemed to be necessary.

From colonial times until 1962 prayer was practiced in public schools. Then, in the case of Engle vs. Vitale the Supreme Court ruled that state-mandated prayers were unconstitutional. People state that the fact that school prayer was practiced for over two hundred years establishes it as a valid and beneficial practice in our schools. These people also state that the first amendment does not separate god and government;...