Prayer In School. Both Sides of te Story.

Prayer in Public Schools

The pros and cons of prayer in public schools have been debated for over forty years . The foundation of the United States is based on religious tolerance . The pilgrims came to this country because they were not free to worship and serve God leading to the guarantee of religious freedom in the Constitution . In years past , it was not acceptable in this country to proclaim disbelief in God . Prayer in schools was an integral part of religious life . During the 1940 's and 1950 's conservatives and liberals

believed religion focusing on a personal relationship with Christ should be taught in schools (Zimmerman , pg . 1 It was not until the 1960 's that individuals began to have issues with this status quote . With more and more citizens coming forward to fight for their individual religious rights , it was decided by the Supreme Court that since everyone does not believe in God (or does not believe in the same God ) open prayer should be removed from public schools . This does not mean that all prayer was removed from public schools . The 1962 ruling of the Supreme Court found organized school prayer unconstitutional (Manegold , pg . 1 , which means that students can still pray privately . Yet , some people still found this unacceptable . No matter what side of the issue someone sits on , the fight surrounding prayer in public schools is deep and long-running

Separation of church and state is a fundamental premise of our Constitution and our country (pbs .org , pg . 1 . Prayer represents church and the Supreme Court and public schools represent state . The Constitution infers that the two should never meet . Those who oppose prayer in schools , first argue that prayer in public schools bring church and state together . The 1962 decision brought a surprising number of religious supporters . Martin Luther King Jr . was one such supporter It 's prayer decision was sound and good ' King declared reaffirming something that is basic in our Constitution , namely separation of church and state (Zimmerman , pg . 1 . Pastors and proclaimed Christians supported the Supreme Court because they did not want the state or government mixing in church affairs

Another argument focuses on personal rights guaranteed by the Constitution . As citizens of the United States , every person is guaranteed certain rights and public prayer impinges on those rights Personal religious beliefs should not be forced onto someone else Everyone has a right to pray and believe in what they want , whenever they want

The 1st amendment sets out the principles regarding religion , speech press , assembly , and petition . Basically , it protects our rights to worship as we want , say what we want , publish what we want , gather in groups , and make our concerns known to the government . It also prohibits the government from identifying with a particular religion effectively separating church and state (pbs .org , pg . 1

When students are allowed to prayer publicly , the issue of others imposing their personal beliefs on others will occur . Prayer in school inhibits personal and...