Apr

Will Prayer and Religion Force Our Children Into The Closet

I’m not religious as I have stated before, but one thing that concerns me and I’m sure many others is the idea of taking prayer out of public schools. No, I don’t think it should be forced on children, but would it really hurt? There has been many different interpretations of The First Amendment in past years.

I think it’s great that we have the freedom to choose our religion, but many choose to interpret that part of the document as a rule to get away from religion and God. We have always had the choice of sending our children to a private school if we can afford it or using the public school system and it wasn’t always a problem that you had a religious faith that you upheld.

We are concerned with Nate because his parents chose to send him to a private church academy where prayer is allowed and encouraged, he will start 1st grade this year and the academy goes to the 4th. As yet Bill and I don’t know if they have decided to leave him there or try the public school system. I want what is best for Nate and Bill is concerned that the little guy might not fit in.

There is a huge problem at the administrative level and we should be concerned that they are becoming more oppressive in as much that people of faith are being forced to go “into the closet” and hide their values and their religious beliefs. We want our children to learn how to be who they are even though they might be different from who other people are, that’s part of life.

Just because there are people who don’t like religion or have other faiths should that be a mandate to rid our school of something so basic as a prayer? I don’t think any body has the right to force any type of belief or religious system on anyone, especially a child. Of course we raise them the best we can and teach them things we were taught and that we think is right for them, but they will make their own choices when they are older.

Whether a person is Atheist or not and no matter what his belief system do you honestly think a prayer is going to corrupt our children? “In God I Trust”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 30th, 2008 at 2:36 pm and is filed under Home and Family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 comments so far

Matt

I really like this post. I feel the same way, and I posted an article on my site last week dealing with this and similar issues. If you are interested it is called “There is no I in “We The People”, dated Monday, April 21. It’s sad that we allow a few offended people who raise their voices loud enough to detrmine what is right for the rest of the country.

April 30th, 2008 at 9:45 pm

Pam Hoffman

I have given this issue a GREAT DEAL of thought.

Ponder this…

Let’s say we DO allow prayer in our PUBLIC SCHOOLS, remember, we all pay for them and they allow ALL to learn in an educational environment; children are not segregated by religion in a public school.

So, who’s religion gets in? Only Christianity? Or were you talking about something else, I’m not sure from your post exactly which version either or if it even IS that form of worship.

Christianity is certainly noisy about this and yet it is a very small portion of the world’s religion by the number of devoted. Buddists numbers are far greater. Shall we chant the way they do in our schools?

Let’s say we let them ALL in. Are you willing to have the Satanists (to be extreme) to conduct THEIR worship next to your child, whatever way you think your child should be praying? Are you open to their influence over your child in a public school?

I think the issue here is the setting.

There are many places where worship, whatever that means to you, can and should be conducted and is quite appropriate.

At home, with family is a good place. In the establishment of your choice is even better, for communty. Even outdoors is good, in the lap of nature. I feel that you can worship in your own mind and certainly LIFE is a prayer in the things you do and the way you conduct yourself.

Public school is totally inappropriate BECAUSE it is public school.

What if we do let in prayer? What form will it take? Shall we make public school a breeding ground for even MORE prejudice?

I suggest that perhaps YOUR form of prayer would lose out and you would expose your children to influences you have no control over nor would you appreciate.

No, worship in whatever form you decide is better suited to a different venue. It’s a can of very messy worms to keep hoping for your form and your form only, however narrow, to appear in our public schools.

I don’t think the satanists have churches so they might see this venue as a perfect place to recruit or whatever.

How would that sit with you? That is how people of other faiths see it from their perspective.

It needs careful consideration, that is clear.

Pam Hoffman
http://seminarlist.blogspot.com

May 1st, 2008 at 2:55 am

admin

Hi Matt and Pam… I would like to thank you both for commenting and sharing your opinions. It’s sad that saying a simple prayer can cause such a furor. Must we also ban The Pledge Allegiance To The Flag because it has God in it and it might offend some parents that don’t believe in God? I appreciate all points that you made Pam, but I wasn’t actually talking about a long drawn out devotional period just a simple prayer if the children were so inclined. A prayer regardless of how it’s said or chanted should not be taken away. It can even be something as simple as the Serenity Prayer. I don’t think children should be forced to worship in public schools, but I think the rights of children that say prayers should also be respected. Because they say a prayer, should they be ridiculed?

May 1st, 2008 at 2:18 pm

Steve Kirk

In my view, the issue is not religion, but faith. Religion is something you practice while faith is something you have. Religion is taught, but faith must be personally experienced and witnessed. Religion may be present in the home, but faith is passed on from parent to child.

I could not agree more that no one should be subject to ridicule because of their faith. The Mormon cult in Texas is held up for scorn and ridicule because of their twisted religion.

Steve Kirk
Making Perfect Sense

May 3rd, 2008 at 5:46 pm