Having prayer in public schools has been a problem for a long time. After reading several articles about prayer in public schools, it seems the biggest problem with it is that no one wants any ones else’s religion to be forced on them. Two of the biggest groups with the most problems and issues are Christians and Muslims. The main reason seems to be the fact that these two religions serve two different gods and what is required practices of both religions. These two issues strike fear in parents on both sides of these religions. So much so that Christian parents don’t want their children exposed to Muslim religion and Muslim parents do not want their children exposed to Christian religion. All kinds of religions are involved in this issue …show more content…
They have been a big activist group that go against schools and government from trying to stop students from losing their right to do things or they will fight against schools that try to have prayer in school. A lot of the issues dealing with prayer in school comes from the way this country was founded. The United States was founded on a lot of Christian beliefs. For instance, all money says, “In God We Trust” From the beginning, there was always prayer in schools, prayer in government. Now, things are really …show more content…
Many say, that they can pray anywhere. Many have begun to tell their children to just pray silently to themselves. A lot of schools, do just like we have been doing at job corps, we allow a moment to breathe silently. During this time, we are told you can pray silently to yourself or if you don’t want to pray, just be quiet so you can show a little respect to the people who are praying silently. Public schools allow students to breathe as in pray to themselves, and many schools allow students to pray on their own time without bothering others. The basic right to prayer in the United States comes in the Bill of Rights. Many countries do not allow for this basic freedom. Many students in other countries go to school and have to pray when and where the government tells them. Many students according to some of the laws of their country, can be killed for even saying the name of other religions in school. In the United States, even though there has been such a uproar about students praying in public schools, its still not as bad as other countries. Students can pray it is our basic given right in this country, all students have to do is say a prayer to themselves. It doesn’t have to be a public display. Many Christians say that the reason schools have gotten so bad in the United States is because we have taken prayer out of
Although there are some aberrations in Christianity and Islam, there are many more similarities between the two. Those who practice Christianity consider being Muslim taboo because they are said to have renounced Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity. Aside from that factor, most practices are equal. Sadly, most Muslims and Christians will never get along because in their eyes, the few differences are colossal enough to keep them divided. Each side is too blinded by the error of the others ways to see how analogous to one another they actually are.
The issue of prayer in school cannot be dealt with in a manner that will please everyone. The main thing that needs to be stressed is that tolerance of other people and their beliefs is the only true way to ensure that everyone has freedom and equality in America. Until that day comes there will always be groups of people who cause disruption in our schools and take away from what the focus really should be: quality education and an understanding of others as well.
In 1962 the Supreme Court decided that public schools did not have the power to authorize school prayer. This decision made public school in the U.S. more atheistic than many European nations. For example, crosses still hang on the classroom walls in Poland, and the Ten Commandments are displayed in Hungary. There are prayers held at the beginning of legislative and judicial sessions and every President has mentioned a divine power in his inaugural speech. In keeping with a spirit of religious freedom as stated in the First Amendment, there is no reason why students should not be allowed to have a moment of silence during the school day when they can pray or do as they choose.
Chapter three of Civil Liberties: Opposing Viewpoints inspired me to research today’s issues of school prayer. To understand how we got to where we are today, I first delved into our countries history of court cases pertaining to rulings on prayer in schools. Lastly, to update my audience on how our lives are being affected today, I directed my efforts toward finding current situations. By analyzing these situations, I gained knowledge for a better understanding of why society needs to be aware of these controversies. I don’t think there should be any form of organized prayer in today’s public schools.
Fraser, James W. Between Church and State: Religion and Public Education in a Multicultural America. New York: St. Martin’s Press, c1999.
Muslim children face high level of discrimination at their schools as they are welcomed with negative comments about their religion by the children of other religions. Though abnormal but normally Muslim students are labeled as Terrorists and they are often verbally coerced and mocked to migrate back to their native countries. The overall conclusion can be drawn as the study that United States suffered a lot during the attacks of 9/11 but the ones who are still facing the aftermath of that incident are the Muslims around the globe and especially those present in United States. Various reasons other than 9/11 attacks behind Muslim stigmatization around globe include stereotyping against Muslims in terms of non-flexibility, uncommon culture, simple life style and aggressive behavior.
wrong to many, but when religion has a home in public schools, it singles out
Religion is one of the most controversial issues in society today. The concern of allowing prayer in schools is an on-going debate and has resulted in numerous lawsuits. Religious school clubs, after school activities, curriculums, and moments of silence during school are just a few of the court cases that judges have administered. People in favor of prayer in schools believe that their children can only learn certain values through religious practice. On the other hand, an individual against religious practice in schools views this issue as an infringement on his or her children’s rights as Americans.
Students are guaranteed the right to pray, as long as it is not disruptive, and it is not promoted during classroom hours. Not only are these permitted, they are actually protected forms of speech under the U.
Prohibiting School Prayer Threatens Religious Liberty. Civil Liberties. Ed. James D. Torr. -. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003.
The world religions of Islam and Christianity may have their differences to the naked eye, but when you take a closer look into their histories similarities arise. They both went through transformations that had drastic impacts on the way they were controlled and the way that the religion was taught to the followers. Christianity and Islam have both experienced splits between their members due to the fact that followers thought that their beliefs were the correct way to practice the religion. While these transformations are long in the past, the splits that have occurred within each religion continue to have lasting effects on Islam and Christianity to this day.
In the beginning, the argument was whether or not the school day should be started with a prayer over the PA system. This didn't last long, as anyone can see that there is so much diversity in the religious beliefs of high school kids today. The argument then moved on to replace "prayer" with "moment of silence. " Those in favor of prayer in school pose several arguments. They say it will increase tolerance in schools, as children learn about different religions and how they practice.
The first and fourteenth amendments to the constitution establish the rules that apply to school prayer. The first amendment says: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The 14th Amendment of the Constitution has several clauses; the clause that pertains to school prayer is the Equal Protection Clause requiring each state to provide equal protection under the law to all people within that state. What this means is, each student in the school is protected from being forced to pray in school in any certain way.
School prayer is a very controversial issue in today’s society. This issue has been a problem since America was first founded, in that the country was founded on religious beliefs. The Pilgrims wanted to be able to express their beliefs freely, but in England this freedom was not found, so they decided to come to the Americas, where their beliefs could be expressed freely. As time passed they realized that having this kind of freedom caused problems between different belief systems. Many people started questioning the founding of their nation and what the foundation was made of. This questioning is still going on today and people are torn between letting prayer in to the public school system or keeping it out.
to hold it in a public school. It depends on the type of prayer we are talking about, and who is