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Public prayer should not be allowed in school
Why should school prayer be allowed
Public prayer should not be allowed in school
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In a country like the United States of America, there are specific rights and freedoms that people have. One of these is the freedom of religion. As much as it may seem like people are free to choose whichever religion they would like, there are always going to symbols of other various religions in their life, making them feel as if their choice is not the right one. An example of one of these symbols is the phrase “Under God” featured in the Pledge of Allegiance. This phrase should be removed for an assortment of reasons, including the country’s freedom of religion.
The United States of America is a country based on freedoms; freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of petition, and the freedom of religion. This is the first amendment in the United States Constitution, which goes even farther to say that church and state must be separated. This clause is one that is difficult to follow, while being a nation based on religion. The negligence of this clause is especially noticed in the line,
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This is not something that is forced upon them, however most people feel obligated to do the same, so as not to seem like a protestor or make a scene out of it. This obligation could easily make certain, nonreligious, children feel like hypocrites for the beliefs. The phrase “One Nation, Under God” is not something that everybody can relate to. Whilst reciting this phrase, they are taught to think that their beliefs are wrong. This is never the case; no beliefs are wrong or right. This phrase is just one that drills that concept into one’s mind and forces religion on them. A pledge for an entire nation needs to be one that makes everybody feel included, instead of one that cuts certain people out. School prayer and promoting religious preferences was outlawed in 1962, yet stating the Pledge is a way to get around that
... Since its inception, the Pledge of Allegiance has been and is still used as a sign of respect to the country instead of a religious practice.
In the 2008 the United States Census Bureau, Self-Described Religious Identification of Adult Population, The Christian faith proved to be the more dominating religion out of all religions. So it would seem the words “Under God” would be beneficial for the majority, the Pledge of Allegiance allures and supports the loyalty of the majority of citizens. The nonbelievers of religion have had the right to not recite the pledge since 1943 but have been asked to quietly stand while the believers recite the pledge in its entirety. Even though leaving out “Under God” is not a difficult task we can clearly see a division has now developed, opposite of bringing the people together. Another example that shows the pledge allures and supports a loyalty to the majority of citizens, the acceptance and encouragement to keep ...
A popular notion among many religious conservatives is the rejection of what is commonly referred to as the separation between church and state. They maintain the United States was founded by leaders who endorsed Christian principles as the cornerstone of American democracy, and that the First Amendment prohibition against government establishment was not intended to remove religion from public life. As a result, a number of disputes have made their way through to the courts, pitting those ready to defend the wall of separation, against those who would tear it down. Two recent cases have brought this battle to the forefront of political debate. The first involves an Alabama Supreme Court justice, who, in defiance of a Federal judge, fought the removal of a granite display of the Ten Commandments from the rotunda of the state courthouse. Also, a California man has challenged the constitutionality of the phrase “under God” in an upcoming Supreme Court case involving student recitation of the pledge of allegiance.
Gwen Wilde wrote an essay on “Why the Pledge of Allegiance Should be Revised.” In this essay, Gwen believes that the words “under God” should be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance. Gwen informs us that the original Pledge did not include “under God” and the words were not added until 1942, therefore, the words can easily be removed. Although some changes have been made to make it clear that the Pledge of Allegiance is for the United States Gwen believes that the words “under God” do not show any support for our country and only make those who do not believe in God feel uncomfortable. Therefore, Gwen believes that “under God” is not appropriate for the Pledge and does not show that we are a Nation that is “indivisible.”
another reference to religion in Article 6, Section 3. This clause states "the United States
The first amendment is the cornerstone of our American society founded years ago by our forefathers. Without the first amendment many ideas, beliefs, and groups could not exist today. The first amendment guaranteed the people of the United States the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and freedom of petition. Although the first amendment guarantees us, Americans the freedom of speech, we cannot use it to cause others harm. This amendment has helped shaped Americans into what we are today, because of our right to assemble, speak freely, and worship as we please.
In the survey that was given to students in an English classroom at Riverside Community College on November 19th, 50% of students agreed that children should recite the Pledge of Allegiance while 4% of students disagree. On the other hand, 36% either have mixed views or do not mind either way. Some of the viewpoints of students differ such as the 42% who say they want to follow the traditions that they had for years while 23% do not think it matters, or they do not know enough information about it. A staggering 8% say it goes against their religious beliefs or they find it unconstitutional. The remaining 27% chose the option other such as, saying it is a good way to teach children to respect their country and goes with their religious views, or they do not want others to be ostracized because of their religious beliefs (Survey).
Many students all across America stand and salute to the flag every morning and repeat these words, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, To the republic for which it stands, one nation, Under God, Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” There are controversy behind these words of historical allegiance, and that is why many people are refusing to stand for the pledge. This nation was founded upon freedom and liberties, and with those liberties comes with the freedom to choose your religion. The words “Under God”
First, I would like to talk about the history of the Pledge of Allegiance. Many people today recite the Pledge of Allegiance but do not know the history that took place behind it. The Pledge of Allegiance was originally written more than a century ago. The original pledge was: I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic, for which it stands, one Nation, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all . The flag serves as a symbol of our country and its proud traditions of freedom and equal opportunity. In the 1920s, the National Flag Conferences replaced the phrase “my Flag” with “the Flag of the United States of America.” In 1954, Communist threats occurred causing Congress to add the words under God to the pledge. Then 12 years later, Congress reviewed the Pledge of Allegiance and added the words “Under God .” While reciting the Pledge of Allegiance it should be recited by standing placing your
He recognizes that the controversial phrase only contains two words but explains that the combination of the preposition “under” implies that God holds some sort of power and authority over a whole nation. If one nation is under God, as the Pledge of Allegiance states, then that must imply that there is only one God “and if there is only one God, then the God of the pledge is the one true God” (Rourke, p.41). This conclusive reasoning entails that all other supposed gods around the world are false gods. Thus it is clear to see that the government is in definite violation of the first amendment by relaying preference for a certain God and thus a certain
Before analyzing the above described controversy, we must first examine the history of the Pledge itself. Written by Francis Bellamy, it was originally titled the “Pledge to the Flag” and was created in the late 1800’s to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America. It originally read: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the republic for which it stands, one Nation, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all” (McCarthy, 2005). Changes were later made to include the words “of the United States” and “of America” to indicate which flag was being referenced. The final changes to the Pledge came in 1954 when it officially became titled the “Pledge of Allegiance” and the words “under God” were added after “one nation.” This addition to the Pledge was meant to support the United States as a religious nation. While signing the law to put this change into effect, President Eisenhower said, “In this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war” (McCarthy, 2005).
The pledge of allegiance violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. I believe that the pledge is mismatched with democracy and freedom which suggest that pledges of allegiance are features of dictatorial states like Nazi Germany.
There have been debates regarding citizen’s constitutional rights regarding the pledge. In 1954, the United States government implanted the words “under god” as an element of the pledge. Many people who are agnostic, and atheist feel as though reciting the pledge go against the rights granted to them by the Constitution. On the other hand, I believe that the reciting the pledge does not go against human beings “rights.” There are
" As it is stated in this quote, no one should be forced to pledge to a god or religion that they do not believe in. This would be the equivalent of having to say “under Allah” or “under Buddha”. There would be protests and petitions trying to remove those words from the pledge. Therefore, having a religious statement in the allegiance is discriminatory. Some people argue that it establishes that our country values religion, but there are many other ways we can show that without using one specific god as an
Prayer in School: Good or Bad? As secular humanists and groups like the Christian Coalition are at war with each other regarding prayer in high schools behind closed doors in Washington DC, the average high school kid is the one that gets caught in the middle. For years now there has been a heated debate about whether or not prayer should be allowed in school. Every time the argument is rekindled, it ends in a stalemate, and is a topic that campaigning politicians tend to stay away from.