Prayer In Public Schools Essay

The pros and cons of ingathering in un restricted nurture days have been debated for over forty years. The foundation of the United States is base on religious tolerance. The pilgrims came to this sphere because they were non free to worship and serve perfection leading to the guarantee of religious freedom in the report. In years past, it was not acceptable in this country to proclaim in ratiocination in God. Prayer in schools was an integral part of religious life. During the 1940s and 1950s, conservatives and liberals guessd organized pietism focusing on a individual(prenominal)ized relationship with rescuer should be taught in schools (Zimmerman, pg. 1). It was not until the 1960s that individuals began to have pop outs with this status quote.With much and more citizens coming forward to fight for their individual religious rights, it was discrete by the irresponsible Court that since every angiotensin-converting enzyme does not believe in God (or does not beli eve in the kindred God) open suppliant should be take away from commonplace 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, whatsoever people still found this unacceptable. No matter what side of the issue someone sits on, the fight surrounding prayer in public schools is dark and long-running.Separation of church and state is a fundamental premise of our report 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, origin betoken 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. Its prayer decision was sound and good, King declared, reaffirming something that is basal in our Constitution, namely separation of church and state (Zimmerman, pg. 1). Pastors and proclaimed Christians support the Supreme Court because they did not want the state or administration 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 world-class 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 dominating their personal beliefs on others give occur. Prayer in school inhibits personal and guaranteed rights.Supporters of prayer in public schools believe the Supreme Court has overstepped its authority. The arrogant Courtserves to clarify, refine and test the ideals written into the Constitution (pbs.org, pg. 1). It is their job to control the Constitution when lawsuits are filed concerning Constitutional laws. As a result of restricted prayer in public school, supporters of prayer continue to flood coitus with proposals to keep the issue alive (Zimmerman, pg. 1), fighting to bring organized prayer back into public schools. Supporters argue that the amount of madness in immediatelys schools is directly linked to the ban of prayer in schools. It is not just a matter of students fist fighting but violence often involve knifes and guns, resulting in deaths. Juvenile delinque ncy is on the rise. the States is in an advanced state of moral decline, (Zimmerman, pg. 2). Those in favor of prayer in schools are convinced that if God is brought back into the classroom, the violence provide stop. The Bible teaches against violence and teaches love and tolerance. Collective and organized prayer will bring students together and stop violence. The United States is a diverse country with millions of people who believe in different religions and serve different Gods (or the same God called by different names). Students have a right to go to school and not be made to feel uncomfortable because of public prayer. The problem with supporters of prayer in public schools is that they do not earn the Supreme Courts 1962 ruling. The Supreme Courts rule organized prayer is unconstitutional. Students can still pray privately. There is no reason to have public prayer unless the goal is to sway individuals to a particular way of thinking.Twenty-two years before the 1962 ruli ng, in 1940, the Supreme Court ruled that a public school may take up students to salute the flag and pledge allegiance even if it violates their religious moral sense (pbs.org, pg. 2). Although this ruling was overturned three years later, it shows how the subject of school and religion has always been a murky area.The issue of prayer in school remains unsettled from the Supreme Court to local governments to school officials (Manegold, pg. 1). The first amendment has guaranteed everyone the right to free speech, therefore, citizens of the United States will continue to fight for rights they believe have been infringed in any way. The debate over prayer in school has not ended and is not likely to end in the near future.Works CitedManegold, Catherine S. February 5, 1994. Senators Take a Cautious Stand on School Prayer. New York Times. Retrieved from http//query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html.PBS. April 5, 2001. School and Religion. Virginia. Retrieved from http//www.pbs.org/newshour /extra/features/jan-june00/school_prayer.htm.Zimmerman, Jonathan. January 25, 2001. The Other Massive foeman School Prayer and the Conservative Revolution, 1962-1984. New York University. Retrieved from http//www.virginia.edu/uvanewsmakers/newsmakers/zimmerman.html.