PRAYER IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Things to Consider About Prayer

This is a topic that generates a great deal more heat than light. A number of points need to be reviewed concerning prayer and other religious activities in school:

Contrary to generally held belief, school prayer is not forbidden in public schools. A student can come early to class, sit quietly, and pray silently. Similarly, with some discipline, a student can pray upon rising, as a family before leaving home, even (if they can concentrate over the noise) in a school bus, etc
Students are free to organize religious or prayer groups. They may hold their meetings on school property, advertise their group, etc to the same extent as non-religious student groups.
Students do not leave their constitutional rights at the door of the school: they can wear clothing that promotes a specific religion or denomination; they can discuss the religious aspects of a topic in class, etc.
there is a sizable minority of parents (and by implication, children) who are follow other than Christian religions or who follow no religion at all. They find an enforced Christian prayer to be deeply offensive, and an attack on their freedom of religion.
many deeply Christian and other religious parents and children who pray regularly regard enforced, state written prayers to be deeply offensive and a violation of fundamental human rights.
some jurisdictions have allowed objecting students to leave the room and thus be excused from reciting a prayer. However, this action inevitably subjects the students to harassment by their peers.
to require students to recite a Christian prayer implies state recognition of Christianity as a religion of special status in the country. This is interpreted by many that religions other than Christianity are of inferior status. That promotes conflict among faith groups and intolerance towards minority religions.
attempting to decide what prayers should be used can result in inter-denominational conflict among Christians. More conservative groups might ask for prayers which deal with sin, Satan, Hell and the necessity of being "saved". Mainstream groups may want to write prayers which emphasize the love of God.
The freedom for parents and a school system to require children to recite a state-written prayer conflicts with the rights of parents and students who wish freedom from compulsory prayer. Some jurisdictions have reached various compromises that balance the rights and desires of opposing groups:
- some schools institute a moment of silence that students can use to pray silently, or meditate, or simply center themselves.
- most schools allow any interested students to gather elsewhere in the school to pray as a group.
- some school systems have a list of prayers drawn from a variety of religions that are found in the state or province. These prayers are read in sequence by a volunteer. Students are not required to recite the words; they can simply remain silent. This approach has a valuable educational component. Students learn a little about many religions. They realize that there are many different religions in the world and that society recognizes that all have worth.

What the Bible Says about Public Prayer

The ultimate test for a Christian is "what Jesus says about prayer" . The author of the book of Matthew (name unknown) stated this clearly:"

Matt. 6:5 "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men..."
Matt. 6:6 "...when thou prayest, enter into thy closet and when thou has shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret...."

The reference to go into thy closet has been translated in other versions of the Bible as go into your inner room; go away by yourself, all alone and go into your room. The message is clearly that:

prayers in public where other people are present is not allowed.
prayers should be an intensely personal event between a person and their God; no one else should be present.
prayers should not be given in groups, whether at school, in church, in synagogue, or in a legislature.

Some commentaries on these passages are:

The Interpreter's One Volume Commentary on the Bible (1) states, with reference to Matt. 6:6 that: "...prayer and fasting are to be purely private acts involving only God and the penitent one."
Matthew Henry's Commentary (2) states: "Instead of praying in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, enter into thy closet, into some place of privacy and retirement. Isaac went into the field..., Christ to a mountain, Peter to a housetop."
Asimov's Guide to the Bible (3) states: "Jesus....decries giving alms openly, praying in public... Jesus points out that if it is human acclaim that is wanted, then...that is all the reward that is likely to come."

A bible-believing Christian would appear to be required to oppose school and other public prayer.

Legal Aspects of School Prayer

In the United States, the constitutional separation between church and state has been interpreted by the Supreme Court as forbidding certain forms of prayer in public schools. Students are free to form Bible clubs or groups supporting any other religion, in any public school that permits secular clubs. They can conduct prayers "at the flagpole"; they can pray quietly in class. But students or teachers cannot conduct organized prayer sessions at school assemblies, sports events, over the intercom, or in school classrooms. A recent Mississippi law which authorized these latter forms of organized prayer was declared unconstitutional in a Federal court. In 1996-NOV, the Supreme Court elected to not review the lower court decision, thus leaving the Mississippi law unconstitutional.

Private schools in the US are free to hold any form of prayer. In Canada, some school systems have a list of prayers drawn from a variety of religions. These prayers are read in sequence by a volunteer. Students are not required to recite the words; they can simply remain silent. Others have no religious prayer.

A Possible School Prayer Compromise

One WWW site (4), the Natural Prayer Project (NPP) recommends that schools follow a suggestion made by Colin Powell. He recommends a simple moment of silence. Students would then have the right to pray, meditate, contemplate or study. A book "An Outrageous Idea: Natural Prayer" written by Patty Jo Cornish and illustrated by James Hubbell promotes this concept. She writes: "We have forgotten that we are all in this together. And, we keep separating ourselves from ourselves, by color, by football teams, by clothes, by money, by creed, by greed, by boundaries, by age, and so on and on. We need something to pull us all together. Natural Prayer could be that miracle. It includes everyone, even the non-believers."

References

C.M. Laymon, Ed, "Interpreter's One Volume Commentary on the Bible" , Abingdon Press, Nashville TN (1971)
"PC Study Bible: Matthew Henry's Commentary", Biblesoft, Seattle WA (1994)
I. Asimov, "Asimov's Guide to the Bible", Wings Books, New York NY, (1981)
Natural Prayer Project is available at:
- Email: naturlprayer@earthlink.net
- WWW: http://pages.prodigy.com/pray.htm/pray.htm
- Phone: 1-800-209-9929 (US only)
- Fax: (619) 490-9099
Kristen J. Amundson, "Religion in the Public Schools", American Assn School Administrators, 1986-JUN, ISBN: 087652109X
Richard McMillan, "Religion in the Public Schools : An Introduction" , Mercer University Press, 1984-SEP, ISBN: 0865540934
Deborah Mayo-Jefferies, "Religious Freedom in the Education Process: A Research Guide to Religion in Education (1950-1992)", William S Hein & Co, 1994-JUN, ISBN: 0899418716

Back to WLH Classroom
Back to The World Lecture Hall Home