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COMMENTARY Thursday, April I, 1999 - Page 7 Pro and con: Politics and prayer Pro Ben Decker questions those ill-fated kids left in the pub- Megan Martin argues were in existence only during the On the last Wednesday before politics which prohibit lic schools. against mandatory prayer American Revolution and shortly Spring Break. the roughly thirty prayer for students. Unfortunately, it appears that thereafter.). students attending Christian there is more momentum with the in schools As I continued in public school, Fellowship's weekly meeting got our public school system is proof force that is trying to drive out God made to read from the New Testa- I learned two very valuable things. to hear Dr. Smith, of the science that God has been too far removed. from our schools and our country ment of the Bible? I am sure he was First of all, you can pray in public department, give a testimony on The message sent to children in than with the churches and parents relieved to have his freedom of re- schools. Surprise 1 his personal relationship with God. public schools is that God is wrong who have always tried to instill ligion given to him by the Supreme There is no law that I have ever Dr. Smith did not come across and has no place in our everyday morals in their youth. Court. heard of that says individuals can- as a very emotional and dramatic lives. Instead of encouraging up- Left-wing liberals can bash our The question boils down to: If not pray to themselves. If there is, professor, yet the way he ex- right behavior, the system throws founding fathers as much as they mandatory schoolprayer should I am guilty of breaking it. I have plained his own need for some- condoms at them, prescribes some want, but the first settlers of this ever be reinstituted into public prayed many times in school. There thing more in life touched the Ritalin, and sends them on their country came here for freedom of schools, whose prayers should be is only a problem if you force me hearts of the audience deeply. way. Moral relativism and self- all religion, not just the religion of used? to pray a prayer that is not of my He explained that. though he gratification are the only accept- atheists, agnostics, sociologists, I didn't start to think about this religion. had once struggled with his faith, able ethics allowed to be taught. and other moral relativists that have topic until I started to attend public The second thing I learned is he came to realize that Jesus Christ It is understandable to fear a invaded our public sphere with school after nine years in a private that public school students are not was the only thing that could truly government with the power to their doctrines, values, and norms. school. At my private school, actu- all bad. In fact, all my friends from complete him. When he finally preach its own religion and its own For this matter, it is actually a ally a Catholic school, prayer was public school are nice, kind, lov- values, and there are certainly good big surprise that our own school's never an issue. We prayed every ing people. Granted, there were Having a Bible at reasons for the separation of church seal has remained unscathed. Even day, went to Mass every month, and some people who were delinquents is not sug- the center of the and state. This article from the free- though we are a private institution, had religion classes more. five times a or misbehaved in my school, but of gesting a departure of the a Bible at the center having there were the same proportion week, sometimes seal is a big deal to dom to any type of religion we seal is a big deal to the antichurch Public school was different, but people who caused trouble in my have always enjoyed. movement. After all, what could I was better able to understand the Catholic school. In fact, I wit- the antichurch But, if students, on their own God possibly have to do with edu- issue through being there. In grade nessed students drive another stu- movement. initiative, desire to pray before a cation or any other aspect of life? school, everyone was Catholic. If dent out of the Catholic school by basketball game, they should have It is as if people think God they weren't Catholic, since the constantly taunting him. the freedom to do so. We should should be forgotten after leaving a school is a Catholic school, Catho- Religion didn't really seem to opened up the Bible, he was not take the one line in the Consti- church building. lic prayers should have been ex- be an issue there. You can't blame amazed to find that the God who tution that prohibits the govern- For now, the Bible is still a part pected to take place. misbehaving students on a lack of had seemed so distant, actually ment from establishing a church so of the legacy of this school, even After seeing the diversity of my religion in the schools. I know my wanted to know and love him. Sud- far that the Bible becomes a banned. if, as Dr. Smith notes, the student high school, I don't know whose high school was probably a safer denly, God, the Bible, and life in book, while sexually explicit Toni body has not really reflected it for prayers we would have used if there and nicer place to be than other general made a lot more sense. Morrison novels are required read- the past thirty years. had been mandatory prayer. Would public schools in this country, but He ended his brief talk by en- ing for eighth-graders. Making we have used Catholic prayer? Bap- religion doesn't really make a dif- couraging us to find out what was prayer before basketball games il- tist prayer? Jewish prayer? Muslim ference. l on the college seal and what it had legal is certainly not what the fram- prayer? Hindu prayer? They say a child learns all that once symbolized. We learned that ers of the Constitution had in mind. The list could go on forever. is important by the time he or she in the center of the seal was a Bible, Fortunately, there is a loophole The last time I checked, this is five, before they attend kind~r- and that not long ago, Western in the controversial subject of country is home to millions of garten. That includes morals. It Maryland College was composed church and state separation, which people and hundreds, possibly thou- seems to be parents would have of students who represented Godly was only really mentioned in the sands, of religions. Ifwe look at the more of an influence over their principles and lived out the mes- Federalist Papers. We must bring Constitution, they all have religious children's morals and behavior than sage of this holy book. the church back if we want to erase freedom. Whether the founding fa- any public elementary, middle, It seems unfortunate that those the moral decline of our generation. thers meant all people or just Chris- times have now passed. After the The only legal way" to really tians when composing the Bill of high school could ever have. seal, In reference to the WMC 1960's hippie rebellion, every step bring the church back into the pub- Rights is beside the point. They has been taken to remove any sem- lic lives of Americans is to get rid failed to specify any groups not hav- which inspired this set of articles, I From the Bible. want to mention blance of Christianity from all as- of the state. The state has had too ing religious freedom. what I have learned of Jesus, from pects of public life. Organizations, much influence in our lives as it is. Con Separation of church and state, various religion classes, Bible stud- such as Americans United for Instead of getting rid of the Prayer in schools has become, which is part of the freedomofreli- ies, attending various churches, Church and State Separation Bible and the church, we can sepa- without question, a hot topic in the gion amendment is for the protec- personal readings of the New Tes- (AUCSS), have taken it upon last ten years. It has been a hot topic tion ofthat very freedom. This pre- tament, and my parents, He was a themselves to ensure that the only Moral relativism since the 60's, actually, but it seems ventsthe government from making very tolerant person. Jesus always religion allowed to flourish in the that this matter of individual free- a state religion because our found- surrounded himself with people of public is their own religion of secu- and self- dom cannot be laid to rest. ing fathers felt that it was impor- different backgrounds, different lar humanism. g ratification are the Roughly 35 years ago, the Su- tant for at least the Christian de- genders, different beliefs. A recent example is the way preme Court ruled that mandatory nominations to be free of state sanc- this tolerance Shouldn't be an that the Ten Commandments, per- only acceptable prayer in public schools was uncon- tions and free of state mandated example? Forcing others, regard- haps one of the oldest symbols of ethics allowed to be stitutional. The ruling was based on membership in one denomination. less of their religious background, law and justice, were ordered to be the amendment in the Bill of Rights removed from the courtroom of an taught anymore. that states all people have religious The wonderful thing about our Con- to pray, what I am assuming Mr. Christian Decker means, Protestant Because is that it is elastic. stitution Alabama judge last year, after a freedom. of that, whether the founding fathers prayers is completely opposite of vicious battle. rate these two forces by privatiz- I remember a family member meant it or not, we can assure all Jesus' example. Currently, a high school in Cali- ing, thus giving the public pro- telling me about when she went to our citizens that the government It is not a matter of antichurch fornia is being taken to court by grams back to the people and towns high school. While she was there, will not decree that everyone has to movements or the secular human- the AUCSS for allowing athletes to be run the way taxpayers choose. prayer was mandatory; she at- join one faith or that prejudice based ism movement (it is not a religion). to pray before their basketball If parents want their children to tended high school at the same time on membership in any religion will It may be liberal, but even Jesus games. It seems that many com- hear about God and be able to pray the Supreme Court received the is- be tolerated. was a liberal revolutionary. The ban plaints have come in of coaches before basketball games, then they sue of school prayer and ruled on We cannot pick and choose, on mandatory school prayer and the participating in student led prayers, should be able to send there chil- its constitutionality. however, which parts of the Con- separation of church and state is a allegedly causing disruptions. Be- dren to schools that permit this. Being forced to pray was diffi- stitution and Bill of Rights we take matter of tolerance, love, and free- cause federal law prohibits prayer One suggestion is to allow the cult for her, not because she doesn't literally or take figuratively. We dom. We all have the right to our when it in any way affects school federal government to give taxpay- believe in God, Jesus, or the Bible, cannot say that all people having own, individual religion. Whether activities, these basketball players ing parents vouchers which can be but because she was forced to use religious freedom only means or not you agree with someone's are barred from praying. used to send children to. schools a Bible that was not her own. The Christians have religious freedom religion doesn't mean they While proponents of these ri- were religious or Christian values King James version of the Bible is the diculous lawsuits may claim that are permitted. very different from the Catholic while we say means that all people second can shouldn't they be allowed to practice to it amendment be forced or that should it is better to have no prayer than State schools that restrict prayer Bible she was used to reading. own guns even though the wording participate in yours. to give equal time for each player can continue to operate in compe- This family member also tells says only a standing militia can cwn to pray to his own respective god, tition with schools that allow it, and of a Jewish boy who was in her guns (There are no standing mili- the current depravity evidenced in everyone will be happy, except for homeroom. Should he have been tias in this country any longer; they