State-sponsored prayer in public schools is a controversial issue in America today. The religious right (social conservatives) maintains that the First Amendment to our Constitution guarantees freedom of religion expression, in any place at any time, even in public schools. That interpretation enables them to justify state-sanctioned prayer in public schools, posting the Ten Commandments in government facilities, and teaching the Biblical account of creation (intelligent design) in public school science classes. More moderate Christians and most non-Christians believe the First Amendment prohibits the outward expression of religion in such public forums because it imposes one’s religious beliefs and expressions on others.
The first part of the First Amendment, “Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”, has been particularly troublesome. The courts have consistently supported separation of church and state, interpreting the First Amendment to mean freedom of religion and freedom from religion, thus prohibiting state-sponsored prayer in public schools. Students are permitted to pray in public schools, however, but not in a school-directed format.
Those court decisions have not stopped the religious right from pushing for state-sanctioned prayer in public schools, however, and the result is bitter wrangling and division among our citizens over that hot-button issue. What kind of school-directed prayers do social conservatives want in our public schools? Can they be Catholic prayers, Protestant prayers, Jewish prayers, Islam prayers, Hindu prayers, Native American prayers, or prayers of some other religion? The religious right demands prayers of their choosing, namely Christian prayers, but all students do not come from a Christian religion. Allowing state-sanctioned prayer in public schools would lead to teaching a particular religion or favoring one religion over another, obviously in conflict with the First Amendment to the Constitution.
The big over-riding question is, “Who is responsible for teaching religion to our children and youth?” Is the answer parents, churches, or our public schools? I believe the responsibility for teaching religion to our children rests on parents, churches, and private religious schools, rather than on public schools. My view is not shared by a majority of social conservatives, however, so they continue to press for state-sponsored prayer, specifically Christian prayer, in our public schools.
Herschel Hill’s book, PLEASING GOD: THE JESUS AGENDA, contains a very comprehensive analysis of this issue, as well as analyses of similar controversial issues such as posting the Ten Commandments in government facilities and teaching creationism in public school science classes. His book is available through bookstores, amazon.com, and other internet sites. Autographed copies can be purchased directly from the author at reduced prices through this webpage.
