Prayer In Public Schools Through History PDF

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An essay on prayer in schools. The paoer goes over how prayer in school has changed through out history. It talks about people who were for and againist it....

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Cultural Identifiers Essay Alison Snoddy EDU 330 Professor Murray November 28, 2021

I chose prayer in school because it has been an issue in our public schools for much of the 20th century. People's right to pray should not be infringed upon in our schools. People pray for

many reasons and it is through prayer that they are able to overcome obstacles in their lives and ask God for guidance when it is needed. This right should not be taken away as it often helps us through our most difficult times. I went to a private Christian School where we prayed every morning and prayer was encouraged. Our morning prayers put me in the right mind set each day and were something I look forward to each day. In the 1962 case Engel v. Vitale prayer in public school was ruled unconstitutional. The Engel v. Vitale case was followed by another significant case Abington Township v. Schempp. In the Abington Township v Schempp case prayer and bible readings in school were ruled unconstitutional (Marshall, 2018). Prayer in school has been a controversial issue since the later half of the 19th century. When public schools were first founded by states, many states required them to start the day with a prayer or Bible reading (Church & State, 2020). Roman Catholics were not pleased with the readings because they were Protestant and came from the King James Bible (Church & State, 2020). The conflict resulted in many parents filing lawsuits against the forced religious practices in the late 19th century and early 20th Century(Church & State, 2020). President Trump defended prayer in school in 2020. Many students and teachers felt like they could not pray in their schools. Trump said it was “ not acceptable” and the government should not get in between God and people (Ordonez, 2020). Trump did not make any changes to the current laws but he said he will send a letter to the education secretaries to remind them students and teachers should not be discriminated against for practicing their First Amendment religious rights(Ordonez, 2020). As a future educator I am sure the controversial issue of prayer in school will likely affect my career in public education. Every school is very diverse and filled with students who hold different beliefs and religions. Many beliefs and religions clash and people see things differently. I know as an educator my number one priority is to educate my students and I will try my best to get my students to see others' points of view. Instead of ignoring the issues that may arise I think it is best we address them and talk through the differences. Prayer will be encouraged in my classroom if students choose to pray. I do not think any student should be denied the right to pray. Prayer in public schools is not against the law. Students and teachers are allowed to pray as long as they do not disrupt others or force others to pray (Ordonez, 2020). Students at schools are allowed to read religious books on their own but not as an assignment (Ordonez, 2020). Students are also allowed to have voluntary religious clubs( Ordonez, 2020). I think our schools are not denying our students of prayer but it is just that they can not force it upon them. .

References MARSHALL, W. P. (2018). The Constitutionality of School Prayer: Or Why Engel V. Vitale May Have Had It Right All along. Capital University Law Review, 46(3), 339–371. This article discusses the court cases about prayer in schools. The author writes about the constitutional foundation of the school prayer decisions. The Establishment Clause, which prohibits government from establishing a religion is also discussed as the author thinks the prohibition of religion in schools is because of the clause. This article will be good to support the section on the historical events that involved school prayer. Ordonez, Franco. (2020). Trump Defends School Prayer. Critics Say He’s Got It All Wrong. Retrieved November 26, 2021 from https://www.npr.org/2020/01/16/796864399/exclusive-trump-to-reinforce-protectionsfor-pr Ayer-in-schools

This article discusses how President Trump defended prayer in school. Many students and teachers felt like they could not pray in their schools. Trump said it was “ not acceptable” and the government should not get in between God and people. Trump did not make any changes to the current laws but he said he will send a letter to the education secretaries to remind them students and teachers should not be discriminated against for practicing their First Amendment religious rights. I will use this to support the section of my essay talking about current options.

Prayer In Public Schools: It’s Time To Set The Record Straight. (2020). Church & State, 73(3). Prayer In Public Schools: It’s time To Set The Record Straight is a great article with lots of facts

about prayer in school. The article is composed of 10 myths about prayer in school and each myth is backed with actual facts of why it is not true. The article has lots of information about the history of prayer in school and the court cases that came about because of the issue. This will be very helpful in many parts of my essay especially the history...