Why prayer should not be allowed in schools

The public school system is tragically disintegrating as evidenced by the rise in school shootings, increasing drug use, alcoholism, teen pregnancy, and HIV transmission. School prayer can help combat these issues, would instill a sense of morality and is desperately needed to protect our children.

School prayer would address the needs of the whole person. They must also nurture their souls and reinforce the values taught at home and in the community. School prayer would allow religious students an opportunity to observe their religious beliefs during the school day.

Because public schools are government funded, prayer led by school officials or incorporated into the school routine amounts to government-established religion. Prayer is school is already legal. Students are already allowed to pray on a voluntary basis in a non-disruptive way so formal school prayer is unnecessary.

School prayer may lead to intolerance. This questioning is still going on today and people are torn between letting prayer in to the public school system or keeping it out. No man should have to be subject to anything that he does not believe in. Prayer should not be allowed in the public school system because of the idea of separation of church and state and the First Amendment.

To have prayer in the public school system is against the idea of separation of church and state. The state should not institute school prayer because the public schools are for education, not a place where religion should be taught Gaylor, , p. The state should not force every child to say a prayer in the classroom because not everyone believes School prayer should not be permitted because of the idea of separation of church and state and the First Amendment.

Work Cited Gaylor, Annie Laurie. The Case Against School Prayer. Matthew Get Access. Good Essays. Read More. Powerful Essays. Better Essays. Supporting Prayer in Public Schools. Satisfactory Essays. Prayer in Public Schools.

The school's appeal is now before a U. Mark is now a freshman at Oklahoma State. The intense reaction the Bells' suit caused suggests how deeply Americans are split over prayer in public school. At the heart of the debate is a U. Supreme Court case called Engel v.

In its ruling in this case, the Court decided that prayer in public schools violates the First Amendment to the U. S Constitution. The First Amendment states, in part, that "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. They argue that the nation's founders intended only to prevent on official, govenment-endorsed religion--and not to removed all traces of religion form daily life.

They point out that the national motto reads, Use this link to get back to this page. Debate over prayer in the public schools.