Prayer Ought to be in Schools | Teen Ink

Prayer Ought to be in Schools MAG

November 24, 2010
By GodChick BRONZE, Leander, Texas
GodChick BRONZE, Leander, Texas
1 article 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
"900 years of time and space and I've never met anybody who isn't important." - The Doctor


Prayer has always been part of the culture of the United States of America, its people, and its foundation. George Washington himself was a devout Christian, as were most of the founding fathers. The hand of God directed the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution. Christianity found its way into the very heart of our nation and remained the pulse of this country until 1962.

That year was one of tragedy, opposition, and downfall for young people in America. That year the Supreme Court prohibited prayer in schools. Ironically, the Supreme Court judges struck prayer from our nation's educational system in the same building where the Ten Commandments were hanging. They destroyed this part of our heritage, threw it away like a used scrap of paper, considered it useless in the present day. Yet, our president prays in the Oval Office.

Since 1962 young people in America have been in a downward spiral with nothing to catch them. They have nothing to cling to, no set of guiding morals, nothing to tell them the difference ­between right and wrong. Nothing to believe in; no ­foundation and no comfort for the agitated soul. Instead of upholding our Constitution, the Supreme Court ­destroyed it.

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ,” said Patrick Henry, a founding father and signer of the Constitution. Our country was founded on Christianity. That Christianity ought not to be taken from us.

Indeed, James Madison, our fourth president, said: “Cursed be all that learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ.” He would never have approved of the 1962 ruling of the Supreme Court – in fact, he would have cursed it. If our founders were here today, they would be putting their feet down and changing the United States back to the way it should be. The Ten Commandments would be hung in schools, prayer would be reestablished in the schoolhouse, and our government's ways would be corrected.

John Hancock, the first signer of Declaration of Independence, said: “Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us.” God guided the fathers to give us the right of prayer – prayer in schools, prayer in public, and prayer everywhere. We have instead succumbed to the broken ways of the world and obliterated the words of not only our founders but God as well.

With God – the Creator of the universe, Savior of sinners, the Prince of Peace, the Shepherd of all mankind – I will uphold John Hancock's words and “nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us”!


The author's comments:
Christianity was the basis for our nation, the guideline for our US Constitution and the Declartion of Independence. No one can deny with amazing truth. Yet, our nation has slipped away from this and instead into a state in which Christianity is denied, and even persecuted at times. Jesus Christ is the Lord God Almighty, the One and Only Savior of our broken world. He gives us a way to be saved, yet even our government, which was first a Christian-based system, has changed into a corrupt system where even prayer in schools is not allowed.
Pray for our broken world.

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This article has 59 comments.


on Jan. 5 2012 at 11:33 am
A_Fate_Unknown BRONZE, Enumclaw, Washington
2 articles 0 photos 152 comments

Favorite Quote:
Those who make peacefull revolution impossible, Will make violent Revolution inevitable.

I hate the article. It is completley biased with no factual evidence. Sure our nation was based on Christianity, but that doesn't make it right. Freedom of religion was why many people came over here in the origenal thirteen colonies. You are free to practice your religion at home and in church. But Do not force it upon others. Go spread your curse somewhere else.

on Dec. 18 2011 at 6:33 pm
theweirdworder DIAMOND, Newtown, Pennsylvania
65 articles 49 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.<br /> -Plato

You ARE allowed to pray in school. You just can't be FORCED to pray in school.

Genya GOLD said...
on Dec. 14 2011 at 6:01 pm
Genya GOLD, Bridgewater, New Jersey
10 articles 0 photos 52 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Never do anything that you wouldn&#039;t want to explain to the paramedics.&quot;-Unknown Author

Sorry, but our founding fathers were all for religious freedom, their audience was just too conservative to abolish prayer in schools. I like the article, but it's just kind of politically incorrect for me.

on Dec. 14 2011 at 5:16 pm
BlueRain BRONZE, Clarkston, Michigan
2 articles 5 photos 254 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control.&quot;

I agree. And weren't most of the Founding Fathers Deists? I believe I read that somewhere.

on Dec. 14 2011 at 12:15 pm
bookthief PLATINUM, Concord, Massachusetts
20 articles 0 photos 58 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.&quot; -- John W. Gardener

This piece is well written and convincing... and yet I've got to disagree with it for both factual and personal reasons. First, anyone who refuses to allow you to pray (without disrupting the school) in school is probably violating the Constitution. And beyond that, the Founding Fathers are not the basis of all right in the world. If we were to abide purely by the Fathers' opinions, we would not only have forced Christianity but also slavery, no voting or any other rights for women or anyone who's not white, no homosexuals... in essence, very little that we hold valuable today. One of the greatest strengths of America is its ability to adapt and change with the people who reside in it. In the meantime? Try a private Christian school, and get back to me.

on Dec. 5 2011 at 5:22 pm
anna_banana BRONZE, Wilmington, Delaware
4 articles 1 photo 27 comments

Favorite Quote:
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent- Eleanor Roosevelt

I feel that prayer should be allowed in schools. But not just Christian prayer. ALL prayer. I think, that if prayer would be in schools, everyone should have an opprotunty to pray for what they believe in. And honestly, if you don't want to pray, if you don't believe, don't participate in the prayer. 

on Dec. 2 2011 at 7:38 pm
RiverSong BRONZE, Baltimore, Maryland
3 articles 0 photos 100 comments
Your other comment, I mean, not your reply to mine...

on Dec. 2 2011 at 7:32 pm
RiverSong BRONZE, Baltimore, Maryland
3 articles 0 photos 100 comments
Haha thanks. :) Yours was really well-composed, as well.

on Dec. 2 2011 at 7:02 pm
FatesMistake13, Springerville, Arizona
0 articles 0 photos 157 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Most people die of a sort of creeping common sense, and discover when it is too late that the only things one never regrets are one&#039;s mistakes.&quot; Oscar Wilde <br /> <br /> &quot;The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.&quot;

First of all, your writing was amazing i have to say. the way you strung eveything together was nice. :)

 

But now i have to disagree with the points your making. People are always bringing the founding fathers beleifs into thiswhich i find ridiculous. NO matter what their personal beliefs were, they founded a country that stands for many freedoms, freedom of religion among those. They, Christian or not, founded a country who believes in seperation of state and religion. It is wrong and kind of ignorant to say that America is a Christian country. We are a country of many varying and all accepted religions from many cultures. Prayer being allowed but not forced is very correct in my opinion and i strongly disagree with your claim that teenagers have not to believe in and no moral standards. I, a teenager, am surrounded by people like myself who are morally sound and have faith, even if it doenst match yours.

Though our views differ greatly, i respect your views and think the way you stated those views was pretty good.


on Dec. 2 2011 at 6:51 pm
FatesMistake13, Springerville, Arizona
0 articles 0 photos 157 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Most people die of a sort of creeping common sense, and discover when it is too late that the only things one never regrets are one&#039;s mistakes.&quot; Oscar Wilde <br /> <br /> &quot;The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.&quot;

this was an awesome comment and i sooo agree with eveythign you said.

on Nov. 28 2011 at 9:49 pm
RiverSong BRONZE, Baltimore, Maryland
3 articles 0 photos 100 comments

I disagree, and ask that you take the time to listen to my opinion as I listened to yours.  Your argument in this article is littered with incorrect information.  Far from supporting Christianity, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights list freedom of religion (as well as separation of church and state) as unalienable rights.  And you are also wrong when you say that prayer is not allowed in schools.  Because of the Constitution, anyone may pray whenever, wherever, and to whomever they like.  It's when you try to enforce one specific religion on a diverse group of people (i.e., students in a public school) that the laws of our country get involved.  If you wish prayer to be a part of your curriculum, I suggest you attend a private, Christian school.

Not only are your facts incorrect, but your own ideas have little support.  The young people of America do have guiding morals.  I myself am agnostic; God is an ambiguous subject for me, something that I haven't figured out if I believe in yet.  Regardless of my religious beliefs, I am a kind-hearted, compassionate teenager who is pretty certain of her identity.  It takes a lot more than a strong faith in God for a teen to know who they are.  As for "nothing to believe in", I find plenty to believe in.  I believe in democracy, individuality, freedom, self-expression, and ethical behavior.  I believe in myself and I believe in others.  Personally, I do not feel the need for any specific religious doctrine to tell me these things.   America is a diverse country, and to suggest that one religion should, or even could, unite us all is ridiculous.

I respect your religion, as I respect all religions.  Just as religious freedom is a right, so is free speech.  Though our own two opinions may be different, all people's opinions--and religions--are important in a democratic society such as the U.S.A.

~RiverSong


on Nov. 23 2011 at 10:42 pm
NadiaAlmasalkhi BRONZE, Louisville, Kentucky
3 articles 0 photos 6 comments

This post in quite frankly appalling.

I'm sure that creating a democratic country where the will of the people were more powerful than the personal beliefs of any one man, be they a Founding Father or whoever else, was more important to the signers of our Declaration than creating a religious tyranny. As Thomas Paine said, "Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, religious tyranny is the worst."

In your article, you condemn the change of 1962, but the Founding Fathers would not. They would be proud that the country is so able to adapt. That is what has made this country so great.

Moreover, the Founding Fathers do. Not. Matter. Their personal beliefs are irrelevant. They believed in slavery, and the quote from James Madison that you provided says he did not believe in science, for crying out loud! They are neither infallible, nor are they all-knowing. They belong to a different time, and in some ways, a different country. They understood what America's growth would mean, however, and that's why they created amendments. The purpose was to build a place where democracy and tolerence could live on, and where the people controlled their country. The people of America--not the people of 1789.

With Christian beliefs and a European surname, it may be hard for you to imagine, but non-Christians are already bullied, harrassed, and alienated. Prayer in school would only make problems worse.

Lastly, I disagree with your claim that society has declined since 1962. Today, science has improved, along with education, quality of life, equality, and countless other areas. Asserting values of democracy and equality do not destroy America--it builds America.


on Nov. 14 2011 at 3:35 pm
A_Fate_Unknown BRONZE, Enumclaw, Washington
2 articles 0 photos 152 comments

Favorite Quote:
Those who make peacefull revolution impossible, Will make violent Revolution inevitable.

also, morality does not come from god. If u need the fear of divine punishment to prevent you from commiting murder, your a horrible person.

on Nov. 11 2011 at 8:57 pm
procrastinating101 SILVER, Eatonville, Washington
5 articles 1 photo 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Woah Man.&quot;

I agree with you completely Imaginedangerous. By putting prayer in schools you not only are making people uncomfortable but taking away their constitutional rights. Our forefathers came to this country for freedom of religion, to escape persecution for believing in something different than the ruler of the time. Myself being an agnostic I know I would feel that the religion of christianity was being pushed onto me if prayer in school was law.

on Nov. 5 2011 at 2:57 pm
Imaginedangerous PLATINUM, Riverton, Utah
31 articles 0 photos 402 comments

Maybe they were all Christians, and maybe they believed that you had to accept Je.sus to avoid going to h.ell. But their private beliefs are irrelevant, because they very clearly stated that those beliefs were not going to be forced on anyone.

You are allowed to pray in school. Anyone who tells you otherwise is taking away your constitutional rights. But if you want your rights, other people must be allowed theirs- which means that you can pray all you want, but you can't make anyone else do the same. Therefore, organized prayer was unconstitutional.


on Nov. 5 2011 at 11:02 am
The_Earl_of_Zerces PLATINUM, Waukesha, Wisconsin
36 articles 0 photos 106 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.&quot;<br /> -Sigmund Freud

Actually, fun fact, I can quite easily deny this with amazing truth. Hehehehe, seriously though, what makes you think that your religion has a greater right than any other person's religion? If we do allow public, Christian prayers in schools, which are supposed to be places of mutual learning for all people, then we would be going against our country's greatest founding principle, which is tolerence. I remember when I was a little tyke in kindegarten, and I had my little lunchbox and I would sit down and pray before eating lunch, and then the principal said that he was sorry  but I wasn't allowed to do that. Sure, as a kid I was pretty sad about that, but the school didn't stop me from saying a little prayer before dinner at home, and besides, if you want theology in your education, there are plenty of Christian schools out there. As Clarence Darrow, the famous orater, once said: "The Constitution is a delusion and a snare if the weakest and humblest man in the land cannot be defended in his right to speak and his right to think as much as the strongest in the land."

on Nov. 1 2011 at 3:11 pm
MortifiedFlesh, Washington
0 articles 0 photos 6 comments
Imagine if our founding fathers had been Muslims, and you happened to be Christian today, would you be happy to pray to Allah? What if they were satanists, would you be pleased to pray to Lucifer? It doesn't matter what your religion is, or what the founding fathers believed, what matters is that we DO NOT force anyone to listen to your prayer during public school hours. While you are entitled to pray in school...pray yourself to death, if you wish...the seperation of church and state is directly related to the first amendment. We are not just free to practice our religion but we are also PROTECTED from religion.

on Oct. 28 2011 at 8:25 am
carcinoGeneticist, Bellevue, Washington
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;what the hell is a homosexual&quot;

This is very well written.  I do not agree with your position, but good job.  I believe that religion and education should be seperate in a PUBLIC school, that anyone of any religion can enter.  If the students in a school prayed christion prayers, then a muslim or jewish student would feel very out-of-place.  Morals should be tought by the parents of a child, or another role model- it is school's place to prepare children for joining the workforce.

deathward22 said...
on Dec. 13 2010 at 6:44 pm
deathward22, Los Alamos, New Mexico
0 articles 0 photos 42 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Don&#039;t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.&quot; mark twain

The constitution is supposed to allow freedom of religion so why should we abide by you religions rules