Should prayer be allowed in public and/or private schools? This is a controversy that has raged since the 1960s since an irate mother sued because her son was harrassed by his classmates for not joining in the prayer at his school. It is a rallying cry for many conservative politicians and members of the religious right today. The government is accused of being anti-religious and anti-Christian.

The fact is, however, that the U.S. Government does not prohibit prayer in any school. Public schools are prohibited from sponsoring religious observances such as a daily prayer. The United States Supreme Court has never ruled that prayer or religious messages are completely banned, only that the school should remain neutral. The basis for this prohibition is the First Amendment to the Constitution, which states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” The First Amendment originally applied only to the federal government, but the subsequent Fourteenth Amendment had the affect of extending this to all levels of government.

Supporters of mandatory prayer in public schools tend to be largely, though not always, Christians. It should be noted, however, that some Christian groups oppose it, in particular in areas of the country where they are a minority - such as Catholic and Mormon families who live in the predominantly Southern Baptist Texas Gulf Coast.

There is not, nor has there ever been a ban on personal prayer in school. Students are free to quietly and privately pray when and where they wish. What has been, and should continue to be, banned is state-enforced prayer. Public schools are intended to educate all children in a jurisdiction without regard to the faith (or lack of faith) of their parents. Having state-sanctioned or state-mandated prayer in taxpayer supported institutions is antithetical to the principle of providing education to help children grow up to be productive members of society. Notwithstanding the view that our moral fiber is undercut by the absence of prayer, we are a nation of many faiths. How then does one decide which faith’s prayer to include - or, do we have a half day each morning where we honor each religion by reciting its particular prayer? The Lord’s Prayer, though a beautiful peace of prose, is not the prayer recited by other religions. If it is the one chosen, and if the proponents have their way, it will, what of the Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and others in the classroom? Is it our intent to get them to change their religion, or are we simply disregarding their beliefs? Anyone who thinks this is not a divisive issue and will not lead to harrassment of non-Christians, atheists, or people who simply prefer to practice their religion in church, is either supremely naive, or deliberately obtuse. Children can be very cruel, and belonging is a hallmark of their existence, especially in adolescence. Returning prayer to public schools will merely add another thing that the “in” crowds can use to berate the “outsiders.”

Religion is and should be between an individual and his or her deity. It should remain that way and stay out of the classroom - unless that classroom is in a seminary or religious-funded school.