Religion in Public Schools

Religion In Public Schools

In the past Religion was confined to the state now with religious

freedom everything has changed or at least started to change. In order for

religion to be in a private school now it is again trying to be in Public

schools. People ask "why can't freedom to acknowledge god be enjoyed again

by children in every schoolroom across this land?" In the past, a long time

ago children always prayed before class started and before lunch. But

things h ave changed, "in 1791 the separation of church and state" started.

Although it was made clear about the separation of the two "as late as 1951

some twenty states permitted schools to begin the day by reading aloud a

passage of the bible." Bu t that had to stop. People didn't have the same

beliefs when it comes to religion, if a family absent even believe in god

why should their child be forced to pray? On many different occasions

questions similar to this one were brought up and complained about. That

is what started it all real big.

When complaining, arguing and fighting all started over the silent

moment. In 1978 a few lawyers got together and considered a constitutional

law. The original law said that public school teachers in gr ades 1-6

"shall announce that a period of silence, not to exceed one minute, shall

be observed for meditation." This law did not work for long, because it

still allowed oral prayer in public high schools. Later in 1981, the

Alabama State Senator D onald G. Holmes successfully passed a bill that

included all grades calling it "the moment of silence" this law said that

"the teacher (was) to announce that the silent moment may be used for

voluntary prayer." Although it would have to be si lent prayer. Even after

this new law started the lawyers that were opposed to this were trying to

say that students "do not have a right to pray in school" silently or

otherwise because of growing impressions that affect their life. The

silent mom ent supposedly "(forced) religion on children." I don't agree

with that at all, if there has to be a moment of silence then any child can

use that moment however he or she wants, it does not necessarily have to be

used fro prayer. Usually "the chi ldren who have been brought up with

prayer or some type of religion are usually proven to be better" kids. I

have friends who go to private schools where praying in class out loud is

perfectly O.K. and normal. This praying in the classroom usually would

have a pretty good size affect on the rest of a person's life. Although

when praying aloud it could force one type of religion on a student rather

than having them have more of a choice of what type of religion they want

or if they even want to ha ve a religion. When there would be the religion

in the classrooms. "School children not participating in the prayers or

the bible readings (would be) asked or required to leave the room."0 This

has been another big dispute because the bill of rig hts states that there

shall be "freedom of religion"1 therefore this means that if a person does

not believe in god or what ever the instance might be then they don't have

to. This means if you want to