God is Great; God is Good … Just Not in School
Submitted:
By: Rebecca McDaniel
To: Dr. Yentrapati
Date: 25 July 2014
There are a lot of controversial topics that people face from day to day and prayer and religion in school is one of the most controversial of them all. This topic has been an issue for a long time and it still isn't a topic of discussion that's discussed at the dinner table. Although, this is a controversial subject that not many people like to discuss it is still a matter that needs to be addressed. Many may say that some of the details in court cases and readings dealing with prayer in school have been overlooked and they need justification. Just like every other situation, especially controversial ones, there are pros and cons that go along with this situation. With that being said, debates and other arguments have been made but not one solution has been found. Is it fair to cut something out for the comfort of one group, or is it just to make things fair in order for everyone to be happy? Just like every issue there are two opposing sides , and they each have quite their own opinions . But which side should hold the ruling?
The two opposing sides of prayer in school are the people and the law. The people believe that it is a given right to be able to have prayer at school , and that you should not just automatically cut something out just to comfort one group of people does not like it. Then there is the law that believes it is illegal for prayer to be practiced in school. This idea is based off of the 1st Amendment where it is said that there should be a separation of church and state. There have been plenty of court cases dealing with this matter, and it seems like each of them are all in favor of one thing NO PRAYER. This topic is one that has been an issue since about 1948 until now, and each side feels like they are right. But who is really right?
I find this issue importance because I am a Christian and a mother I would love to see more children engaged in religious practices. Once in my high school one of my friends was seen praying for her food and she was embarrassed by the school and the principal reprimanded her. This is a situation that happened maybe two years, but honestly everyone should feel free to practice their religion freely. Isn’t America known for freedom, where’s the land of the free? If our society does not resolve this issue it will and can lead to bigger problems with religion, and maybe even a war.
Some advantages of discussing this issue are finally hearing the voices of the parents and children who believe different from what they are made to abide by, and it could help the situation if things were talked about and sorted out. The people would say that the law makers have no heart and that the law does not exactly say separate church from state. It says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Some disadvantages of discussing this topic are the possibility of matters being made worse due to extremists and or atheist, and the fact that it is a very touchy issue so people become angered easily. If I wanted others to be convinced that prayer in schools is of some importance I would tell them that if they feel strongly about anything they should fight for it and not conform. I would lead protests, blog sites, and maybe even write news articles. This could help to get all the facts of the issue out into the public eye. This issue needs to be resolved in such a way that both sides are happy, but that could be hard because there is no way to always keep everyone happy. In my research I have learned that this issue has been blown out of proportion, and it could have been resolved an long time ago. Sometimes America tends to blow up over the wrong things, and this is one of the wrong things. If people who are so against something can have all the say so then what about the people who are for the
