Religion: Prayer in School

Grand Canyon University

ELM-330

The cultural identifier chosen for this paper is religion and the place of prayer in school. This paper will look at this by looking into the broader topic of the current separation of government (including public schools) and religion. This essay will begin by discussing court decisions relevant to the place of prayer and religion in schools and will then look at laws put in place to eliminate the overt instruction of religion in the public school system.

One of the historical events significant in relation to prayer in schools was the State of Tennessee vs John Scopes trial, which took place in 1925 and was centered around the anti-evolution law. The National Defense Act, which took place in 1958, also added to the anti-evolution law. These two cases, though not directly a part of the separation of school and government, did display the difference in beliefs between groups of people in this country. The next significant case is Everson vs Board of Education, which led to the Establishment Clause relating to state and local governments through the fourteenth amendment. This case led to the beginning of the process of separation of school and religion. Some states and areas did not immediately adhere to the law because of technicalities which led them to believe the laws only applied to federal institutions (Bindewald, 2015).

The separation of religion and government means that public schools cannot promote or deny people’s ability to choose their own religion. It also says that public schools cannot teach religion. This is something that public educators must be aware of and abide by. The laws seem as though they are straight forward, so why has the topic remained so controversial? Students come from a diverse range of parents and families, and they have a diverse number of religions that they believe in. People’s children are often their main priority in life. Many people hold their religion as a high priority as well. When you have such important components of people’s lives in opposition with each other it is often difficult to reach agreement (Marshall, 2018).

There are people who make the argument that the government taking such a hard stance and saying that public schools are to completely keep religion out of school could actually have a negative effect. They argue that the country needs tolerance of all religions in order to be most successful. They also point out that countries that have government control of religion are more prone to religious extremism (Benedict, 2021). This argument is based on the idea that students may feel forced to suppress or ignore their beliefs in order to fit in in places such as public schools.

There are also people who feel it is the student’s family that has the right to teach the student the religion of their choice, and they do not want public school teachers teaching their own religious views to the children at school. It is often the case that by the time students reach school age they have already begun the process of adopting the religion and beliefs of their families. It makes sense that families desire their right to maintain the development of the beliefs of their choosing.

The issue of prayer and religion not being taught in school has a few implications on my future public school classrooms. It limits some of the topics that I can teach to the students, for example, and some topics (such as certain historical events) will need to be taught in a religion neutral manner. My students will still have the ability to take a moment to pray on their own time if they so choose, it just cannot be in any way school promoted.

Options that are in place today for parents include the fact that those who wish to have their children experience prayer in school can enroll their children at private schools of their choice. Some private schools do have religious affiliations, as they are not obligated to follow the same rules as public schools since they are not publicly funded. Though teachers can not instruct students or influence students on topics associated with religion, students are free to practice and believe any religion that they may chose. This is usually an area that schools will make exceptions as needed to allow students to do as they need for their religion independently. This is a topic that makes the United States unique from many other countries. Many countries have state sponsored religion where all residents are expected to believe and practice the same religion. In the United States there are many different types of religion that are practiced, and people are free to choose what is right for them (Quillen, 2018). Teachers in the United States are allowed to be understanding of students’ religion and beliefs, and they are not allowed to do anything that promotes or influences a student’s beliefs.

In conclusion, the idea of separation of religion and school is a simple idea. Teachers in the public school system can not teach or promote any religious views to their students under any circumstance. The controversy is centered around what people feel is the right way to approach the issue of religion so that all people involved feel validated. The argument that a country such as the United States where there are so many religions that are practiced should look to practice tolerance does seem to make sense. There is also the argument that families have the right to teach their children the beliefs they choose, and that the government does not have the right to influence the children’s beliefs. The fact remains that as the laws are written today teachers are not to get involved in religious based activities while teaching. Teachers can, however, model behavior that reflects on their beliefs, while being respectful and tolerant of students and people of all beliefs and religions.

References

Benedict, C. (2021). Religion-blind policies: Anti-democratic consequences. Action, Criticism & Theory for Music Education, 20(2), 60–78. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.22176/act20.1.60

Bindewald, B. (2015). In the world, but not of the world: Understanding conservative Christianity and its relationship with American public schools. Educational Studies: Journal of the American Educational Studies Association, 51(2), 93–111.

Marshall, W. (2018). The constitutionality of school prayer: Or why Engel V. Vitale may have had it right all along. Capital University Law Review, 46(3), 339–371.

Quillen, E. (2018). Frog in a pot: American atheism and the thermometry of supreme court ideology. Implicit Religion, 21(3), 301–337.

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