When I hear comments calling for prayer to be put back in schools, I wonder, "So what is it that we are really trying to achieve here?" Let's face it, humans have a nasty habit of digging in when we feel attacked and issues tend to polarize quickly. The finer points of our beliefs are often lost in the act of closing ranks against our opponent. In the end, the cause we're fighting for has little resemblance to the original source of the conflict. This is what has happened to the fight over prayer in schools.
When Christians, who are at the heart of this issue, really think about their faith, they find that their motivation comes from a desire to see others come to know the truth about God and Christ. Among the highest Christian goals are the desire to know God and to see others come to know Him. Our desire to proselytize is natural and a healthy expression of true faith in the God who has saved us from eternal separation by offering Christ as a sacrifice. Of course we want to share that with others. This is the goal that should underlie our interactions with society as Christians. But this honest desire to share Christ with the world around us seems to have gone out of focus.
When America began, it's influences were predominantly Christian. The large Christian majority grew comfortable with a State that was sympathetic to their values. That became a norm within the Christian community. But, as our population has grown in diversity, Christians are no longer such a powerful majority. As our laws and institutions have matured, we've refined a Constitutional moray that government should not be involved in religion. Whatever its other faults, this moray rightfully bars state institutions from mandating a religious exercise. Accomodating religion is fine but we can't demand religiousity as a state.
Here is where Christians have lost focus. Our energies have shifted from sharing our faith to maintaining a stronghold on the government. But, this is not legitimately ours to claim. A huge debate still rages over whether our country was founded as a Christian Nation. But regardless of our origins, everyone needs to look at where our country is today. The country we live in is a pluralistic democratic republic. While Christians may know the truth of Christ, we cannot expect our government to to give us any favor because of that.
John Rawls provides some strong support for this in his discussion of the "veil of ignorance." In crafting (or debating) the morals/laws of society we should try to decide what prejudices the law has without knowledge of which side of the prejudice we will be on. Therefore, we will theoretically choose laws that are generally fair for fear that we suffer under any unfair law we create. In considering the issue of prayer in school, we must stop and think, "What if the tables were turned and Christianity were not the dominant religion?"
In the end, I have to say that I can't honestly advocate state mandated prayer. Accomodation is a different story entirely. But, I would not want my children to be obligated to pray contrary to our family's beliefs.
