Prayer in School - Part 2 "So What Are You Trying to Do?"

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.

Prayer in School - Part 1 "Prayer is illegal! What?"

As a teacher, a member of an evangelical church, and part of a family that has Christian roots, I get a pretty good view of the whole "Separation of Church and State" debate from several sides - fellow teachers, students, administrators, ministers, citizens of all stripe, and my own family. Most issues have more or less predictable and logical battle lines. But, when the issue of Prayer in School comes up, I tend to get ready for some hard core tongue-biting because I find myself outside the traditional camp.

In Christian circles the topic usually comes up in the form of a sarcastic, somewhat bitter lament. "Well, you can't even pray in school anymore!" or, my personal favorite (sarcasm intended), "They've taken God out of Schools." The understanding that seems to be pervasive among Christians is that somehow a law now exists (and is being enforced) that says prayer will not be tolerated. The image of children being rapped on the back of their little bowed heads comes to mind. You can imagine the cafeteria monitors trying to ferret out those that might say grace.

In reality, Prayer, per se, has not been affected at all. The only thing that has drawn the attention of our laws and courts is Mandating Prayer. Let's make this clear: "praying" - legal, "forcing others to pray" - not legal. If its still not clear, take this as an example. Little Billy praying in school is legal. Principal Smith praying in school is legal. Principal Smith requiring Little Billy to pray is NOT legal.

The issue here is not prayer. It is about coercion. Schools and their employees are "agents of The State." The 1st Amendment says The State shall not "establish" any one religion. No one minds the individual volunteering to pray, but when the school as an agent of The State requires its students to adhere to a religion or religious activity, it is tantamount to establishing that particular religion.

So. Students, Teachers - pray! Pray often! It's perfectly legal! Just don't try to use the State to coerce others to do so!

Keep the faith!

Getting Started

I've never blogged before.

...Wow that wasn't hard. Just started typing and there it is: a posting. This should be easy. Now, what to blog about? ...